Fantastic fishing an understatement on Falcon right now

We have recorded .83, .20, and .05 inches of rain the last three days and much of it has been slow falling mist, which has saturated the ground. We just finished reordering a new supply of Frogg Togg rainwear, which we have sold at a rate on par with brushhogs the last few days. The lake level, which started the week at 289.12 feet , is expected to rise some more as the rainwater from the watershed hits Falcon. The water clarity may continue to suffer a little and with the murky conditions and continuing cloud cover, the darker blue fleck, plum apple, and june bug colors should be good choices. It is a good bet that larger nine to 11-inch baits will produce more large fish if for no other reason that they will not be bothered as much by the smaller fish. A heavier weight may also pay off by getting the offering down quicker through the schools of small fish that frequent the upper levels of points and drop offs.

The fishing has continued excellent for bass this week with 35 to 50 fish per boat being an average day's catch for most fishermen we have talked to recently. Not all of the fish are legal length, but enough of them are that the excitement and anticipation factors are quite high.

We understand that Bill and Connie Bayles had a good productive trip to Falcon last week. You may remember them as tournament directors for Anglers Choice for several years running. Their last day was fantastic with over 20 fish boated in the 4- 5 lb . range. Their best five fish would have weighed 28 lbs . according to Speedy Collett.

A lot of the bass right now are being caught up the river from Beacon. Hedionda (in Mexico across from Beacon) has been producing a lot of good fish off the points, as has Chapote and other creeks on the Mexican side. The US side is holding good numbers of fish as well. The Veleno is still producing good numbers of fish, and last weekend's UCBC Tournament was won out of the Tigers. To say that fishing is fantastic right now is to understate an obvious observation. A local winter Texan was in the store this morning reporting on the family budget he was breaking buying plastics. In some previous years he remembered a package of worms lasting a month or longer. He is going through a pack a day now and usually more.

Catfishing has also been great, with good quantities of fish coming from the willows off creeks in 20 feet or so of water. All types of baits are working including shrimp, worms, liver, shad and stinkbait. We have these available at the tackle store in Zapata and online in our e-store at www.falconlaketackle.com. We have over 3,000 items listed and ready to ship, including some great fishing and hunting theme gifts at 10 percent off for Christmas. Gift certificates are also available online.

We had several tournaments hold their November events at Falcon last weekend. Ingram Bass Club was here as well as 31 fishermen, ladies, and youth from Universal City Bass Club in San Antonio . The second and third cold fronts of the season provided a challenge as far as conditions and fishing were concerned. Water temperatures had dropped to the mid-60 degree range thanks to sub 50-degree temperatures Friday night that never exceeded 53 degrees Saturday. Water clarity was murky in a number of areas, but even with all the impediments, some good fish were caught. Seventy-five fish weighing 182.77 lbs . were weighed by Universal City Bass Club weighmaster David Glenny on Saturday. The heavy stringer of 16.78 lbs . was weighed in by Jim McCrary and his big bass was 5.30 lbs . Larry Martin's 6.69 lb . fish took big bass honors Saturday and altogether, there were four fish caught over 4 lbs . The heavy boat honors went to Alan Parks and Jim McCrary with a total of 32.10 lbs .

Many of the fish caught were bunched up off some (but not all) of the points in around 13 feet of water, and once you found a concentration of fish, it was no big deal to catch 20 or so legal fish, according to some of the fishermen we talked with after the tournament. Fish were caught pretty much all over the lake, but Alan Parks and Jim McCrary (first day first and second place heavy stringer leaders) found the Tigers to be their best location. Watermelon red brush hogs, either Carolina or Texas rigged, produced the most fish. Stick worms were also workings for some of the fishermen.

Sunday was more of the same as far as weather and fishing. Fighting the drizzle and sometimes the rain, Alan Parks grabbed the heavy stringer honors with a total weight of 26.11 lbs . Ken Schmoekel out-ounced Larry Martin for big fish with a 6.75 lb . bass. David Glenny and Greg Hignite finished second and third with heavy stringers of 22.26 lbs . and 21.30 lbs . respectively. Altogether, the 31 fishermen and ladies caught and released a lot of fish, but they carried a total of 128 fish to the scales weighing 327 lbs .

Until next time, have a great day on the water.

(Larry E. Bridgeman is the owner of Falcon Lake Tackle in Zapata , TX . Visit the Falcon Lake Tackle website at www.tackleandrods.com.)