What you need:
So what does a day on the water with Dan cost? Dan only guides for Black Bass so
if you want a shot at a Gar he isn't your man, but if your looking to get into
largemouth he did a great job putting me on fish. Dan charges 300 dollars for a
half day (5 hours) and 400 dollars for a full day (8-9 hours), a 100 dollar non
refundable deposit is required in advance to guarantee a booking.
Because Falcon resides in both U.S. and Mexico territories there are two sets of
licenses required to fish here. On the Texas side of the lake, all species are
managed under current Texas statewide regulations. For recreational anglers
fishing Mexican waters, a Mexico fishing license is required for everyone in the
boat. Mexico boat permits are no longer required. For information on Mexico's
fishing regulations, visit the
National Aquaculture and
Fishing Commission (CONAPESCA) website. Mexico licenses can be
purchased in Zapata at Robert's Fish N' Tackle (2425 S. Highway 83,
956/765-1442) or from Falcon Lake Tackle (2195 S. Highway 83, 956/765-4866.)
Yum Dingers worked well in deep
water
In terms of tackle you
will want to gear up with more plastics in the early part of the season, like on
this particular trip, but they will work year round. Good colors on Falcon are
watermelon, watermelon red, watermelon gold and even candy or margarita. Popular
lures include as well as mag lizards, brush hogs, stick baits and magnum custom
hand pours. Drop shot is a seldom used but very effective technique on Falcon as
well, just make sure to use a heavier fluorocarbon line.
Dan encourages his clients to
release fish
When the water is warm and
the fish are active a white spinnerbait can be phenomenal, I landed a five and a
half pounder on spinnerbait right in the trees later in the week during this
same trip. Crankbaits of all sorts can also be excellent and citrus patterns are
a proven color. Finally both soft and hard swimbaits can be used to target big
fish in the summer months.
We also had success fishing EZ
Jigs with trailers
A
heavy rod is an absolute must for fishing the submerged trees, it is just
heartbreaking to not be able to stop a big fish, and fish long enough on Falcon
and you definitely will hook into one. I also like to use braid tipped with
fluorocarbon which gives you the sensitivity, stealth and strength to target the
big fish effectively. A hollow braid heavy leader connection worked well through
the micro guides where larger knots will negatively affect casting distance by
knocking against the guides. Finally dress warm and be ready for a serious case
of bass thumb. By the end of the first day I was wearing sungloves because my
fingers were so raw, always a good indicator of a world class bass fishery.
By the end of the day I understood
just what Falcon Lake Bassin was all about...
Conclusion:
It was interesting to see Dan adjust to the conditions and he ended up living up
to his early morning prediction by putting us on both good numbers and quality
fish. We could have worked the treetops all day for 2-3 pounders but he knew why
I came to Zapata Texas and went in search of the lunkers in deeper water, it was
then that I got a taste of what Falcon Lake was all really all about. Any lake
where anglers can expect to catch a fish in the six to seven pound class and
have a shot at a double digit bass with a quality guide like Dan is something
else.
...and as the sun sets you can be
sure that I'll be coming back to this world class fishery
The reputation that Falcon
has as a world class bass fishery is well deserved, the snapshot I got of the
lake in a single day is enough to get me to already start thinking of my next
trip back. The fish here continually gorge themselves on protein rich Tilapia,
and with no natural predators other than a few commercial fishermen coming from
the Mexico side and bass anglers coming from the U.S. they get big and mean
quick. It is already impressive that there are such big fish here at Falcon but
it is equally extraordinary how big the population of lunkers there are in the
lake, this truly is Tex-Mex bassin’ at its best.
To
find out more about Falcon Lake Guide Service and to book a trip with Dan visit
his website,
just tell Dan you want the TackleTour experience
