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FLT Flash Fishing Report!

Not your Daddy's fishing report...

E-mail James

April 16, 2025: I guess whomever decided to put up these eyesore windmills in our county did their homework. I mean I guess you'd want to put up windmills where there is wind..

These Mo-Fo's gotta be making a fortune.. Cause it is a windy son of a bitch..

Wind kept me off the water on Sunday, and yesterday things just did not work out, and I haven't been on the water in over a week.. And it's killing me..

But plenty of other folks have, and they're all making me jealous because I have not gotten out.

Reports are still excellent, with good numbers of good fish still reported. Lots of five to eight pound fish are still being caught.

In a nutshell: Go throw a senko on the dam. It is amazing the number of fish that have been caught there in the last two months.. And it don't stop.. Crazy..

I can't believe it keeps cranking them out with all the boats that camp out on it.

But if you don't like crowds, that is no big deal either.. Fish are being caught on rock from the Tigers south.

Just go fishing..

If you follow along with Falcon, water levels, and Mexico, you have probably heard a lot of talk about Mexico paying some of their water debt back to the US.

It appears that we finally nave an administration with some nuts, and they cut off water allocations to Mexico down around Tijuana, where we give water to Mexico out of the Colorado.

Which in turn motivated Mexico to release some water for the farmers in the valley below us. Which is a bit of a puzzler with the things that have happened lately.

Let me fill in the blanks.. I have three things to address..

Several months ago, Mexico and the US came to an agreement to put water out of El Cuchillo and Sugar lake into the Rio Grande. Which can be done with their canal system that has the means to divert water into the river instead of just along the river on the Mexican side to Mexican farmland. It is a hell of a system they have and water from these two lakes irrigates thousands of acres.

And as luck would have it, big floods occurred in Mexico near Monterrey late last summer, filling them both to over pool for a while.

And while these waters are 100% allocated to the Mexicans, as per the 1944 treaty, instead of just letting it make its way through the system unused, an agreement was reached to put it in the Rio Grande and let US farmers use it, and what was used would be credited towards their water debt.

Also, Sugar ran over the top of the dam for months until recently, and I am not sure where that water ended up. Either in the river or down their irrigation system.

Someday when you are bored, go to Google earth and follow the irrigation ditches that run along the border in Mexico.. It is impressive.. And how far south they go is really amazing.

So I am not sure where we stand in that agreement as of now.. Have we received water from them as per that agreement as of yet? Hell if I know..

Currently Sugar is at 97% of pool and El Cuchillo above it is at 93%. Lots of water in that System. And if another big rain occurs in the Monterrey area there is gonna be a shit storm from all the flooding that happens..

Item two:

Less than three weeks ago the Valley got hammered with rainfall, and some areas received more than 20 inches.. Lots of areas had more than ten. It rained seven and a half at the dam, and got heavier as the rains headed south.

So why the valley needs water right now I do not know. A lot of crops were flooded out.. But maybe a few acres did not get enough to satisfy their needs.. Although I cannot imagine them needing water now.

But in spite of my feeble imagination, right now they are releasing 37 cubic meters a second from Falcon.. And we have dropped more than six inches in the last ten days.

You fuckin' figure it out..

Item three.. Which relates to the hairy sack action I mentioned above..

When Mexico was told to go pound sand when they asked for water out of the Colorado, they decided to pay back some of their water debt, post haste.

And water is heading our way out of Amistad as I type.. And it started last Sunday morning from what I have seen. The water is just now hitting Laredo, (mid day Wed.) and it should start to influence Falcon levels starting tomorrow afternoon.

Release rates from Amistad are running about 120 CMS, so we are going to be about 80 CMS ahead of our release rate, if things remain as they are. But who knows..

These are current observations. And I won't speculate about what will happen.

But I will speculate this: I imagine what the Mexicans are doing is releasing water they own out of Amistad, and giving Texas ownership of what they deliver.

None of this water coming to Falcon, is coming out of Mexican lakes that are located in Mexico. With one small exception.. Luis Leon is releasing about 8 CMS and this water will end up in the Rio Grande at Big Bend.

And I have no idea if that will last.. I have no ideas how long the releases from Amistad will last..

IBWC communicates with its dependents about as good as.. Well let's face it they just don't communicate worth a shit..

Never have.. I guess that with only a hundred and fifty million plus ($150,000,000) budget they just can't afford a public relations and information officer.. Times are tough all over...

DOGE should look at this..

So how low Amistad will go, and how much we'll catch are both good questions. And I'll let you know as soon as they let me know.. Don't hold your breath..

Well I got a lot more to say, but I am typed out..

But next time I'll give you a report on the party of perpetual outrage..

Spoiler alert: They're so fucked up..

Fishing here is still great.. Why you ain't here I don't know..

See you on the water!

April 9, 2025: We have had some weird and wacky weather as of late, and a lot of it relates to the wind. As in last weekend. And it blew so had that the fleet was grounded last Saturday and Sunday.

And we ain't talking about a south wind, but a full blown gale from the north, as I reckon Mother Nature decided that winter wasn't through with us yet. We had lows in the forties the last few mornings, and that is fairly uncommon in these parts. It is April after all.

A few other things happened as well.. Last writing I was talking about all the rain from here to the valley. And some places south of us are still recovering from the flooding that occurred. And will be for a long time. It was a true disaster for some folks..

And the ground is wet from the dam to Brownsville. But it still did not stop the Mexicans from releasing four inches of water from the lake last week.. Like I have said in the past.. I have no fuckin' idea what IBWC is doing or will do with the water..

The Veleno here in Zapata ran for three days, and the gar made a run up the creek to spawn a bit. Which had the locals excited as they pursued them for a few days till the water ran its course.. I heard the water was waist deep under the 83 bridge for about twenty four hours.

If you are a gar lover, don't be concerned.. We have millions of them fuckers..

But it has turned dry around here, with the three or so inches that fell here in Zapata just a memory. But it did wonders for the fields and fauna. Our normally drab and dreary dry season plants and trees have exploded with blooms and flowers and it is downright beautiful to see. The Retama trees are totally covered in bright yellow blooms. The Spanish Daggers are toped out in their usual white hats, and the Wild Olive trees are in particularly extravagant dress as we speak.

Here's a pic of mine right behind the shop.

It is amazing what a little rain can do to this country..

Well I guess we should talk a little fishing, but I reckon that anybody that wants to know what is going on around here already knows.

We're kicking their ass..

It has been as good as I can remember in the last six or eight years. It is no big deal to go out and catch thirty pound stringers a lot of days, especially if you know the lake a bit.

And numbers can be really good, and yesterday I wish I had had some kids with us, and I would have just sat there and took fish off the hooks and rebaited. We had an easy fifty fish, with a lot of scrappy two to three pounders in the mix. We did not have a really big bite yesterday, and our two biggest were a 5-14 and a 5-2.

I had another one on I'd have like to seen, but operator error caused a malfunction in the hookset function. Actually it was poor hook/bait selection on my part.

I had a 4/0 wide gap hook tied on that I was using on a senko.. But I decided I was going to put a Mag Fluke on there to see if they would bite it. And I was too lazy to retie a bigger hook.. Although I had already retied ten damn times after breaking off in the rocks on many occasions.

I gotta go back to lead on these rocks..This tungsten shit is getting too damn expensive..

But anyway.. First cast I threw the big fluke at a rock pile, this sumbitch gets a hold of it and I set the hook.. Thought I had it going my way.. Fish taking drag and swimming around in open water. And just came off.

No hook penetration.. My bad.. But I did find out they would bite the big fluke.. Threw it a bit more but was having trouble sticking them and was out of big hooks.. Next trip.. Heavier line and bigger hooks.

A week ago yesterday, we caught thirty plus fish, and were in the truck at noon. We weighed a bunch of fish and kept track of our best five. We had 29.54 and had two six pluses and a bunch of fives.. Had another twenty pound sack to go with the top five.

It was an awesome morning..

With the new water, launching has remained easily doable, although it is still off the bank as in before described locations. No sweat.

We are at 256.69, or 44.51 low. We are about two feet away from launching at the Butterfly. And if you're wondering, we need at least eight feet to launch on the concrete at the sate park.

Sounds like a tall order. But we are approaching our wet months (if there is such a thing down here) and who knows, this might be the year. It's gonna happen sooner or later..

Fish are being caught on a plethora of baits, and spinners, cranks, and soft plastics have all been good. I do believe a senko is the best thing going, but I am sure some folks will argue with me.

I still think most fish are ten feet and in, and you can catch a lot of fish right off the rocks.

Lots of quality fish are being caught.

We do have a very good crop of fish just under keeper size. And one year from now they will weigh three pounds.

And we have enough light cover water in the water to provide some protection for this years fry. Hopefully we will retain the water we now have..

We will be receiving some fish this year from PAW, and I will be looking for help to spread them across the lake on the days they arrive. I will give you all the notice I can, but when it happens it happens.

Not too soon of course, but not too far either.. So put it on your calendar.. Just circle the next two months!

If you haven't fished down here in the last few months, you have really fucked up. But there's still time..

And if you make it, I'll see you on the water!

March 31, 2025: March has come and all but gone, and it is hard to believe that a quarter of the year has already passed. But time flies when you are having fun, and this year has been the best spring of fishing we have had in at least a half decade.

What do you think about the term, a half decade? I heard the big executive from PBS use it the other day when they were questioning her about some of the ridiculously liberal, batshit crazy things she said five years ago.. But she couldn't remember saying them as it was a half decade ago..

Holy shit, I remember every fish I have caught in the last five years.. Errr.. Half decade. Maybe some folks' memory ain't as good as mine..

A woman can usually remember if you left the toilet seat up back in 2002..

Ah, but I digress.. And ladies, don't think I am picking on you, I'm just complimenting your memory's..

If you have been watching, I am sure you noticed that we had a shower go across the lower border last week. Here in Zapata, we got three inches of rain. At the Tigers it rained about five inches, and at the dam it rained seven plus, depending on who you ask.

The farther south you went, the more rain you saw. Lots of communities had ten inches or more, and a few specific spots received over twenty inches of rain..

And when I said we need people standing on rooftops, I meant on rooftops north of Zapata. Not that I would wish a damaging flood on anyone. But floods are a fact of life just like droughts.. And one of these days the pendulum will swing back the other direction and we will have a lot of water in the lake.

Hope the rooftop model does not come into play when it does..

We have come up about two feet since the start of the rain event. And I think we are topping out, but I am sure we will catch a few inches before the rain influx is over.

The Valley should need no water for quite some time, except for flushing toilets and washing the remnants of some exquisite carne guisada off plates.

So if Amistad keeps the release rates it has held to for months, we should to continually rise bit by bit. I'm not talking about anything dramatic..

And of course WTF knows what IBWC will do with releases..

Now here's some shocking news. And no I'm no talking about electro fishing or Ben Franklin.

Your US government, for the first time since the signing of the water treaty with Mexico, has refused a water release request from Mexico out of the Colorado river. Eighty one years later and finally someone with some hairy balls steps up and says; "NO".

Wonder if we will keep our resolve. I wonder if the Mexicans will give us some water.. I know they don't have shit to give.. But neither do we, if you look at Lake Mead..

I'm certainly following this story.. And I'll keep you updated.. But I bet you kids have the internet too..

Even with the rising water, the fish continue to bite, and bite good. Sometimes these Falcon fish get a little squeamish when the lake is on the rise.. But it does not appear that is the case right now.

Good numbers and good quality are still being reported, as I spoke with several anglers this afternoon that caught em good.. And I heard good reports from the weekend.. There have been dozens of six to nine pound fish caught in the last few days.

I did not get to fish yesterday. I was at the ranch, putting a radiator in a tractor.. What fun..

But I am going out tomorrow morning for a few hours to get my itch scratched.. So if you don't find me here, not to worry.. I'll be back shortly..

It appears that bait selection doesn't matter too much, although some times one bait might out perform another.

But overall, especially when to comes to plastics, most all of them are catching fish.

I would not fish deeper than ten feet. Of course I rarely do anyway.. But the best numbers certainly seem to be from there to the bank.

Fish Rock.. And then fish some more rock.

The spawn is certainly not completed as of yet. It's true many fish have competed the cycle, but there are a good number doing it as we speak.

A senko and a crankbait are still caching a lot of fish. So are bladed baits.. But as previously mentioned, I don't think there is a bait that will not work if fished in the right location.

I'm gonna tie on a Whopper Plopper tomorrow morning just for shits and grins.. There's a lot of shallow fish up there..

Launching conditions are back where they were three weeks ago.. And you can now get out of the Veleno again.. Still shallow at the mouth, but it is much more doable.. And a lot less scary..

Overall fishing is good, and I'm gonna give it an 8.. Which is pretty darn good.. And we have been right in there for months.

Meanwhile.. In other sports news, FFS is still kickin' ass in Professional fishing. The Final Four is in San Antonio next weekend, along with the Texas Open going on at the same time..

And Democrats are still some ignorant motherfuckers..

Now normally I am not that harsh on the democrats.. But what I see them doing right now is about as hypocritical as any one thing in their history.

And you know how Jimmy hates a hypocrite..

A few months ago they loved Elon Musk, and hailed him as the savior of the environment for providing electric vehicles. And they tried to guilt and bully all the rednecks into buy an EV in order to save the planet.

And this week they are burning up Tesla dealerships, and torturing motorists that are driving them. I am afraid someone or two is going to get a lesson in FAFO..

And I have been laying off the political commentary since Trump got back in office.. Just to see how things would shake out.. And of course it is still way to early to tell.

But I am certainly watching with amusement all the crying and hand wringing that s going on.

Last week one thing thing I heard from the democratic leaded ship made me actually bust out laughing.

They still think that their policies are the correct ones to solve all of Americas needs and wants.

And actually the statement that was released went something like: We know have a great message for the American people and our policy's are fantastic.. What we had was a messaging problem, in so much as we were not able to get the electorate to understand where the democratic part was headed..

I don't think it is a messaging problem at all.. As a matter of fact, I think the American people know exactly your vision of what America should be.. And the overwhelming majority thinks your aspirations are a piece of shit.

I have been saying, "Wake Up America!" for years.. And it appears that a lot of America has.

Let's hope the trend continues..

Get you ass down here while the fish are still stupid..

Cause I'm working on educating them every time I go out..

See you on the water!

March 24, 2025: Man.. I wish I was fishing today.. Light winds.. Highs in the eighties.. Fish jumping on the bank..

But I am gonna have to wait till tomorrow till I can get out of here.. I did get in a pretty full day yesterday..

And we caught em good.. A bunch of three to five pound fish, and I got lucky and caught an 8.23. My best in a few months.

We fished the dam yesterday morning, and it was the first time I had been there in months.. Although I know a lot of folks have been catching a lot of quality fish there. I just hate the crowd, and I have a self imposed hundred yard rule..

But I have noticed that not everyone else does.. But I also know crowds of fish collect crowds of people..

And the traffic on the rip rap can get a little thick.

Here's a pic of an 11.02 that came off the dam on Sunday.. Joey from Louisiana..

He also had an 11 on Sugar the day before.. He was fishing with Jay.. I'd say he had a couple of good days.

I am still not seeing a lot of double digit fish being caught here on Falcon. A shit ton of six to eight pound fish, but not a lot of DD's. I hope that don't sound like I'm complaining..

Cause this is the best fishing I have seen here in years. And probably more people here than I have seen in years.

Of course you can't put a boat in a Mathis.. Can't put a boat in at Choke.. Cain't put a boat in at Canyon.. Medina.. Nope.. Amistad right at record low..

It certainly makes sense to come here. And the fishing is great..

Launching still sucks.. See below if you have not been keeping up.. Doable but a pain in the ass..

I'm saying state park only for now boys.. And girls..

But once you're on the water, it is all peaches and cream..

If you ask three different people what the best bait is, you'll probably get three different answers.. If I'm one of those people I am going to tell you it is a senko.

Squarebills and spinnerbaits. Chatterbaits..

And it is still all about rock, rock, rock..

Some folks are telling me that a good number of fish are spawned out.. I ain't seen one yet.. It is my opinion that there are still a lot of big fish moving up.

The water is dropping as we speak, and we are loosing an inch every two days or so. Of course they seem to vary release rates daily, so who really knows what will happen tomorrow.

When you are at Falcon, and your background looks like this, you know you are here at the right time. Of course this pic was taken a week or so ago.

When the Huisache are solid orange, the bass are on the beds..

Can you imagine the tops of those trees being twenty feet under water.. Thousands of acres of them. And the farther you go on bank the bigger the trees get..

When this motherfucker fills up, it's going to be a disaster.. And in two years or less it will be total anarchy..

I've seen it a few times.. And I sure hope I get to see it again.. While I can still fish..

I don't know what else I can tell you to get you down here, if you have not heeded my words by now.

You're missin' out if you haven't made a trip here in the last few weeks.. There' still time!

March 18, 2025: Fishing continues to be excellent here on Falcon, and if you ain't been down here to get you some, well that's your bad..

And after a few breezy but fishable days to end the week, yesterday and today got really sporty, with gusts that will make things uncomfortable out there. I am sure there are some spots you can hide, but getting to and from them would be interesting. And I'm too old for that shit.

Today is Tuesday, and my usual day to play hooky, but I have opted to ride it out here in the shop. Much to my chagrin, as I know where there are some biting fish, and I would love to be out there beating on them.

I did get to go on Sunday, and we had a good day, putting thirty two fish in the boat. There were three of us chunking baits, so that helps, but we did manage to miss a decent number of fish. I'm gonna blame that on windy conditions, as we were fishing a lot of open water with senkos and light weights to try and keep from hanging up in the rocks.

Which really didn't help, as I reckon each of us retied at least five times throughout the day. Those rocks are some hungry son of a bitches to say the least.

Of course the wind was out of the north, and it is not my favorite.. Or the fishes..

The bites were really light, and most of the time I'd say it was just tension on the line. Rarely would one of em really whack it, so you had to be on your toes.

Now a moving bait they will slobber knock and a few times on crankbaits they would just kill it..

We got out early, and fished all open water till about two thirty, and we headed to the Tigers to fish some ABF water.

ABF in the FLT glossary is an acronym to say, 'already been fished'. But I don't think it really matters.

This is the second outing in a row where I fished behind another boat that beat the same bank not ten minutes earlier, and still caught them pretty good. I am not really fishing in the logjam of boats that are on the north bank of Tigers. I have spent a lot of time there in the last few weeks, but not as of late.

My favorite thing on the shallow banks, and I'm talking banks, not humps or islands, is a chatter bait with a little boot tail white swimbait trailer on it, with the boot dipped in chartreuse.

Any irregularity along the bank deserves an extra cast or two. The smallest of points or bump outs in the miles of gravel banks seem to make a difference.

A spinnerbait will catch em there as well, but Sunday the chatterbait out caught it two to one.

Our streak of catching a seven pounder came to an end on Sunday, but we did catch two over five. I'm blaming the north wind.

But in five out of six days of fishing, with last Friday being a no go because of wind, three of us, in random combinations of being in the boat on different days, caught fourteen (14) fish over seven pounds. Only one of them was over seven and it was an 8-2. We also had four big sixes in the mix.

And we also broke off on three or four good fish.

I have heard similar stories from several groups of fishermen as well.

Did I say it's killin' me to be in here?

Of all the big fish we caught, only one or two were spawned out. But I guarantee you it is going on right now.

A lot of folks are starting on the dam in the morning, and if you are headed there you better get up early, as it is a popular place. But for good reason, it has had a lot of big fish on it.

The mainlake points from the dam to marker three all have fish on them. As do the pockets in-between. Anywhere there is gravel or rock you could catch a fish. Long tapering points that have wind blowing across them will have fish on them. Sometimes a bunch.

Rock houses on the river have fish on them as well. Flipping trees is still hit and miss..

We seem to have an incredible class of fish from six and a half, to seven and a half right now. These fish are between three and four years old, and in their prime.. Bad Bad Leroy Brown would not mess with these Motherfuckers in a knife fight.

I would not go out there without a senko, a chatterbait, a spinnerbait, and a squarebill.. I am certainly not saying that you can't catch em on something else, but those are a good place to start.

Tomorrow looks like another windy day, but Thursday looks pretty good, with diminishing North winds. Friday it's back out of the south with a vengeance but the weekend looks good from here.. We'll see..

The lake is dropping again, and we have lost about six inches in the last week.. Who knows where we are headed..

Launching at the county ramp is probably out.. Launching at the state park is still working decently at the same area we have been using for months. They actually bladed the road somewhat at the state park. Could have gone a little farther but it is a great improvement..

I have been telling you to get your ass down here, and a lot of you have. And I have heard no complaints.. Except for the wind.. Which has been kicking our ass on some days.

But when it's nice out, it's on..

Not sure how long this will last.

Not sure how long I'll last..

If I ain't here, I'll be back soon..

And if you don't see me in the store, you'll see me on the water..

March 13, 2025: Holy Cow.. You should have been here.. You should be here.. You better get here.. It's on..

But like a pint of milk from a truck stop cooler, no one is really sure of the expiration date. Not sure when this will stop. Or slow down. But the last few days have been the best I have seen in a few lot of years.

How many times do you get to go fishing, when you know that sometime during the day, you are going to catch a seven to nine pound fish? It don't happen all that often.. But right now, and the last few days, it's been all but guaranteed..

Bullshit! you may say.. But it really ain't.. It has been that good.

I have sold baits of every description, to fishermen of every description, and as much disparity as that may bring to mind, the common factor is that they are all catching fish.

From the Dam to Pierces cove, there are not many stops that will not yield a few fish.. And some stops are really good.

The Tigers are still the most popular place on the lake, and for good reason. It has probably been the most consistent for producing good numbers and quality fish. That being said, it has also attracted more traffic than a whorehouse during shore leave.

Some people camp out on known favorite spots and wait for the fish to come to them.. And some folks play the revolving door game and cycle through the gravel bars, points, and islands that decorate the big body of water in the big bay that is the mother of the Tiger arms.

I love spotlock, but I pretty much belong to the second group. And on Tuesday a buddy and I had a 7-1, a 6-15, and a 6-8 all from the Tigers in about three hours.. With a lot of other nice fish in the mix.

We ended up with a thirty pound best five.. And I thought we did pretty good.. Until we talked to a few other folks.

Fact is, that a thirty pound bag has been real common this week. And heard of several approaching forty.

Yesterday I hopped in a friends boat at two o'clock, and we fished till six. He already had two sevens in the morning, and he caught another 7-8 at about five o'clock.. I'd say he had a good day.

As did I, but I never caught anything over four.

And everyone I talked to this morning said they had really good days the last two.

None of the fish I have seen this week have spawned yet. I did hear from some fellers this morning that all the bigger fish they caught yesterday were spawned out, but none of the fish they caught the day before had done the deed yet.

But I can assure you it is going on as I type.

And it is killing me to be in here this am.

I'm gonna include a couple of pics just for reference as to what the fish are looking like.

This 10-2 was caught by Josh Peace, a water wagon fisherman, who with a few buddies comes down here every March. Two pics.. Same fish.

This one was caught by my buddy when we were fishing on Tuesday. 6-8 tub of a fish..

These are the meanest, fattest, healthiest, fightingest fish I have ever caught. As mean as any fish in Mexico.

But then again, where are we..

I caught one on Tuesday on a chatterbait, that hit kinda close to the boat. The 7-1 I spoke of earlier. And I told my partner I have a gar on here, this ain't a bass.. As it circled the boat and stripped drag. I was shocked when she came to the top..

Did I mention that it is killing me to be in here?

Lots of these big fish have come from water two to four feet deep. Gravel is good, but some fish are coming off the rip rap on the dam, and some are on trees.. And I don't think there is a place where you could not catch a fish right now if you stayed there a while.

We flipped forty trees in the back of Government cove yesterday evening with only two bites. But I know some trees are holding some fish during some times of the day, according to reports. That big fish pictured above came out of two feet of water in the woods in the back of State Park Cove..

In any case, I told you to get your ass down here last week.. Some heeded my advice and are whooping it up.. There's still time..

But that milk could curdle any day..

If you don't find me in here, you'll see me on the water!

March 6, 2025: It's been said that March is a windy son of a bitch.. And so far the old saying is pretty much right on track. And I am sure that no mater where you were in Texas on Tuesday, you had your hat blown off, your lawn furniture relocated, and got a couple of eyes full of dust. I pity the contact lens wearers.

Even yesterday the dust was still hanging in the air, and it is still hazy today. Of course this was a westerly or northwesterly wind that brought a lot of west Texas dust to south Texas.

But not to worry.. Today we are supposed the have wind from the opposite direction.. Maybe it will take some of it back.

But for now out around Midland they will be able to hit oil by drilling a foot less..

So all in all Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were pretty windy.. But Tuesday was truly something you don't see very often.

A couple of weeks ago we had water temps in the low seventies, and the fish were going crazy in the shallows.. And the shad were up there thick, and a small shad spawn appeared to be happening.

We have struggled to get the water back to the low seventies, and yesterday the water was about 64 early, and got to about 67 by two thirty.. That was on the open lake around the Tigers.. I am sure some shallow protected areas had warmer water. But we were in the high forties yesterday morning at daybreak. It it turned out to be a beautiful day.

There is no doubt that these fish are in full blown spawn mode, and there are reports of fish that have been caught that are spawned out, and fish that are gushing eggs when handled.. It's happening..

Our second stop yesterday morning was on a rockpile in Government cove, and my partner got his ass handed to him by a very nice fish.. We saw half of it before it broke him off on a crazy run. I'm guessing it was between six and eight pounds, but I needed another half second of visual to get an exact weight on her.

The usual display of language did ensue..

We fished till about two thirty and did not hook another big fish. But we made contact with a good number of fish.

We fished well away from the crowds in open water on the main lake. I did hear of some nice fish coming from the Tigers. But no giants that I heard of.

This week is going to be a mix of fishable days, and some that will be a bit bumpy on any water that's not protected. But fishable it will be, and the time is now. Tomorrow looks quite inviting..

We caught all of our fish on Senko type baits. I did throw some crankbaits, and had a few whack the hell out of it, but never hooked one. And it did not take long to figure out they liked the soft plastics better.

I have heard of fish being caught on big squarebills, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, (that I threw some of yesterday w/o a bite) and shakey heads.. As a matter of fact, I have heard of fish being caught on a lot of different baits.

I think right now it is just about getting it in front of one. Fishing the senko very slow will get more bites.. Stop.. And then slow down, as I like to say.

I had one yesterday on a Dinger, very near the boat, about take my rod from me after I had not moved the bait in five seconds. I thought I had something special, but alas it was merely a three pounder that was hell bent for leather.

These sumbitches are so strong and full of piss and vinegar.. I have been catching them for years, but they still manage to surprise me on occasion..

The lake is holding steady, and has been for about two weeks, with very minor change. So launching remains the same. I did have a buddy launch out of the Veleno four days straight with no problems.. But be advised the depth at the mouth of the Veleno is minimal.

99% of folks are putting in at the state park.

I am not going to call the fishing stupid, but it is good, and should only get better was the water continues to warm. And I expect the shad back on the banks very shortly.. And then the numbers game should really be on.

Get those Red Eye shad baits ready..

Well.. Yall been paying any attention to the doin's up in DC? I am trying not to overload on news coverage, but it is impossible to not glean a bit of imput just by being alive. I am sure some folks live in a cave.. And they are probably just as happy as you or me.. But I am kind of an infomaniac.

I am glad to see the border shut down, except for legal immigration, which has always gone on. And if you are wondering if anything has changed around here, I can tell you it has not. As a mater of fact, this is about as chill a place as there is in America.

I guess entertaining is a good word, for watching all the parasites freaking out about their gravy train being cut off. If indeed it is. There is no doubt that our government is a bloated beast, with shit being done behind the scenes that we cannot even imagine. I hope they keep turning over rocks.

I think it was Lee Iacocca, who ran both Ford and Chrysler for many years, (not simultaneously of course) that said that every year you should fire the lowest performing 10% of your employees. Because if you can't do better than the bottom tenth, you should find another field of employment.

I agree whole heartedly.. And I have adopted that style of management here at FLT. And being I am the only swinging dick here, I fire myself at least once every ten days. Like yesterday.

But then again. I guess I am the top performing employee around here as well. Quite the conundrum..

May have to have an executive meeting about this..

I need to go, but before I do, I need to say something about eggs.. I had chickens for many years.. So my theory is not without background. Although a lot of folks think I'm cracked. When the government tells you to kill hundreds of thousands of laying hens, do you think the raw egg numbers might go down?

You don't make chickens in a factory and spit em out golf balls, you have to grow em.. How can some of these people be so stupid.. And what the fuck is it with eggs anyway. I don't think anyone is going to die with fewer eggs on his plate. Might even help with that bad cholesterol.. In a few months those pullets will be shitting out eggs left and right.. And then you can OD on em.. For 2.99 a dozen..

I have not seen a shortage of eggs in Zapata.. Yeah they are charging a fortune for em, but yesterday they were stacked in the store as high as a giraffes ass..

I think the people who are whining about this need to get laid.. They need to take it over easy..

And avocados.. Here in zapata they have been fifty cents a piece for months.. I guess they found someone to pick em. Bell Peppers were two for a dollar the other day.. Some motherfuckers are picking them..

Guess the world is not coming to an end after all.. Well I have to go outside and do some archaeological exploration out on the south side of the shop. I have to dig the boat out of the sand.. Glad I had the tarp on it.

Where's my Indiana Jones hat...

See you on the water. Or more likely, here in the shop.. Come get you some..

February 28, 2025: The second month of the year is shot in the ass, and as it comes to a close we are seeing a warming trend with the air and water temps.

Last weeks cold and miserable conditions really set our water temps and the fish activity back. Water that was seventy two, was cooled to sixty two, after three days of highs in the forties with zero sunshine.. Nasty, cold, damp shit.

Things have started to rebound, with warm days early in the week, but we did have a cooler and wet day yesterday, as we picked up about a tenth of an inch of precip scattered throughout the day, with a few passing showers. Which did run a few folks off the lake.

Reports from yesterday, which was the first day that the water had warmed into the middle sixties, were somewhat better than the previous two days. But as always, some folks whacked em, and others struggled.

But one thing is for sure, the warmer the water gets, the better the fishing will get. I believe we are on the doorstep of some really good shit about to happen.

Location and timing seem to be paramount when it comes to having a good outing. I talked to folks yesterday that whacked em on deep crankbaits, in about ten feet of water, and people who struggled in shallow water. Of course I talked to people who caught em good in shallow water as well.

Location, location, location.. It's not just for real estate anymore..

After hearing all the details from a decent number of anglers, I have extrapolated a general assessment of what is going on.

Best Baits: I have been told often that a C-rig is one of the best ways to catch fish on the shallow gravel. Some folks are putting a senko on there, or a lizard, or a fluke, but there is probably nothing that will not work if you are around the fish.

There is also the moving bait crowd, that believes a squarebill or a spinnerbait is the best choice. And a lot of shallow water fish have been caught this week.. Like really shallow.. Like two feet. Common denominator is rock.. Gravel better than chunky rock.

Hardwoods have not produced many fish from all reports. I flipped two hundred trees on Tuesday. First one I flipped into I caught a fish. And that was the last one. Crazy how that shit happens.. It wasn't the first time..

Location: There is no doubt the Tigers are the most popular place on the lake. Just like I told you it would be a month ago. That north side of the big bay in Tigers is loaded with gravel covered ridges ad humps, with deep water very close by. And in there right now there are a lot of these ridges just out of, or just under the water.

It is not uncommon these days to see dozen or more boats in a four hundred yard stretch. Unusual for Falcon, but not under these circumstances. As big as the lake is, we are still fishing small.

All of the fish I have heard of and caught, have come from Pierces, (marker7) to the dam.

And quite frankly, there is nothing wrong with Government Cove or State Park Cove either. I had a big numbers day in Government Cove about ten days ago, before the cold spell.

Of course during that time, the water was 72° and the shad were all over the banks. I did hear that yesterday a bit of shad activity in the shallows had returned. And I am quite sure they will get thicker and thicker this week as we head back to seventy degree surface temps.

Of course a lot of those fish were just up there eating, and that had little to do with spawning fish.

But anytime you are on Falcon and the shad are thick in water less than four feet deep, get out a squarebill or a spinner/chatter bait and have some fun. Because you have just landed on nirvana.

Of course most folks are down here trying to catch big fish.. And I dig it.. But I'm not necessarily looking for big fish. I just want all the fish..

The lake level has remained stable this week, and I guess that is a good thing. At least we haven't lost any water.. Launching remains the same as it has been the last few reports.

It is a bit of a rodeo if you are by yourself. But once the truck is parked and you are in the boat, all that disappears and getting around is easy.

Here in Zapata the exit out of the Veleno is at minimum tolerances. Some boats have come and gone, but it is not for the weak of heart. It is less than two feet deep at the mouth of the Veleno. If you must do it, get past the bridge and stand on it..

A buddy of mine had a 10-15 on a squarebill in two feet of water on Tuesday. (Spro Cellmate)

I have fished a shitload of that kind of water lately.. One of these days I am gonna whack one of them big son of a bitches.. But I reckon a big fish for me hasn't been in the rotation just yet.. But I know it's coming.

And you probably got one coming. All you gotta do is get your ass down here.

See you on the water!

February 21, 2025: It has certainly been a week of ups and downs when it comes to the temperatures.. And right now we are in the middle of a down period.. Down with the temps.. Down with the number of fishermen.. And down with the catching.. Cause it is fucking cold!

As I type it is about 38 degrees mid morning.. We did not see any freezing rain as was predicted.. But we are into day three of cold, after two days in the eighties on Monday and Tuesday. And we have not achieved a temp above forty eight degrees in the last forty eight hours.

Water temps yesterday were reported at sixty two, by some die-hard's that braved the cold.. And I am sure they are under that this morning.

That's a full ten degrees lower than they were about ten days ago.

So right now I am not sure what the fish are doing.. It was reported slow yesterday afternoon.

However, on Tuesday, when the water temps were about sixty seven, the fish were very active and a lot of good fish were reported. I fished about five hours on Tuesday, but the size of fish I caught was dismal compared to what I heard everyone else caught.

I think I am developing a complex.. Fishious minisculious..

I always said I was a small fish expert, but this shit is getting ridiculous. Numbers are OK but I can't land on a big fish.

Enough about me..

I was saying I had not seen a DD fish in quite a while. Tony Coatney caught this one just over ten on Tuesday.

And while we're posting pics of big fish, this is the biggest fish I have seen in several years. But it came out of Sugar, and it is a true giant. David from Colorado, caught this fish while fishing with Jay Grieshaw. It tipped the scales at a whopping 15.14 pounds.

Needless to say it beat his old PB by quite a bit. That fish was a true motherfucker. And of course it was released to maybe break the lake record in a year or so.

But back here on Falcon, a LOT of quality fish were caught before this current cold streak. And I don't imagine that most of these fish are going to wander too far.

Most of the best fish were caught shallow.. Like in four to six feet of water.

I am still getting reports of fish being caught on every bait known to man, short of water dogs..

But overall, a C-rig is probably one of the best going, along with a shakey head. Fished slow in either event.

A crankbait will catch a shit load of smaller fish. To which I can personally attest.

Spinnerbaits are catching fish as well.

The Tigers are a hot spot as I predicted a month or so back. The fish are spawning on the gravel bars as they did two years ago when we had similar conditions. No surprise..

And this area has attracted a lot of boats. For good reason.

Water levels have stabilized for now, but who knows what's coming. Some folks are still running out of the Veleno, but I don't recommend it.

Down at the state park, all is well, but of course we are still launching of the bank, and I don't look for anything to change in the near future.

I do look for fishing to get good again next week, as we are headed back to the eighties on Monday and Tuesday. But this weekend might be a bit tough with the cold water temps.

But you gotta go when you can go.. And if you can, look for the next warm period you can get down here on.. It's gonna be on..

If I ain't in here next Tuesday.. I reckon you can figure where I am..

See you on the water!

February 12, 2025: If you haven't been here in the last week or so, you have really fucked up. Fishing is as good as I predicted, and for some folks it was even better with sacks several days in a row approaching forty pounds. And that is without a giant in the bag, as I have still not heard of a single ten pounder in the last month.

There have been some close calls, but no double digit fish that I have heard about. Of course I do not talk to everyone.

Six to nine pound fish have been really common, and if you come and fish a few days you are going to get on em and will likely catch a few quality fish. But you will certainly catch a shit load of fish.

I finally got out of here yesterday for a few hours, and it was one of those days when you wish you had some young-uns with you. There was a light north wind blowing, which I hate, and I didn't want to run north till it let up. So I ran around the corner from the boat ramp (state park) to a point that the wind was blowing across.

I set up downwind of it of course, and before I could get the trolling motor in the water there were some fish knocking shad out of the water two feet high. Those shad were doing their version of Jesus walking, as they knew they were about to meet their maker.. It amazes me to see how fast bass are when they are in pursuit of shad on top of the water.

I picked up a rod with red eye shad on it, and I don't think it got wet before something got it. I caught a fish on my first four casts, and then had two knock the hell on the fifth but did not get a fish to the boat on that cast.

And then proceeded to wack the hell out of em for about forty five minutes. I left em biting although it had slowed a bit. But there were no bigs mixed in and a three was about the biggest I caught.

So I moved on and the biggest I caught was not over four pounds. Fishing more rock, and flipping a few submerged hardwoods I saw on the AT. That shit is growing on me by the way.. I'll admit I am a screw in fuse in a circuit breaker world.. But I am starting to get the hang of it.

I still can't make much happen flipping trees. And no one else has said anything about it either. So if anyone is catching flippin fish it is the world's best kept secret.

Maybe I need to hire Musk to check it out.

There were a lot of boats on the water yesterday, and I'd guess there were thirty or so at the ramp.. And thanks to the guys who helped me launch and retrieve my boat.

Well it ain't really a ramp.. I guess I should say where we are putting in.

That's what really sucks; is that if you are alone there is no dock. You may not have to get your feet wet.. But you might.. And don't think the state will put a dock out there. They could give a fuck.

But once you get your boat in the water it is all smiles.. The lake is easy to run, but do keep in mind we are forty five feet low, There are certainly rocky humps ans long points here and there. Especially in the Tigers.

So read the water, and keep an eye on your map. Run the creek channels if you are not sure where you are.

Running the main lake is not a problem. And by all means if you have a question, stop in or give me a call.. I'll help you all I can.

There is a shitload of bait in the water. Lots of threadfin, and some larger gizzard shad as well. And if match the hatch is where it's at, then there is good reason I was throwing a Red Eye Shad in Citrus Shad yesterday. And I recommend you have one tied on. Of course I caught them on a tilapia pattern trap, and a Spro in Citrus Shad as well.

A senko is catching a shit ton of fish as also. Some folks are throwing it on a C-rig, some Texas rigged, or with a nail weight in the ass.

Of course I have heard of every bait there is catching fish. Even a soft swimbait.. Anything shad imitating.

And I don't know what a bass thinks a senko is.. But they do like it. Worms, lizards, and flukes are also working.

Aw fuckit, just get your favorite bait and get out there and throw it. I wish I was out there now as I have received a few reports from the water that the fish are going crazy.

We do have a bit of weather to contend with in the next week, with some good looking days and some not so good looking weather days mixed in. But I don't think it will be severe enough to back these fish off..

I saw 68 degree water early yesterday, and 71 degree water in the Tigers after lunch. Warmer Tiger water could be caused by all the hot exhaust from a shitload of 250's running all over the place.

I knew the fish were going to go off.. Hope you paid attention and are down here..

There's plenty of fish for everybody.. Come on down..

February 6, 2025: Well.. I don't want to sound too giddy.. But if you have been waiting for me to tell you to get your ass down here..

You might want to get your ass down here,.

We are on the edge of some really good fishing, if we are not there already..

I have not heard of any giants being caught, but four to eight pound fish have been fairly common.

And it has become more and more common to hear of big numbers of fish caught.

I can't promise what is going to happen in the next few days, but I am anticipating a big move to spawn by some bigger fish.

For what it's worth..

Water temps were over seventy yesterday evening, and that happened in a hurry. On Sunday the highest I saw was in the back of some shallow pockets and it maxed out at sixty three.

Yesterday evening in the Tigers seventy was common out in the open water..That was after two nights of lows only around sixty five.. And highs nearing ninety.

And fishing as been good mid-days into the evening as well.

As a matter of fact.. I don't know what the hell I am doing in here.. Well.. Other than trying to keep the lights on..

Shallow running baits like traps and square bills are catching numbers of fish on rocky points and gravel bars. I am sure that any moving bait is going to catch some fish.

Shit anything could work right now.. A buddy of mine left here a bit ago and said he is catching them on the Plum Ol Monster on a C-rig.. And a C-rig with a senko on it has been reported good as well..

I am still throwing a Senko or a Dinger for the most part when it comes to soft plastics..

On Sunday I caught three nice fish in the three and a half range flipping hardwoods. But I flipped a lot of hardwoods.. A lot.. But that was before the big jump in water temp, and I will be back to the trees before too long.

This report is a bit all over the place.. But to say the least, I am excited about the fishing as it stands right now.

You can still get out of the Veleno if you want to launch on this end of the lake. But the fuckers in Mexico are drawing a bunch of water out of Falcon right now.. I have no idea why, when they have all the water they can hold in Sugar right below us..

We have dropped about eight inches in the last ten days.

Launching down at state park is still easily done with two wheel drive..

I guess I won't get back out till Sunday.. And it is killing me..

The air is warm.. The fish are biting.. And the democrats are having a full blown meltdown. I am not sure how much better things can get.. Next thing you know the lake is going to fill up..

Our new president certainly has things stirred up. And I have to admit I am enjoying sitting on the sidelines taking it all in. I hope we can actually get rid of some of the absurdities that have been uncovered as of late. And I am quite sure they are just scratching the surface on finding where a lot of your tax money is wasted.

I hear we are going to be taking over the Gaza Strip, and I figured I would get in on the action and open a salt water branch of Falcon Lake Tackle on the Mediterranean.

So I went to Zillow to see what was available, and I'll be danged, but Dollar General has already bought up all the good lots..

I really don't think the democrats bitching and grandstanding is going to get a lot of traction with the American people.. Well except for the radical fringe.. Which is about 5% of the population in my estimation.

But their rage is all they have left.

I am not sure how it will all work out.. But I did vote for a bull in a china shop, and I think that's what we are getting so far.. If you wanna make an omelet.. You gotta break a few eggs..

Well.. If you ain't doing anythng I would tell you to get your ass down here for the next four days..

Cause this shit will put a smile on your face..

See you on the water!

January 28, 2025: Well we're past the cold arctic air that was plaguing us all last week, but have another day to get past before we begin a relatively long streak of warmer weather.

We did break out of the cold and clouds last Sunday, and highs reached about eighty. Which felt so good it is hard to describe. But I was down with a stomach bug that included all the stuff you don't like to talk about, and it kept me on dry land for another Sunday. Which means I have not wet a line in over three weeks. However..

My buddies that did venture out on Sunday found water temps sitting in the high fifties.. And you can guess what that does to the fishing around these parts. If you have been paying attention. I have told you before that these fish do not like cold water, and that statement was validated on Sunday, with the catch rate being poor. And as it turned out, water temps bottomed out last week right about where I thought they would, at about fifty six at the low point. Maybe a degree or so cooler in some spots.

I heard from several fishermen on Sunday, that they caught one to three fish. And these people have been spending a lot of time on the water here, so they know what they are doing. But after being trapped in the house all week, most were more than ready to get on the lake. Although they were fully aware of the finicky nature of these fish during a cold spell..

But hold the phone..

Tomorrow we are supposed to be in the low eighties. A day that will supposedly start a streak of two weeks with daytime highs of at least seventy, and many of those days near eighty or slightly above. And the important thing is that nighttime lows will not be below the current water temp, of right under sixty.

And with all this information at hand, one would reasonably expect water temps to bounce back in the next few days. And maybe by this weekend we will see some water temps that will push the readiest of bass to hit the spawning areas.

These fish really like to have water in the sixty three or sixty four degree range, and preferably for a few days consecutively, to really get going.

And then some years we we have warm and cold and and warm and cold the spawn never seems to be concentrated at all. But usually when we think it is on, it has already been well under way.

So what does one make of all the gibberish I just typed.. Hell if I know.. But if I had time to kill, I'd get here Friday and fish thru next Tuesday.. This could be the spell that we have been waiting on..

And I don't mind getting some on me when the proverbial shit hits the fan.

During the warm weather days next week, don't be alarmed if you should happen to miss me here at the shop. Somebody needs to be out there on the water to supervise.. But I'll be back soon.

I'll be back by early afternoon if I am not here.. But if you are needing something please give me a call and I'll make sure to get you taken care of. I'll also be open for an hour or so in the am before I head out. As of yet I have no schedule and will be playing it by ear.. A lot of it will depend on what I find on Sunday.

Launching remains the same, with the lake loosing about a half inch of water in the last five days. No problem on either end with a two wheel drive vehicle. A sense of humor is a good thing to possess while you are getting to the launch areas at either end of the lake.

No one in Zapata or at the state park really gives shit about the launching conditions it appears.

Here in town the dock at the inoperable ramp could easily be moved out the the point where the concrete ramp is great. It would take all of two hours but I guess it is too much work..

And down at the state park, blading the "road" out the point we are launching on is way to much of an ask. But at least they are letting us put in off the point.. Which is more than I can say for the state park at Choke Canyon. I hear they won't allow anyone to put in if you don't use the Calliham ramp. And for a big boat I hear that is not possible.

I reckon a light flatbottom or a kayak are the only ticket there. That lake might be good for the lucky few that have equipment fit for the application.. Should be light traffic out there this spring.

You can easily put your big bass boat in here, at either end of the lake. But if things go like I think they will, the best fishing will be from Pierces south. (Marker 7)

I don't know about you, but I personally have enjoyed watching the first week of Donald Trump's second presidency.

It has been hard to keep the brain matter cleaned off the inside of my TV screen, as I watch all the liberal douche bags heads explode on a daily basis. But their brains are tiny and it's not too big a mess.

You might say, "James.. You're watching CNN and MSNBC?"

Hell yes. This is the most entertaining programming they have ever exhibited.. Well at least since election night in 2016 when Hillary lost to the Donald. That was pure broadcasting gold..

I gotta admit I get my fill of it in a short period of time..

Do you remember back to 1954, when the US government implemented "Operation Wetback."

Well I don't either but I have read all about it.. Of course at the time I was not yet alive.

At that time, I was actually a man trapped in a woman's body.. But then I was born..

Anyway, I reckon this deportation program at the time was just as controversial. But I think this ejection of no count motherfuckers is righteous, and past due as a ten month pregnancy.

And the sooner we get these freeloaders and criminals out of the country the better.

And no one needs to explain to me about how they are all just seeking a better life.. There's a right and a wrong way to do things..

An immigrant is one thing.. A illegal immigrant is another.

I know I am preaching to the choir for the most part..

And while you are googling Operation Wetback, google what it takes to become a Mexican citizen. That will open your eyes.. It is certainly no easier than the system we have in place.. And you don't hear them saying they need to change theirs.

I am looking forward to the coming months and years, and I hope the folks we now have in power do not lose their zeal for their jobs.

If you don't like it.. Tough shit.. I had to suffer thru four years of Biden bullshit and eight years of Obamma oppression..

And to quote Ol' Barrok, "Elections have consequences.."

See you on the water!

January 24, 2025: It's ben a cold SOB down here the last week, but it appears that we are headed into a slight warming trend this weekend. Highs are predicted to be in the upper seventies, and it can't get here too fast.

Yesterday would have been better, but tomorrow is OK.

Water temps on the lake this am were right at 52° and that is as cold as we have seen in several years. I have not heard of any dead tilapia but they very lethargic to say the least. And I am sure the bass will be getting some easy pickens if they aren't too cold to move.

A few folks ventured out yesterday, but it was still too cool for most. I don't have a lot of details on what was caught but I did hear of a few bass and a bunch of white bass.

I was saying earlier that the bass need a signal that winter has come and gone before they will hit the shallows and get the spawn into high gear.. And I don't have a clue as to whether winter has gone, but it surely has come.

And I promise you that when the water warms to the middle sixties, and and hangs out there a few days, the shit is going to hit the fan. These fish are ballooned up as I have ever seen, and they are ready.

The lake is holding steady the last few days and we are sitting at 257.22. And at this level a lot of folks are going out of the Veleno again, which is easily doable in most any boat.

The state park launching remains the same.. I launched there last Saturday evening with two wheel drive no sweat. I did not fish but was on a different mission. That was the last nice day of the last six. Today is nice but cold.. But headed for the sixties later I hear.

So basically no one was fishing before yesterday this week. We had wind, cold freezing temps, and on Tuesday I guess it was, we had ice on everything. It was pretty for about thirty seconds.. Lows got to about twenty four.. Which is a bitch for most plants around here.. Including several of mine..

I hope we are past the worst of winter, but like I always say, February always throws in some late month hysterics that really piss me off, and generally fucks the fishing up for a week. Time will tell.

I am sure I will get a lot of reports after this weekend because a lot of folks like me have been penned up and are chomping at the bit to get out there.

And I will pass on what I hear, but I can't believe the fish will be overly cooperative till the water warms a bit.

But if you see a warming trend in the next little bit you might want to get your ass down here..

See you then!

January 14, 2025: Days like today make it easy for me to remember why I like summer.. Cause this shit sucks..

Cold.. Cloudy.. And allegedly soon to be wet. The three headed monster of south Texas winters has us in her grasp.

And she's choking the fuckin' life outta me.. I just can't seem to get warm..

And with these conditions I guess it is easy to figure that there are not a lot of folks out on the water. Well they're ain't.. Only one I know of but them crazies are from Minnesota.. And they think it is a balmy day.

Water temps have dropped into the middle sixties early, and only when the sun is out will it get to about sixty eight in the afternoon. And I can tell you that these Florida Strain fish like cold about as much as me.

So there are very few fishermen out, and they are catching very few fish.

Water levels have remained pretty much steady. Getting a little.. Letting out a little.. We're sitting at 257.03.. Or just about 44 feet low. And we have been within a half inch of that for two weeks.

From the looks of the forecast, our water will not warm much for the next week, although Saturday looks to be a nice day. But it will be short lived as we are supposed to be back to about freezing on Sunday night..

That's about all there is on the fishing front.. Cold and colder..

Well we're due for a power shift in DC this next week, and all I can say is that no one on earth, short of the devil himself, could do much worse for America than the dementia ridden, lying, conniving, thieving, lecherous, war mongering, and anti American POS that is in office as we speak.. Oh I forgot to throw in hypocritical.. Cain't forget that.. That's my fav..

Of course I do not believe that most events of the last six months, pertaining to being president, had much to do with him. I don't think he knows which shoe goes on which foot. But I am sure the puppet masters have plenty of handlers taking care to get their desires and needs satisfied before his timely exit.. Which can't happen fast enough.

He did say this week that he is leaving the coming administration a strong hand to play. I guess we all have an opinion.

He did pardon everyone but usama bin laden.. To include his son whom was pardoned for everything he has done since he was circumcised.

After stating unequivocally several times that he would not.. But I am sure that you, like me, were never stupid enough to believe that.

You couldn't write a crime novel with as much corruption as the real life drama played out right before our eyes..

And we say that other countries are too corrupt to deal with..

Taking over from this mess is like a surgeon at the ER, when a patient is brought in in three different bushel baskets. Got run thru the corn picker.. Gonna take some serious cutting and stitching to put this one back together again.

Anyway, hopefully this will all be a bad memory pretty damn fast.. But we'll see what else he can fuck up in this last week.

I forgot to include saboteur in the list of accomplishments above.. But what else could you call some of his latest Executive Orders?

Now. Don't get me wrong.. America showed up at the ballot boxes and demanded change, as seventy something million of us hated what we were seeing..

And we damn well better see some promises delivered on..

You Republicans have the fuckin' ball. Now quit your bickering and backbiting, pull up your panties, and get to fuckin work.

No excuses.. Or one of these days we might see a real insurrection. Hoping not..

God Bless America.. Cause we sure need it..

January 7, 2025: Here we are a week into 2025, and I reckon Mother Nature finally snapped to the fact that she had not sent a winter front down as far as us. And frankly I'da liked it if she'da forgotten to send us any winter at all..

But alas, the wicked Yankee weather has made it's way south of IH 10 and a we're suffering with some seriously cold shit. For us anyway.

Lows around thirty and highs about forty are supposed to be sitting on us for the next three days. It is middle fifties this afternoon, but we're heading down the slide starting tonight.

Jimmy is not a happy camper.. And it is going to cloudy and wet and just plain nasty till at least Friday afternoon.

I am sure you can still catch some fish, but I fished enough crappy days back when I was tournament fishing.. I'm over it..

There is only one person I know on the lake today.. And that is Matt Reed. They had a shitty day yesterday, but today he texted me that he and a client have over thirty pounds that include these two fish he just sent me pics of..

Jeff with a 9.25 and Matt with a 8.04..

So evidently if a man is pissed off enough at em you can still catch em on a shitty day.

This cold weather should get the fish the message that winter has arrived. And I would expect that by Friday our water temps will be in the fifties.. With more cool and wet coming next week. But when the water warms back up. I'm expecting a full blow move to spawn by these fish that are ready to pop.

Over last weekend fishing was reported good, by several boats that whacked them in already shallow water. Spinnerbaits and lipless cranks accounted for a lot of fish. Numbers were decent with a good number of fifteen inch fish mixed in. Moving baits appeared to be best. Some five to seven pound fish were reported.

Of course I do not hear about all the fish caught.

If you want to catch some white bass, put here in the Veleno and go troll between marker nine and ten.. Something shiny.. Some really nice sized fish are being caught.

Another thing I logged on to tell you about is a memorial service for Robert Reissig that recently passed away, and if you read this blog you already knew.

If you knew him, or would just like to pay your respects to him and his family, a Celebration of Life gathering will be held at his home in Four Seasons Park here in Zapata.

It will take place on January the nineteenth (19th) from 2:00 till 4:00 in the afternoon. A giant meal will be served, and memories of Robert and his life will be shared.

Stop by if you can, and if you have any questions at all just give me a shout.

Well if my computer don't freeze up, (literally) I'll give you a report on water temps later in the week.. But I doubt if I'll talk to many fishermen the next few days.. At least any that are fishin..

See you when I do!

January 2, 2025: 2025.. Seems like we were just hearing about the end of the world coming in the year 2000.. Twenty five years ago.. Holy shit, time flies.

And those of us still left here are twenty five years older. And hopefully twenty five years wiser..

I was talking last time about how winter had not located Zapata so far this fall.. But I am sad to report that the prognosticators gave given warning that a chunk of arctic air is about the break off on a bender and drunkenly mislocate itself to the lower forty eight.

Sounds like the east will have it worse than us, but starting early next week we are supposed to start a period of forties or maybe a bit cooler, and it is apt to last five or six days.

Time to buy some chickens and the fixins for a big batch of noodles.. I hate this shit.

But one thing this shit may do, is give the fish a signal that winter is happening.. And shortly after that I hope they get the signal that spring is springing and the spawn will get underway post haste.

We have not had water temps under the low sixties, and only spent a couple of days in the sixty two range. Currently we are around sixty eight. We will warm up to around seventy (water temp) on Monday and Tuesday, but then a decline certainly will be on the way.

Normally we need the water to get in the fifties for a spell, and then warm into the middle sixties to really get the fish on the move to the shallows. And this cool outbreak could be just the ticket to get it done.

However during this time if the water gets in the middle fifties, you might as well stay home and watch Captain Kangaroo, as I have said many times before.

We are still rising very slowly but we are up about a foot in the last two weeks, more or less. And there are areas that have some scattered grass and light brush in the water. I don't know if it is enough to hold fish there to spawn, but I'm fuckin sure we will find out. And if we continue our slow rise, it will improve the odds of it happening.

And if that is the case we will at least have some flats for the fry to hang out in a bit of cover.We got lucky last year and ad the best spawn in years and we have a very good crop of smaller fish in the lake. We also had a decent summer spawn and there are a lot of six inch bass roaming around. Happens most years and this year was no exception.

Most all of south Texas is still suffering from extended drought, and that certainly includes us. Choke Canyon is nearly impossible to launch a real bass boat on. Mathis has no open ramps. Amistad has the walk of death at it's only working ramp. Canyon near Near Braunsfelds has almost no access.. My home lake, Medina has zero ramps open and is at about 3% of capacity.

But at least here you can put a boat in the water, and the fish can be pretty cooperative on most days. So maybe we will see a few more San Antonio area fishermen down here this spring.. It should be good..

The fish here are certainly getting ready to do the deed..

Matt Reed caught this 8.90 the other day, and you can see that this one could go whenever the water gets right.. And she ain't the only one I'm sure..

Come get you some.. See you on the water..

December 30, 2024: It's a cool start to the day here in Zapata, but no worries; we are supposed to get close to ninety here today. And I am a guy who hates cold so I'm gonna call it a spring day. But heck we have been in the eighties for a week and our water has warmed back to the near seventy range.

I think the fish are confused, as are a lot of the fishermen. There were over twenty boats at the state park yesterday, so a lot of folks were out enjoying the beautiful day. Haven't gotten many reports from yesterday, but I did hear of a few nice fish being caught..

Numbers are not off the hook, but Matt Reed said they had about eighteen fish, with a bunch of little ones in the mix.

Next month will see the beginning of Falcon Lake Tackle's twenty fifth year in business here in Zapata. And it will be the eighteenth year that I have been here running the store. My brother and I bought the store from Larry and Barbara Bridgeman in 2008, who started it in 2000.

In the course of those eighteen years, I have come to meet, know, and befriend a lot of folks. Many I already knew from the south Texas fishing world, as I have fished Falcon forever, as did a lot of them.

I have made a lot of good friends down here since I moved here permanently those eighteen years ago.

And I am sad to say that one of my best running and fishing buddies passed away this last weekend.

And I am sure a lot of you knew him as well.

Robert Reissig passed away Saturday night after a three year battle with cancer, and during that time he exhibited an extraordinary will to fight that I don't think I could have come close to.

Robert and his wife Susan ran Amigo Inn, probably the best run and cleanest RV park and motel in Zapata. Robert also was a guide here and operated Amigo Guide Service until recently when his health no longer allowed it.

We were fellow business owners here in Zapata, and both Germans from the hill country, so we had a lot in common. And our friendship grew over the years to basically becoming family members.

If you needed something, he was there.. If I told him to meet me at the shop with some rope and a shovel, all he'd ask was if he needed to wear boots or tennis shoes.

We set many a brushpile together, fished a hunnert times, played poker every Friday, and back when he could we pulled the cork on more than one good bottle of whisky.

Running buddies indeed. I will miss him greatly and I know many of you will as well.

So please keep him and Susan in your prayers. Susan has been a trooper thru it all, and a stronger woman and better partner few men will find.

Here's a pic of Robert and I from just a few months back. That was our last double.

RIP my friend.. See you on the other side..

December 26, 2024:

It's the day after Christmas,

And here at the shop,

There ain't very much traffic,

It'd be a good day to mop.

The weather is warm,

and feels good on the skin;

And if you've got a boat,

It's a good day to put in.

It's supposed to be winter,

but it ain't found us yet,

I'm hoping that this,

Is as cold as we get.

Gonna be ninety on Monday,

Least that's what they say,

Fish could be spawnin',

Least the ones that ain't gay.

They'll be spawnin on gravel,

Least that's what I think,

There ain't much thick cover,

But we're right on the brink.

The lake's slowly rising,

But not coming up fast,

A few hundreths a day,

We'll see how long that lasts.

We're sittin at two fifty six,

point five eight,

Another twenty feet,

Sure would be great.

But I don't expect much,

At least not real soon,

Cause it's in the summer,

The time of Monsoon.

Fishin' is spotty,

In regards to the catch,

but if you wet your line,

No tellin what you might fetch..

Numbers are decent,

On some of the days,

And how do you catch em?

There's so many ways.

Some say the shakey,

Is the best that there is,

But upon a lectric fence,

I rather wizz..

I still like the squarebill,

The one made by Spro,

If I'm fishing shallow,

That's the one what I throw.

I like the Cell Mate,

And I love Citrus Shad,

And some days them fuckers,

They want it real bad.

The senko has treated,

Me bad as of late,

But a month ago,

I thought it was great.

A spinner, or chatter,

Is not a bad choice,

One fisherman told me,

In a confident voice.

So I guess what I'm sayin,

May not be too clear,

But lots of things are workin,

For terminal gear.

So if you might like.

Some of the baits I have mentioned,

Tie your favorite on,

To get your line tensioned.

I cain't say it's great,

But I won't say it's bad,

But fishin' beats workin,

On the worst day I've had.

So get your ass down here,

Whenever you can,

I'm sure fishin's built into,

The Good Lords great plan..

I hope all of you had a good and Merry Christmas! And I wish the best of years for you in 2025..

We're getting the fuckin democrats out of office soon.. And that's a good start! Get on the bandwagon or get run over by it..

See you on the water!

December 3, 2024: How is it that the days can be so short, but seem to be so long during the winter? When one is trapped inside the house, staring out the window, just hoping for a glimpse of sunlight that breaks thru the clouds and lifts the gloom of another day of drizzly nasty shit.

And that's what we've got going on here in Zapata this week, as winter tightens its icy grip on Zapata county.

Well I might be exaggerating the circumstances a bit, but this is a long way away from fishing weather. Highs in the fifties, with a misty, drizzly, nasty combination that only a duck hunter would consider venturing out in.

Unless you are really mad at them.. And that man left this building years ago.

I usually fish Tuesday mornings, but today ain't the day.. And looking at the forecast, only tomorrow looks like a reasonable day. And then back to the shit. So just maybe...

When they predict rain in November and December in Zapata, this is what we get. Rarely do we get an inch of rain out of a system that sits on us for several days.

As a matter of fact, I just looked back on the last few years, and it has been eight years since we have gotten an inch of rain in January. You'd have to go back to 2016 to remember that.. And I don't.

But then of course, we are situated in the Chihuahuan desert..

The last two weeks has had a few good days of fishing, with a few big fish caught, but to be sure, there have not been a lot of man hours put in. We do have some Winter Texans that fish most of the good days, and I know most of them. And we are pretty good at sharing information, and certainly showing off any pictures of good fish caught.

Small fish are pretty common, with a lot of folks catching enough of them to keep it interesting. And sometime during the day, odds are good that you are going to hook into something with some shoulders.

Five and six pound fish are fairly common, and a few eight to near ten pounders are showing up on occasion.

My last two encounters with a bigger fish have ended poorly. One pulled off a chatterbait, and the other is the proud owner of a brand new spinnerbait. Got to see the former, but not the latter.

A lot of people ask me, "Where are the fish?" And I can honestly say, everywhere. But on any given day you may or may not catch them everywhere. Or no numbers of them anyway.

Fact is that we are in a rebuilding year. Kinda like the Cowboys.. We have a shitload of little fish, with some of the more mature fish mixed in. I hope our rebuilding doesn't take as long as the Cowboys..

But I see more potential here than in Dallas..

I am sure this spring we will whack the shit out of em again. If you were here last year, you fished a completely different lake than we are this go round. Last year we had a lake full of flooded brush, and you really could not get to a lot of the fish.

Currently we have very little cover in the lake, and only on the flattest of banks will you find any vegetation in the water. And in the last ten days we have lost about eight inches of water.

Last spring we had one of the best spawns that we have had in years, with good recruitment as we had a ton of shit for the baby's to hide in.

This year will not be as good (unless a miracle occurs) but the catching should b better. At least we will be able to show a bait to the fish.

And I am going to go out on a limb and predict that the vast majority of the spawn will take place on gravel, as it has been in many recent years. As in two years ago when 90% of the fishermen were in a half mile stretch of the north bank of the Tigers.. Reserve your spot now.

The lake is sitting at 255.47, or 45.73 feet low. We have been up and down more than a hookers panties in the last two months, but also akin to the hooker, we're not getting more than six inches.

Launching remains the same down south.. Out on the point past what is supposed to be the boat ramp. Here in Zapata, only the shallowest drafting boats can get out of the home creek. The silt bar at the mouth of the Veleno is only about a foot or so under the water. The ramp is fine down on the point.. If you want to fish the Veleno. Which I do not recommend. It is fishless..

Pierces cove is as far north as I would venture. Maybe a rock pile or two in sight of it to the north. But no farther.

I can't explain it.. Just very few fish up north.

Crappie are still few and far between.. You can catch a few if you really try.

Catfish are still decent as they like the cooler weather. White bass are scattered but will be heading to the top of the lake as they prepare for their spawning run coming soon.

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I hope you got to spend some time with friends and family. Well.. If you wanted to anyway. Hope it was all civil.

We had thirty eight yammering Bendeles, all in Mama's house at the ranch. Bout as loud as an AC/DC concert.. Till the food hit the table.. And my God what a spread of groceries..

We are truly the luckiest people on earth here in America. No matter how bad we want to tell each other we have it.

Could things be better? Sure.. But there is not a man made thing on the planet that could not be improved.

I think we are working on that..

And if you think you got it bad, put yourself in Kamellas shoes.. Not financially of course..

But here's an analogy for you..

Ever been to Home Depot the day after Christmas.. And walk thru the nursery where all the plants are?

And there you see it.. The lone Christmas tree that didn't get sold and taken home.. Even if they marked it down to three bucks, three days before.

Left alone. Shunned.. Leaning in a corner with's base stuck in a bucket of vodka. I mean water..

So repulsive that no one wants to come near it.

I guess I should feel sorry for her.

Aw Fuck No, what was I thinking..

The democrats chopped down the ugliest tree in the forest, but no amount of tinsel, lights, and candy canes, could get the customers to buy in..

My Daddy always said, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear." I swear he gets smarter every day.

Fifteen years ago yesterday, my Daddy passed away. And I missed him just as much last Thursday as I did fifteen years ago. But when I looked around Thursday at the legacy he left, I couldn't be prouder.. To be his son, and see the imprint he left on his kids, his grandkids, and even his great grandkids, even though they never met him..

Life is short, so never miss an opportunity to do good.. You will never know how far down the stream that ripple will travel..

See you next time.. Hopefully on the water!

November 20, 2024: Cooler weather has arrived to some extent, and more on the horizon. We are supposed to be in the forties tonight, and though it has been delayed, winter is finally making its way to South Texas. I know it is not what a lot of you call winter, but if the AM starts with a 4 or a 5 it is winter to me.

Water temps have crept down to the mid seventies, and there are a lot of shad moving to the back of some creeks. The fish are not lousy back in them for the most part, but where the groceries go, the fish will follow.

I fished yesterday morning, which has become my Tuesday norm. If you can't find me on Tuesdays, don't fret, I'll be back after 1:00 or so.

The first hour and a half or so, the north wind was blowing a lot harder than predicted, so I hid in the back of Government cove, flipping trees till the wind laid.. And when it did, it did, and got as flat as sheet of paper.

Blue bird skies and ultra high pressure, no wave action. Not my preferred conditions. My rocky, windblown point pattern was not working, so we went out to a bunch of rock piles out off the main lake channel, and fishing got a lot better. Or at least the catching did.

We did not smoke em by any means, but caught about a dozen with a few keepers mixed in. I have not caught a picture fish in a couple of weeks. Although I have seen pics of some nice fish this week.

I am hearing of more and more jig fish being caught, and most of them are coming off hard slopes on points or ledges out about fifteen feet. I still ain't throwing one, but I'm gonna tie one on next trip. The senko has still been good for me in the numbers department.

A shakey head is also doing good I hear. I just hate fishing it.

Crankbaits of various sizes and colors are catching some fish as well, but I couldn't get em to bite mine yesterday.

I'm blaming my so-so day on too pretty a day conditions.

The lake is basically staying level, but we are down a few hundreth's in the last week. For the last six weeks we have varied six inches up or down, more or less.

You can still get out of the Veleno, but there is not a lot of water under your keel out near the mouth..

SOS down at the state park.. No sweat other than the trail out out to the ramp.. Evidently no one who works there gives a shit either.. Status Quo..

Fishing is still decent. I'm not gonna call it great.. But you can catch some fish and some good ones if you stay at it.

No rain of any sorts around here the last month. When it quit, it quit. And I don't believe we will get any significant rain in the near future.. No real rain falls here in the winter. Spit and nasty, yes.. Rain, no.

Last I checked, the Republicans have control of all three portions of the government. Nationally anyway..

Some states are still too stupid to see the demise that surrounds them, but maybe a dim light is coming on for some of them. If you started out standing in an empty cesspool, it might have been hard to recognize the slow rise of shit till all of a sudden it's ebbing at your chin.. Everything was good.. Till all of a sudden you recognized it wadn't..

Incrementalism.. I used the term a hundred times before.. We'll let them do that just to appease them and they'll quit the crazy shit.. No they don't .. It just gets weirder and weirder.. Till you got what we got..

Newsome in 2028! Yeah I don't fuckin think so.. But it sure would be good if he was the nominee..

And I guess Huessein Obamma is going to have a lot more free time on his hands.. Now that his third term is over..

Let's get the deportations started. And try and repair what this set of fools and saboteurs have done to our country..

I don't mind mowing my own grass.. Or cleaning my own toilet.. I think we can get by without them.

And the saying, "It's cheaper to keep her," ain't valid in this case. These leeches are a scourge.

They keep saying that "We are a country of immigrants." Well we certainly are.. But they keep leaving out the word "legal" in front of the word "immigrants".

A distinction the left seems to overlook. We do not need new immigration laws.. We need to enforce the ones we have.. Or at least start there..

Should be some fun shit coming up.. I'm loving watching the liberal media's heads explode daily.

So if there is a small spike in viewership at the propaganda channels, it is just me getting my daily fix.

I think a couple of them are about to go tits up..

Maybe a few of us can buy one of em and turn it into another outdoor channel.. Got a few episodes of "Bassin With Bendele" already in the can..

See you on the lake. Or on the set...

November 13, 2024: It sure is hard to believe that it is November already.. And half of it gone.. Maybe some of that is due to wonderful weather we have been having this far into fall. If it stays this way I'll be perfectly happy..

But I know north winds and cold are just around the corner.. And I wore blue jeans fishing on Sunday morning for the first time in about eight months. Yesterday I did not.

Fishing has been pretty darn good, depending on who you're asking. Last weekend was two different kind of days.. Windy AF on Saturday.. And polite weather on Sunday.

There were quite a few fish caught, but the number of big fish was not impressive. Plenty of three pound fish but not a lot of bigger fish were reported. But on Sunday there was a 6.99 caught in a small club tournament. Biggest fish I heard of in the last week.

But then again, there are very few fishermen on the lake.

On Sunday I went with a buddy and he pretty much gave me an ass kicking.. I think we caught twenty two something fish and he caught fifteen of em. And he had five keepers that would have went about eighteen pounds.

I caught a couple of decent fish, but it was not my day.. Some Winter Texan buddies of mine have been throwing this special spinnerbait, and allegedly they have been whacking them on it..

Well I threw it on many occasions in the last month and I caught Jack Shit. But for some reason I had that rod in the boat on Sunday. We pulled up to the edge of a rockpile that was exposed, and I said aw fuck it I'm gonna give this thing another chance.

First cast I chunked it up there and something grabbed it, and after swimming about three feet snapped my line.. No doubt it was a good motherfucker but who knows. That was my big fish action for the day..

I did not make it back to that rockpile yesterday, but I'm gonna soon..

On Sunday the best bait was a trick worm Texas rigged with a light weight. Yesterday I caught a couple on it, but the five inch senko caught more fish. Best fish yesterday was a 3-14 fattie.. The only reason I weighed him was because he was so fat.. Was probably a she.. It's hard to tell these days without doing a deep dive.. Same with a lot of people have you noticed?

Back a couple of months ago I was seeing a good number of bigger, skinny fish. All the fish we caught in the last couple of weeks are Rosies.. Even the smaller fish look really good. And they are more pissed off than the fat chicks on The View..

Somebody throw em a cookie..

Maybe that might have some potential.. Being nobody is watching them and listening to their lies any more..

Maybe you could put them behind a low wall.. And sell cookies and doughnuts that tourists could throw to them..

You know kinda like buyin a bucket of smelt at Sea World and feeding it to the dolphins and whales..

Which is undoubtedly one of the best business thoughts of all time.. Charging some one an exorbitant price to get into your park. And then selling them food to feed to your animals so you don't have to buy it.. Fucking genius..

I have not fished a brushpile in three weeks.. I don't know why.. On second thought. Well yeah, I guess I do, because I have been catching good numbers on rocky points and old rock houses.

I had five rods with shallow crankbaits tied on yesterday, and the Spro in Citrus Shad was still the best. The Rock Crawler is a good bait as well..

But for my money, I still think a 5" senko is about the best thing going.. With a very light weight if you're fishing the rockpiles. I have got a lot of practice lately at retying.. As will you when fishing the old houses..

Well it has be kinda fun to watch the continuing melt down of the Democrats for the last week. Reality is setting in as all three pieces of the puzzle are going to be controlled by the Republicans.

And I will say this.. You fuckin Republicans now have no excuses.. We the people nutted up and put you in place to do a job. And you better fuckin get it done.. Or we'll come down on you as hard as he Democrats. I don't hate most Democrats.. But I do hate their policies for the most part.

What part of putting America first is so offensive? Aren't you an American? If that offends you maybe you should think of becoming an ex-pat.. Maybe you can catch a ride with Whoopi or one of the other elitists that promised to leave the country.. I'm sure she is gonna need a hut cleaner and somebody to go get her a Blizzard..

Oh wait. They don't have ice cream in most of those shithole countries.. I guess they'll figure it out..

The lake is holding steady for the most part.. For right now.. Launching has remained the same.. You CAN get out of the Veleno right now in a bass boat if you wish. Stand on it when you get past the bridge.

State park launching is still no sweat, after you cover a quarter mile of dirt road that is not maintained very well.. Or at all. Pitiful the State Park could give a shit about the access. And when you say something if falls on deaf ears..

Think they're working on putting in a low water ramp? Fuck no.. Status quo..

Well if I ain't made it sound too bad, come and see us.. I'll bet you will catch more fish here than any other lake in the state.

And a shout-out to all the Veterans out there, and to those still serving. Yesterday is the one day a year that you get recognition, but rest assured that real American appreciate and respect you every day of every year.

Thank you for your service!

Till next time, keep the faith..

See you on the water!

November 8, 2024: I was listening to the radio this morning on the way to the store,, Yes it was AM.. Both the time and the band. And early in the morning I get a station out of Houston that has a conservative talk format.

They had a news report on that said that if you just get five minutes of vigorous exercise a day, it will lower your blood pressure.. When I got to the shop I checked mine, and it was 117 over 79. Beautiful..

And I'll have to admit that I have been getting plenty of vigorous exercise the last few days. Rowing up the river of liberal tears that have flooded the country.

And all I can say is that I ain't seen an ass kickin like that since Reagan. Did I enjoy it? Hell yeah..

Fuck them fuckin' fuckers..

After eight years of constant attack, throwing shit bomb after shit bomb at Trump, it looks like the last shit bomb has detonated, but this time before it got out of their hands.

It gives me extreme pleasure to watch the crying masses on liberal media, aka the fake news, crying in their pinot, and trying to explain what went wrong. And throwing shit at each other and pointing fingers at most all in their party for the total collapse of a poor candidate and a poorly orchestrated campaign.

Maybe if they had a candidate that had a mastery of the english language that would be a good start. The were certainly 0 for 2 with the last couple.

But now I feel unburdened by what might have been.. In the words of Johnny Ringo, "I feel just capital."

But don't worry about Kamamia.. I hear she already has a job offer from Ronco.. Makers of the world famous Salad Shooter.. Should be a perfect fit for her.

I'm sure ol Corn Pop will be put out to pasture as well, only to be seen at the beach.. They may as well install the new president now and get the party started. Cause who in the fuck knows who's running the country right now. It would probably be best to get someone in there with a brain.

I see the Euros are all clamoring about how bad a decision we made.. Fuck them too.. Being I see how good their multiculturalism is working. Disaster is not a good enough word to describe the EU.

I am sure a few messages have already been sent to a lot of foreign leaders.. I know a few I'd send them to.

There's a hurricane in the gulf.. But the son of a bitch couldn't find south Texas on a map. They never come our way..

That Elon Musk must surely be a genius.. He knew where to put a launch pad.. Where storms never come..

The lake caught about six inches of water.. Bout what I expected.. And we're sitting right at 256. We have stayed within six inches for the last month or so..

Not a lot has changed with the fishing or the launching. See previous reports..

Somehow the air is fresher and the world a better place to be.

Enough talk.. Now start doing the work..

November 4, 2024: Well here we are about six week into the official start of fall, and so far cold weather has not reared its ugly head down here in our parts. And I'm good with it.. We're supposed to be around ninety here today, and if the highs never got any lower, I'd be good with it.

The thought of wearing jeans is somewhat disturbing. But I know before too long the laundry basket will be filing up quicker..

The lake has dropped about six inches in the last couple of weeks, and we are sitting at 255.57, or 45.63 low. There was a rogue thunderstorm up around Eagle Pass on Saturday evening, and there is a small pulse of water in the river, which should put that six inches back in.. If they don't let it right back out.

There is another late season storm headed for the gulf from the Caribbean, but it won't come to us.. Look out Houston and New Orleans.. WTF else is new..

We do have a cold front bearing down on us, and we'll see if it gets here. Rain chances here are slim. But of course we'll get to enjoy a twenty five MPH north wind all day tomorrow.. Oh boy..

If you read my last report about the fishing, read it again.. Because nothing has changed. It's still all about rock. Senkos, crankbaits down to about twelve feet, and maybe a shakey head. And a few spinnerbait fish have also been reported.. Although I can't catch any on it.

Start shallow.. That's where most of the fish are. And a lot of them are damn near on the bank.

Water temps are still right around eighty, but maybe this front will drop them a bit.. But highs are still supposed to be in the eighties, so it won't make much difference any time soon.

Launching conditions remain the same.. We did get out of the Veleno last week in a big bass boat, but we did drag thru about thirty yards of silt out on the mouth. Doesn't get over five feet deep till you get right to marker 10. If we catch a little bit of water it will be better.. But it is not for the weak of heart..

But enough of this drivel..

Tomorrow is Election Day in America. And as I see it, it will be a day that will decide what the next decade will look like.

If things continue the way they're going for four more years, We're fucked..

It will take years to repair and we might end up past the point of no return.

So get your ass out there and vote. This is not one to sit out. You and your prodigy's lives depend on it..

I'll talk to you after the election

October 24, 2024: Here we are late in October, and the weather is getting so pleasant that it is hard for me to stay in the store. We have really had it nice the last couple of weeks, with lows in the the mid to high sixties, and if you're thin blooded like me it makes you want to put some sleeves on for that first run from the boat ramp in the morning.

The rains of any consequence have pretty much come to an end, with just a tenth or so in the last two weeks. This after we had one of the wettest summers in recent memory. Right at sixteen inches since the first of June..

It's getting kinda late to get a storm that could bring any beneficial water to us, but you never know.. The lakes in northern Mexico caught about zero water this year, as no storms came across the mountains at all. And they have about depleted their water supply on the Conchos system. None of it was passed on to us. And next spring they're going to have some problems the way it looks to me.

We might have a bottled water shortage in the spring because we sent all ours to Mexico as aid..

The water levels here are holding pretty steady for now, and in the last two weeks we have stayed within an inch either up or down. Which I guess can be considered a positive.. So has Amistad, but they are only about two feet above their record low from a few months ago. Still no word on when work on their dam will commence.

We are sitting at 255.92, or 45.28 low. Launching is still not a problem at the state park, other than traversing a half mile of rarely maintained dirt road down to the point out past the official ramp. Two wheel drive is working fine at this level, as the ground there is very stable. Getting your trailer to sit at a nice flat angle can be a bit of a challenge. But loading and unloading can be pretty easily done if you have a sense of humor.

Fishing remains pretty good, but mixed results have been reported.. If you're here a lot, or all the time, catching fish is not a problem.

Lots of different techniques have been reported as successful. Spinnerbaits, (I'm not throwing one) Shakey Heads, (I'm not throwing one) Drop Shots, (I'm not throwing one) have all been catching fish according to the few that are fishing regularly.

I am throwing a chatterbait, a Texas rigged senko, and mid diving crankbaits. But a Little Birdie gave me a hint last week about a wacky rigged senko, and we kicked their ass on it yesterday. We did not catch anything over three pounds on it, but they were chomping it.

We fished a bank we always do, and I caught a three or so on a chatterbait. And my buddy caught one on a crankbait.

And we beat the shit out of it for fifteen more minutes without another bite. I already had a wacky rig tied on, so I stuck a senko on there and it was like turning on a switch. WTF..

And I never threw another bait the rest of the day. (till 12:30 when we got off the lake) We missed several and still boated about twenty five by the time the clouds thickened up and drizzled. And being I am made out of sugar we got off the water. If I wanna get wet I'll take a fuckin shower..

A buddy and I crappie fished last Tuesday, and we busted it for about four hours. We hooked seven including the ones I let off at the surface. Only one was over twelve inches but all were keeper sized. And I am gonna guess that is what we have.. Not many and few big ones. Hopefully we have enough in the lake to repopulate it. We should.

The isolated trees and brush piles have a shitload of fish swimming around in them.. But hell if I know what they are. Seems like if they were crappie we'd a caught a few more. We did hook a few bass on the crappie jigs and we only boated one of them as they kicked our asses with the liter line and broke us off.

White bass are schooling most every morning down by the dam and in Government cove. Look for the birds.

Catfish and gar are still pretty good. The bow fishermen are doing well with open water rolling gar, and they have whacked em lately. This lake is infested with the bastards.

Speaking of birds, the pelicans have returned, and a shit load of them are camped out in the Tigers. The cormorants are not super thick down south, but I have no idea what they are like on the top of the lake. I have not been north of the Tigers in six months.

Today is the first day of early voting in Texas. And by the grace of God this shit will be over in a few weeks. I am so sick of the commercials, texts, and spam calls I could just puke.

There needs to be a national website where you can register as a "Decided" and then the mother fuckers would leave you alone.

Anyone that does not have their mind made up by now is certainly a dumbass.. How can you not? Whichever side you're on..

I am sure a lot of folks just don't care.. Things are fine, my phone is working, and McDonalds is still open. I'll let other folks worry about that.

It's no secret that I am a conservative, and I'm going to vote for every Republican on the ballot. And in the presidential race, I am not looking to hire a home economics teacher.. I want a businessman with a set of balls. I don't give a fuck about personalities, I want someone who can get the job done.

And if you think that the democrats have done a good job the last four years, and you think the democratic appointed candidate will do a good job, then I can only decipher that one of us is truly fucked up..

I'll leave it at that.

Get your ass out there and vote.. This is no time to sit on your hands..

And after you vote, get your ass down here and catch some fish..

See you then..

October 9, 2024:Well if you like the Same Ol' Same Ol', then Zapata is a good place to be. Nothing happens in a hurry around here, and in some ways that is probably a good thing. There is not much traffic on the streets or here in the store. Which has afforded me more time to fish, which is hard to contort as anything but positive.

And speaking of fishing, not a lot has changed in the last couple of weeks. Other than the fact that the top water bite we were having so much fun with has all but died.. It was good while it lasted. But my last three trips out have yielded only a few hits on the Whopper Plopper.. I guess it is is time to tie something else on that rod.

I fished Sunday and yesterday, (Tues) and and had similar results. Sunday a buddy from up home came down and we caught about fifteen fish, the best two were a five and a four. And I broke off one on a rock point I'd have liked to seen.

And yesterday one of my newly arrived Snowbird buddies fished with me and we caught about the same number, but with no fish over three and a half pounds. Although he lost a good fish in a hardwood that kicked his ass. Would liked to see it as well.

And speaking of hardwoods, that's where I'll be spending my next few trips. My better fish as of late have come from the woods, and being that is my fav when it comes to fishing, I will be doing a lot more of it..

This bite has been picking up lately, and it seems to me I am catching a few less fish on the rocks.

There is just something about pitching a bait in a lumberyard and getting whacked. And then it is on trying to get that SOB out of the tree.

I used the term "getting whacked" in that last sentence and it is actually fairly inaccurate. These bastards are biting as light as you can imagine, and most times it is just pressure on your line. Or it will just swim off..

But that has been the norm as of late as they have biting the same way on the rocks or out of the brushpiles.

Most of these fish in the trees are in about four or five feet of water. But last week Jay and I had a double off a couple of trees when the TM was about stuck in the mud. I did try some really shallow water again yesterday, but four to five was best.

I have been writing about me a lot lately, but there is a good reason for it.. Cause there is hardly no one else fishing.

And while that is not 100% accurate, it ain't too far off. If I see five bass boats here at the store during the week I'll think it is a conspiracy.

It's Wednesday morning, and so far, not counting mine, I have seen one..

There is just nobody here.

I/we have caught fish on a lot of stuff lately, but my go to is still a 5" senko. And yea that is what I am flipping the trees with as well. Although my buddy Sunday morning caught the first fish of the day on a plum Ol' Monster. And I'm gonna try that in the trees next trip.

I am sure a squarebill or a spinnerbait in the woods would catch some fish as well.

If I was fishing a tournament here right now I would spend all day in the hardwoods. I just think you'd have a better sack at the end of the day out of the trees..

I wish some of you guys would come down so I could write about your trip.

But more about me.. I have about got my new Active Target dialed in, and other than fumbling around and fucking up my settings a time or two, I think I have about got it.. Maybe.. It is fun to watch a fish eat your bait. So far I have seen two.. A catfish and a gaspergoo..

But I'm working on it. There are just so many fish in the water here it is hard to tell what's what.

And no, I am not one to troll around looking for a fish to throw at. I ain't saying I won't throw at an individual fish if I see one I think is a bass. But primarily I use it for pinpointing structure. And I think most folks are the same..

The lake has come up a bit more, but nothing to write home about. We are at 256.02, exactly 45.18 feet low.

You can come and go from the Veleno, but why.. Only three to four feet deep out in the river channel till you get halfway to marker 10. And all the fish are down south.. For the most part. NO ONE I have talked to has fished this side of Bob's Knob in months.

Launching at this level is easily doable with 2 wheel drive down at the state park. At least currently I can use my truck, and not have to ask someone with four wheel drive to pull my boat.

I guess that's about all on the fishing front for now.

Keep all the storm stricken folks in our country in mind, and send a few bucks to local relief (Skirting the gov't if possible) if you can see clear.

They can sure seem to fuck shit up.. The Feds that is..

And a few prayers cain't hurt either..

Maybe we can fix some of this shit if we get the idiots out of the top office.. But I dunno.. Seems like I am living in a dystopian dream that I cannot wake up from. And you think this can't really be reality, and everyday you see something more preposterous.

It's lunacy.. And anybody that thinks we are heading in the right direction certainly needs help.

Pray for our country and get your ass out there and vote. Don't sit on your hands. It ain't hard.. Less than two weeks till early voting starts in Texas.. I plan on being first in line..

See you on the water.. Or at the polls..

September 23, 2024: Three weeks of September have come and gone, and the serious summer heat is starting to abate.. But in actuality we have had one of the mildest summers around here in several years.

I ain't saying it won't/can't hit a hunnert again, but I think the really hot day are in the rearview mirror. This week is forecast for the mid nineties; that is till Wednesday when we are supposed to get a front that allegedly will cool things off to the high eighties.

And while it hasn't been that hot, the humidity has been a bitch. I'm not sure how those of you who deal with it all the time can handle it. I put a new screen and an Active Target on the rig, and a couple of days there I could have filled a fishbowl with the sweat drippin off my nad sack.. Walking out of the house in the morning is like walking into a wall..

We have gotten a lot of rain in the last two weeks, about five inches.. And the country around us is looking good. And the grass is so tall you ain't gonna count the teats on a cow unless you crawl under her..

And with that being said, we have caught about two feet of water in the last two weeks. It ain't a lot, but bettern' nothing. We have received over fifteen inches since the first of June.

Fishing remains pretty good, but like with all things, some days are diamonds and some are zircon.

But overall I am going to say it is good. Last weekend I heard reports of a good number of quality fish. And if you spend a few hours out there, chances are that you will have a chance at a big fish.

Like young Levy here from San antonio. He fished with Jay on Saturday and had a heck of a day. He caught these two and several more. You cain't scrub that smile off with a Brillo pad..

Allegedly he is a saltwater fisherman.. But I'm not so sure..

And Natalie caught this one and a few more good ones this morning fishing with Matt Reed.

Best baits are still a senko, a shakey head with a trick worm of some sort, a squarebill shallow, or maybe even a chatterbait on shallow rocky stuff.

Brushpiles are still putting out some nice fish, but timing seems to be important.. That ain't always in there.

The top water bite we were having so much fun with has pretty much evaporated. I still got one on the deck..

I fished Friday morning till about eleven, and we caught about ten fish, most of them small. We were on our last stop and I was throwing a chatterbait over the tops of some old rock houses.. Or what's left of em.. And I got hung up of course and was driving around the rockpile to try and pull it out from the opposite direction. (Even a tackle store owner don't break off a Jackhammer without trying to get it back.)

Anyway I got to the other side and was yanking on it and it finally popped loose. And then it got hung again.. For a second.. Then that rockpile started moving. I guess this fat bitch was watching the bait flopping around and when it hopped off the rocks she ate it.

And continued to kick my ass taking drag and running under the boat. I got her to the top and her back was wide as a 2X4. And then the bait just popped out of her mouth.

I have tried to cut back on using profanity, but I think I even said some words I learned in Junior High..

Well all I can say is that shit happens and that it wasn't the first time it happened to me.. And my partner cheerfully chimed in that it probably won't be the last time either..

What I can say for sure that it ain't gonna happen if you're sitting on the couch. And I plan on chasing these green bastards till I cain't no more. Including tomorrow morning..

Catfishing has still been pretty good, and the gar fishermen/hunters have been doing very well. I could have arrowed two or three on Friday. They never seem to swim right by me when I'm holding a bow.. But I have never seen em this thick before. There's a lot of big ones, but we have a class of fish from three and a half to four feet that is amazing. We saw it coming.. They had a hell of a spawn about three years back.

The dove hunters around here (including me) have been whacking and stacking em. Mourning dove numbers were incredible early on, and whitewings are spotty.. But if you got em, you got em. These rain storms have scattered the birds some the last week.

The quail population is tremendous this year.. If you can hunt them in this tall grass.. I reckon there will be a lot of salting the roads and jeep hunting this year.. You ain't gonna see a dogs back out there in most places.

I have been getting a few calls asking about ducks, but they ain't here yet. Last year was a banner year with thousands and thousands of birds here. We don't have the cover in the water we had, so I am not sure they will be as thick. We'll see what happens after it gets cold up north. I did see a couple of flights of teel last week.

A few Snowbirds are staring to trickle in, and in thirty days I reckon we'll see a lot more. The cycle repeats itself..

I have had about everything I own that has a cord on it break in the last month.

Two TV's.. A mini split. My copier/printer/fax machine.. And my wife's car battery died.. I don't want to jinx it but in the last thirty minutes nothing around here has had any smoke coming out of it.

I have been fishing some mornings, so if I ain't here, I'll be back shortly.

And I'll be back here shortly.

And I'll see you here.. Or on the water!

September 11, 2024: Well.. I been meaning to post a report, but lately it seems like I been milking a cow with twenty four teats.. By the time I make a lap, it's time to start over.. I'm still hip deep in some shit but starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. If the mother fucker don't cave in..

Ain't even shot at a dove yet.. And that's just wrong..

I did get out and fish for a few hours on Sunday morning, but it was the first time in two weeks that I made a cast. And it's been a weird spell as we have had a strong north wind for six days.. And Sunday was no different. We spent most of our time hiding from the wind.

Which forced us into the back of some creeks, which resulted in us flipping a couple of hundred trees. And I'll be damned but we caught about a dozen fish out of the hardwoods in state park and Government cove. Most of the fish were in four to five feet of water.. And all of them were under three pounds.. But at least we got bit.. Doing something I love..

We caught a few early on topwater on some rocky points, but for the fish to pick out a bait in a rolling surf.. Well it did not work so good.

Jay Grieshaw said they smoked em one morning on top, and the next day, not so much.. But it is damn sure worth giving it a try the first hour or so, and if it is cloudy, the action lasts a bit longer. Most any rocky bank or long point can be good. And a little wind helps.. I said a little..

Anyway, right now I am eat up with it..

Here's a fish that was caught by Donnie from Oklahoma while fishing with Jay this week. Two foot of water on a squarebill.. Go figure.. They swear she was spawning. Seen it too many times to disagree.. Especially when we have rising water. More on that later..

All of the fish we caught flipping were caught on a senko style bait. But I am sure other plastics would work.. But the fish really seem to be tuned into the senko (at least for me) for the last two months.

Matt reed is throwing a shakey head for most of his fish. Something in Plum Apple..

Here's a shakey head fish caught by Jeff Schmidt this week fishing with Matt.

Results vary, but overall fishing is still good. But we have been brutalized by wind all week. And we have been rising very slowly, and overall we have caught about a foot of water. Last week the area and some above us got some good rains. We had about three inches locally, but some places got more above us.. Unfortunately a lot of it was out of our watershed. And of course that was after they took out a couple of feet the previous weeks.

Amistad has come up about two feet and so far they have not sent it our way.. Who knows what they are going to do..

It was good to see central west Texas get some rain, and actually the Rio Grande had a few quick rises on it out around Big Bend.. But all that water has been delivered, and as a result that's where Amistad got the two feet.

We are sitting at 254.46, or 46.74 feet low. We are still launching off the point out past the concrete ramp at the state park. Still no river access on the north end.. So you got basically one option. But that's where all the fishing is going on anyway.. Midlake north is just not getting fished..

At this particular level, you can get away with two wheel drive.

There's a hurricane in the gulf, and guess where that mother fucker is going.. Again..

One of these days..

Well not a lot has changed.. There is still nobody down here.. But before too long the winter Texans will start to show up. Not that we have anywhere near the numbers that we used to have.

And before you know it, it will be a cold son of a bitch and I'll have another thing to bitch about.

See you when you get here..

August 19, 2024: It's been a while since I last wrote, but in my defense, I have been busy.. A lot of fishing and a lot of rat killin' that is just a part of life..

I am trying to fish on Sunday mornings, and on Tuesday mornings if I don't have anything pressing going on. And lately I have not hardly seen anyone till after lunch, so I don't think I am missing too much. And I don't think there too many that are missing me either.. But I always put a sign on the door saying I'll be back by 1:30. And as hot as it is I usually am. It gets tough out there after noon, especially if there is little wind.

But when you are catching a bunch of fish it is easy to get distracted and loose track of time. And we have been whacking them pretty damn good. We had a slow morning last Tuesday, but the wind was howling and we ain't mad enough at em to go fight it, as a lot of our fish are in open water, or require a bit of a main lake run to get to em.

But yesterday morning was beautiful and we caught an easy twenty five fish by noon. And there was a spectacular sunrise to start the day.

Last week there were some boys here from Tennessee, and they beat the shit out of em. And in a peculiar fashion, they bought all the Whopper Plopper's I had.. Which seemed curious till I grilled em a bit.

They caught a bunch of big fish on top, and over thirty pounds one day.

And while I have been known to do some stupid shit, I am not one to ignore free advice. So yesterday morning we tied a couple on and I'll be damned if we didn't catch ten or twelve fish on the Plopper, and on one rocky bank we caught at least six. And there is no doubt that the Plopper sorts out some of the smaller fish.

The first fish we hooked on one got to the boat, in an agitated state, and while I was trying to lip the bastard while dodging all them flailing hooks, the line broke and the fish swam off with a sixteen dollar lip piercing..

Son of a bitch.. And while Robert was retying another bait I cast in the same spot and caught this one.

We caught several more good fish without moving the boat.. I guess that bait really pissed em off. They were hammering it. And that is some fun shit.. Don't know what I am doing sitting in here..

Best fish of the day was a 5-14 that came on a Dinger.. On the last stop. For the last two months we have been kicking their ass on a Texas rigged 5" bait.

The crankbait did not work as well yesterday, but honestly we did not give it much of a chance. When something is working, don't try and fix it..

Rough rock is still head and shoulders better than gravel. And if you decide to throw that Whopper Plopper, throw it right on the bank.. The closer the better..

I hope to test this theory again tomorrow morning..

There is hardly anyone on the lake during the week. Three or four boats have been the norm, not counting the boats out chasing gar.

And speaking of gar, I caught and landed about a thirty pounder yesterday also on the Whopper Plopper. It didn't take too long to figure out it was not Mr. black bass.. But it was fun getting my ass kicked for a few minutes.

Launching down south is still off the bank, and easily done but I highly recommend four wheel drive. The lake has dropped about a foot in the last ten days, and we have moved to the left of where we were launching on the rocks. It's a hard sandy bottom and is actually pretty level. You do have to get your front tires in the water.. But no sweat.

Launching here in the Veleno is still a no go of course..

I can't tell you much that I haven't recently.. Fishing is still very good. Numbers are very good (in my mind) and odds are that you will catch a few good ones every day.. It ain't rocket science..

Well the DNC is kicking off today In Chicago, and a better town to have the protestors burn down I can't think of.

Of course I hear that the local cops aren't going to put up with any bullshit. And rightfully so. Peacefully protesting is fine.. But when you start breaking shit and burning shit, I say get out the billy clubs.

Have you seen on the news the company's advertising to board up your windows and doors for you.. I guess I was wrong.. The democrats are creating jobs..

This has to be the most fucked up selection process for a presidential candidate in the history of the country. And no doubt the poorest selection of all time for the party.. And that is certainly saying something if you are aware of their past office holders.

It appears that the democrats are openly embracing the theory of Communism, and evidently a lot of their followers are fine with it. They have to be the lowest of low information voters in history. It's an insult to sheep to call these people sheep.

And here's a quote that I love: "The sheep, who is afraid of the wolf, is eaten by the sheppard.."

And if you choose to have the democrats be your sheppard, start teaching your kids and grandkids now how to live off of rats and cockroaches. Because in less that two generations they will find out how socialism really works.

I'll be dead and gone.. So it won't matter to me.. But there are a lot of children downstream from me that I will cry for..

I'm sure there aren't too many Kamala supporters that read this blog.. Or if there are, they quit e-mailing me years ago..

But if I can piss off just one of them it will make my day.

This is not the year to sit on your hands.. Get your ass out there and vote.

Your country as you know it, is depending on you!

See you on the lake.. Or at the polls!

August 5, 2024: I have not fished in six days, and I'll have to admit that I'm jonesing a bit.. I need to get my ass back out there..

Maybe tomorrow if I get my shit together.

Last Tuesday we kicked their ass, and since then I have heard some really good reports.

Also since then I have had to make a couple of overnight trips to San Antonio. Lotsa driving.. No fishing. No bueno..

But hopefully I'll be hanging around here this week..

Honestly late last week I heard stories from folks visiting here that caught fish on about everything. And that tells me that the fish are biting.

Even heard that some folks caught twenty fish one morning on topwater. I been thinking I wanted to throw one.. But ain't tied on on just yet.. But I'm gonna today.

Also deep diving crankbaits in the ten to fifteen foot range were reported to be nailing some big fish. And honestly last week we had a great day with a lot of quality fish, up to about six and a half pounds. It has been fun..

And guide Jay Greishaw said last Friday was the best day he has had on Falcon in two years. Said they had a fifty fish day and some nice fish mixed in.. Go see his facebook page..

Long story short, the fish are biting..

Offshore rockpiles and brush piles are producing fish. Usually one to three fish out of a brushpile, and on rock houses you might catch a dozen..

Last stop of the day last Tuesday, Robert and I had a double out of a brushpile in about fourteen feet of water..

Not sure what our best five weighed, but had to be mid twenties easy.. And that my friends, is some fun shit..

Both of those fish were caught on senko style baits, as were a lot of others.. We also caught a lot of fish on crankbaits. But nothing that dove over about twelve feet deep. I have been having great luck with the Spro that runs seven to nine, in the 50 or 60 series..

But like a lot of other folks, I am sure you can catch em on a lot of other stuff. All you gotta do is get yourself out there..

We have been fishing a lot of old houses, and those son of a guns are some bait and weight eatin' bastards. And when you're fishing those Spros, at about $15 a pop, it kinda hurts your feelings when you loose one.

And loosing a tungsten weight, a good quality hook and a bait, it is easy to loose four or five bucks worth of shit as well.

And while I have several lure retrievers, they're a pain in the ass to get out, unroll, hook up, and do the same in reverse after it is done.

So I have invented this "one the line" creation to knock your bait lose.. And it is quick and working pretty damn good.. It ain't 100% but not too far from it.. Of course I have had to tweak it a few times but I think I got it dicked..

You just wrap your line around the coil till it comes out the top and slide that Mo-Fo down the string.. It weighs four ounces so it does knock the shit out of your bait when it gets there.. Got a left hand model as well..

Stop in for your free sample.. (Till I run out of lead, anyway.)

The cylinder one was the prototype.. Works good, and poured in a two part wooden mold.. But I drilled out a Barrel sinker mold to make the sleeker, smoother egg shaped one.. Pours much nicer..

.

I told you I was bored..

Anyway.. You're missing out on some really good fishing if you ain't here..

If you want them kids to catch some fish before they go back to school, you better get down here quick..

See you on the water..

July 24, 2024: Here we are cruising through July, and I will have to say that we have had about the nicest stretch of summer weather that we have had in years.. We have not made it to 100° in several weeks, but we have been close.

It is not at all unusual for us to have weeks in a row with temps over a hundred. But high nineties have been the rule as of late. There has been some humidity to contend with however.

All the talk around here is about rain. And that we're supposed to get some .. Maybe a good amount. But here in Z town proper we have been skipped so far. Yesterday evening a bad ass storm popped up in southern Zapata county, and into Starr, and in some places it rained three inches or more.

Rain has been scattered all across south Texas with some scattered along the watershed between here and Amistad. Nothing serious at this point. But I did see the Devils and some of the Pecos river above Amistad had the rivers on the rise.. Mostly the Devils.. Which will make its way into Amistad. And we'll see what they do with that.

With rumors of dam repair up there, we'll see if they pass on any water they might not want to accumulate.

But who the hell knows..

Falcon has actually dropped a couple of inches in the last week and we are sitting at 255.44 this morning. And that sounds incredibly low but there is still a lot of water out there.

The lake is fishing small to some extent. But that is mainly due to the fact that the same places continue to put out a lot of fish.

Main lake points and ledges continue to garner the lions share of attention. And if you run north from the state park to the Tigers you will see a lot of boats along the Texas banks. And while a lot of fish are being caught there, there are just as many coming from ledges that are not self evident, and brush piles scattered from top to bottom.

Many of the pockets along the Texas side have rocky ledges out in the middle of nowhere. Sidescan is your friend. And that is where a lot of good fish have come from lately.

But I am not about to say that I/we are not fishing a lot of the community holes as well. They're community holes for a reason. They most always hold fish.

Last weekend UCBC had their club tournament down here, but only four boats showed up. From what I hear only one angler had five keepers both days. But overall they caught some good fish. Including this PB by Clint Kosub that weighed 9.96 on their club scales.

There were also a couple of other small events here, but I don't have info on them.

Also our buddy Charles Parchman caught this 8.26 on Friday of last week.

Yesterday I fished with Robert of Amigo guide service, and Jay from High Stakes Bassin. We have been doing a lot of fishing together lately.. What the hell else have we to do.. And we do share a lot of spots and fish a lot of the same water..

And I have been a lucky SOB here lately. I caught one about six and a big seven or maybe eight. Didn't weigh either one.. I don't like keeping them larger fish out of the water long, especially this time of year.

If I catch one that I think will go DD I'll hang her on the scales. Still waiting..

I heard some reports of spinnerbait fish, slow rolling it along ledges in water in ten to twelve feet deep. And with the amount of spinnerbaits they bought I can't see why I'd doubt them. Said they had several over six and a bunch of quality mixed in as well.

I'm gonna have to give it a try, but slow rolling a spinnerbait deep is certainly not my specialty.. Actually I hate it.. But I know it can work.. Them boys were lovin it..

So overall nothing has changed around here.. Fishing is still very good. You still have to launch off the fuckin' bank..

But it ain't a big deal.

If we get a lot of rain, getting to the launch area at the state park can be a muddy bitch. But it does dry out fast.

I don't think there is bait that won't work, but there are some better than others. I'm still throwing a senko or Dinger.. And a Spro crankbait..

If it works.. Don't fix it..

On another note..

Bout a month ago I told you that Biden would not be the democratic candidate on the ticket..

And as he has abdicated the throne to someone actually less qualified that him, don't be surprised if Kackles ain't the one on the ticket when the time comes either.

Until the Godfather of the democratic party gives the thumbs up, there is nothing that is off the table.

And so far he ain't said shit.

The legality of all this shit that is going on in the ranks of the democrats leaves a lot to the imagination.

Seems this is quite a peculiar situation the dems find themselves in. I am sure it will be a bit bumpy next couple of months.. For now I am going to sit back and watch which turd floats to the top. This ain't over yet..

I got to go.. Get your mind off of how fucked up this country is and go fishing..

It's working for me!

See you on the water.

July 18, 2024: It's been a pretty slow week around these parts, with very few fishermen on the water. Most weekdays see about six or so bass rigs down on the south end of the lake. Of course no one is chasing the bass on this upper end of the lake. Cause there ain't many.. Or at least none that we have found.

I do hear of a few caught here in the Veleno, mostly from the bank fishermen.

It is now possible to get out of the Veleno with your boat, but it is marginal. You have to launch a boat of any size off the ramp down on the point west of the big ramp. And you need to follow a few rules to get in and out of the creek..

Another foot of water would really help, but I don't see it coming anytime soon.

If you have questions about the process of getting out on the lake from this end, stop in and I'll give you the rundown..

Otherwise launching down at the state park, and I recommend it, is no big deal at all. Nothing has changed.

From the few scattered reports I have received this week, fishing is still very good for numbers, but bigger fish have been hard to come by.

I was out of town last weekend and did not get to fish Sunday, so all I have is hearsay.. But it is trustworthy hearsay.

Yesterday we took a hop over to Sugar lake, and while it was good to see it and be on it again, the fishing was less than spectacular. It has caught about ten to twelve feet of water lately, and it looks fantastic with tons of flooded vegetation in the water. But the fish have not moved there yet. The few we caught were on rocky ledges in six feet dropping to twenty.

For reference sake, if you are familiar with the lake, the water is about three feet from going over the circular spillway.

Back here at home, our water level has remained darn near constant the last week. No significant water has entered the river from top to bottom. So here we remain. At least for the time being.

No tropical activity on the radar for the next week either..

If you have read my last few reports, then you know what is going on down here. The same pattern of cranks and senkos etc. on rocky banks and ledges is still in effect.

Brush piles can hold a few bigger fish on occasion. Isolated rock houses have had some good numbers on them, but mostly smaller fish, but often a bunch of keeper sized fish.

I plan to be out there on Sunday tearing them a new ass..

If you are looking for biting fish.. We got em..

That's it in a nutshell..

A couple of weeks ago I was talking some of politics, (which does happen around here) and I told you that Old Joe wasn't gonna be the one on the ticket for the democrats. And it is looking like my prediction is looking fairly accurate.. Although nothing is done as of yet.

And if Shakespeare was writing this script, I am not sure whether he'd refer to it as a comedy or a tragedy.

But in either case, it is surely not fiction, but it is surely fucked up.

I find it hard to believe that the average American was too stupid to realize how far our illustrious president's mental faculties had eroded.

And don't get me wrong, cause if he were a crankbait in a box of a half dozen, I don't think he'd a been the one I tied on in the first place..

His hooks were never too sharp, even when he first came out of the package.

But back to the average democrat Americans. Maybe I am giving them too much credit.

Anyone, that has been paying the minimum amount of attention to the uttering's of Joe Biden for the last few years, and has not noticed his downward mental spiral, is truly a goober, or so blinded by hate for the other side, that they just refuse to see it. Although they certainly do.

And there is no doubt that every democrat and left wing media outlet has run interference for him constantly for the last few years. And those goobers and haters I mentioned gobbled it up and took it for gospel, because they did not want to believe the truth. They couldn't believe their lying eyes.

And some still don't. But the last few weeks, things have really changed, and maybe not for the reasons many think.

The sole reason that Ol Joe is being kicked to the curb, is because the movers and shakers in the democratic party, have finally admitted to themselves, that Joe cannot possibly win re-election.

And that is ALL they care about.. If they thought he could continue to function as a figurehead, while they pull all the strings from the shadows, they'd a been fine with him babbling for another four years.

Now you can call the democrats a lot of thing.. But you can't call them stupid.. They are the best schemers on the planet. And I can promise you that this coo was not started in just the last week..

Long before the debate, the one that supposedly opened Americas eyes (the ones that are not paying attention) to the condition of the president whose clutch is slipping, upper management made a decision to throw him in front of the American people in a neutral crowd, with no support and no allies asking the questions, knowing full well what was going to happen.

And what we all saw, some for the first time, and many for the hundreth, was a man in serious cognitive decline, doing his best. And any honest person will have to admit that it was hard to watch. But it was expected. By anyone that can think for themselves, anyway.

And as you watch this week, the heavy hitters of the democrat party are coming out of the cesspool they live in, with baseball bats and knives out.. Looking for one of their own..

It's gonna be a bloodbath alright.. And I think it will be at the hands of the big dogs in the democratic party. And ol Joe might need a transfusion after this is done.

Time will tell.. And it ain't gonna take much of it.

On another note.. There is certainly no way in hell that you have not heard about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

There are two, and only two possible scenarios that could be believed in this situation.

One.. The secret service, the premier personal protection agency on the entire planet, just messed up and didn't have the rooftop covered, where the shooter, a non trained kid, who acted on his own, who was seen around the premises for an hour, was seen using a range finder in the area, managed to get into position, despite all kinds of people notifying security and police, and actually fire several shots that nearly ended Donald Trump.

I ain't buying it.. Of course immediately after his shots rang out he was neutralized by government snipers. Which certainly should have happened long before he fired at the ex president.

Yall ever heard of Lee Harvey Oswald?

There is a story going around that snipers had him in their sights for minutes before he shot at Trump. But was denied permission to shoot. True or not I do not know.. When the actual sniper that supposedly said this comes out on TV and says it I will believe it.. But not till then.

Because I don't want to buy in to scenario number two.

And that is, that all this was staged to take out the ex pres, and get rid of the shooter and the only one who might tell the truth. One hell of a movie script.. But conceivable in today's politically charged atmosphere..

Conspiracy theories.. I love em..

In any case, what is being fed to the American people on this one smells like an August outhouse..

I ain't buyin what they're sellin..

We'll see what comes down the pike this week.. But I'll bet you in ten days, Biden will no longer be on the ticket..

And then the fun starts..

See you on the water!

July 10, 2024: Well.. Hurricane Beryl lived up to the hype.. And in a fashion that is not unusual when it comes to which part of the coast it makes landfall. I guess all the big trees are in east Texas for a reason.

Because it is near impossible to get a storm to come ashore just south of Brownsville where we need it. Seems like we get promised one every year, but only Mother Nature really knows where it will end up.

I put about as much faith in week out predictions as I do in campaign promises.

Kinda feel like Charlie Brown when Lucy snatches the ball off the ground just before impact.. Maybe next time..

But.. Out of near nowhere, we had a thunderstorm pop up here in Zapata county last night, about nine o'clock. It rained so hard that all the birds had to move out of the trees and sleep under carports and sheds so they did not drown while trying to breathe.

A true south Texas turd floater..

We got 3.2" at my house, and some places just south and east of town got up to six I hear. Kinda in the vicinity of the Tigers. I have seen no appreciable increase in the lake level as of yet, but some of the creeks have to be running. We'll see.

Fishing remains pretty damn good, and anyone that gets after it is going to catch some fish.

The last few weeks I have been taking Tuesday or Wednesday mornings to get out and fish till about noon. It is slow around here and I don't think I am missing too much. But it has done wonders for my psyche..

I am diggin' this shit.. Kinda makes me remember why I moved here.

Yesterday I went out with Jay again, and we did some research and fished a lot of stuff, to include flipping some trees in Mexico. Which did not pan out.. But you gotta keep looking around, just in case something weird happens.

He had put out two new brushpiles last week, but I think he forgot to turn the "Vacancy" light on.. As we did not do much good on them. They'll be there, but not just yet.

So we went back to the old standby.. Rocks.. Yep ledges and old houses are still holding fish. Although we did not catch the numbers we did last outing. But in our defense, we did spend a lot of time fishing new water looking for that new honey hole.

I caught a four to four and a half for the big fish of the day.

There was a nice breeze early, and actually it was a bit windy out in open water, but fishable. But about eleven it got dead flat and the humidity was brutal.. Wettern' a porn set..

So we called it early and headed for the AC..

I am still going to say that a senko is the best bait going. At least when it comes to soft plastics. I tried a few others but there was no comparison when it came to getting bit. And a Texas rig has been getting me more bites than the shakey head (which I still like) lately.

We caught a few on crankbaits, but truthfully we did not throw them a bunch.

We have had a lot of luck lately, but honestly a lot of it is due to us doing the homework. We have spent hours scouring coves and pockets for ledges and rockpiles that are not self evident. And that work is really paying off.

With the newest in technology and mapping, it is not a hard thing to do.. Just takes time. And I realize that if you are coming to Falcon, and are not here regularly, it can be a little overwhelming adjusting to the ever changing lake levels.

And you came here to fish, not to drive around and stare at the locator.

But honestly you can catch fish almost anywhere from the Tigers to the dam, by just reading the bank, and following the ledges out from the points, that are everywhere..

It can't get much simpler.. Put a Texas rigged Senko on there with a light weight. Fish the rock.. Catch fish..

In regards to other species, which I haven't talked about in a while, they are doing very good as well.

Maybe the most remarkable thing is that the gar are going crazy. They're everywhere. The rod and reel fishermen are having a lot of luck, and there are several bow fishing boats out every day. If I was packing a bow, I could have shot several yesterday.. Or at least shot at..

The white bass are blowing up on top on the south end of the lake. Not constant but we saw several frenzies again yesterday. Look for the birds..

There is some hope for the crappie population it appears.. I talk to the locals that throw a cast net for bait all the time.. And for the last month or so they are telling me that they have caught a bunch of big ones, and a batch of four inchers here in the Veleno.. So maybe we have enough for seed to get the population built back up.

We often fish brushpiles, and I can tell you that looking at them with FFS, you'd swear that they were loaded with crappie.. But I'll kiss a fat mans ass if you can catch one.. We've tried..

There is just SO MUCH fish in the water.. Who the hell knows what all of it is..

Catfishing is still really good, and rod and reelers have been wearing them out for months. Fresh cut bait is really good, be it carp or big shad.. The bloodier the better.

Shrimp will catch a lot of smaller fish. And cut carp is what most of the gar are coming on btw..

I won't be fishing this weekend, as I am headed to the ranch on Sunday morning.. But I'll be out there one day next week, Lord willing.. And will keep you updated with what is going on. But I don't anticipate anything changing any time soon.

Call me with anything you need.. If I ain't here, I'm on the lake!

July 3, 2024: Well folks, here we are on the eve of our nations 248th birthday.. You can already smell the Kingsford in the air..

And in honor of The Fourth I ran three new flags up the poles this morning.. Happy Birthday America.. Even as fucked up as things are, it's still the best thing going. But we're working on that..

I don't know how fishing is in your neck of the woods, but around here it is pretty damn good. But I have been telling you that for months. Good numbers continue to be caught, and if you make the right cast you can catch a biggun.

I fished three days in the last week, albeit half days, and have had some really good outings. All three trips we have caught at least twenty five fish, and a couple over thirty, and always fished no more than six hours.

I have personally been on a good streak, catching a nine and and a five on the same day, and yesterday I caught a four and a half along with a shitload of smaller fish. Undersize fish have been real common as of late, but a bunch of mean two and a half pounders have been brought to the boat as well.

Rock is still the key, but brushpiles in ten or more feet of water have been producing some nice fish lately. Of course most of these brushpiles are on rocky ledges. Sometimes you can catch several fish out of the same brushpile, and sometimes it is one and done. But if you run over one, be sure and make a few casts into it.

I talk about ledges all the time.. Long points with hard breaks on them. Some on both sides.. Some on the ends where it kinda bluffs off. These can be really good.

I am fishing the same water a lot, and most of these spots have the same traits.. Rocks and depth changes. If I don't find em on one, I'll find em on another.

I put a new 12" Lowrance Live Pro on the boat a few months ago, with that high dollar three in one transducer.. And that was money well spent. The detail is amazing compared to what I was used to, and finding isolated rock and brushpiles has never been easier.. This ain't a commercial for Lowrance.. But I gotta say it is a bad motherfucker..

We have been fishing mostly ledges and long points along the Texas banks from the dam to the Tigers. And some in the Tigers, but it has not treated me near as well as the main lake water.

Some fish are starting to show up on old house foundations and rockpiles.. I'll be doing more research on them in the coming days.

My best bait is still a Texas rigged senko or a dinger. Some days one works better than others but something with some flake and sparkle is good. Chartruse on the tip cain't hurt you any either.

Square bills are still working, and a plethora of baits will catch fish. Getting the bait in the right zone is more important. But fish are being caught on crankbaits from zero to twelve feet.. Paralleling the the long ledges covers a lot of the strike zone. Once you figure out what depth most of the fish are hanging out at..

But honestly right now you may run into a pile of them on the surface or out to about twelve feet like I mentioned. I am not fishing much deeper than that. Not saying there ain't any out there, but I just ain't looking out there..

Last weekend the Laredo Bass club had their monthly tourney, and of course it was the only day the wind blew like a bitch in weeks. I hear a lot of boats bailed early.. And top three weights were 24, 15, and 14 pounds respectively.

Launching at the state park remains the same.. Here in Zapata I truly believe we can get out of the Veleno.. And use the main ramp. Only problem is that I have talked to no one that has done it as of yet. We are up three and a half feet from the low, so it should be no problem. I am sure to report soon on farther developments.

We are sitting at 255.55 currently.

Lots of talk and emails and calls about the hurricane down in the Caribbean... Supposed to be heading our way. Well hopefully the Yucatan knocks some of the punch out of it before it shows up in the gulf, but of course I am hoping, like many of you, that it brings significant rainfall to our watershed.

Time will tell.. But I have been disappointed before.. (By being kinda negative I am using reverse psychology on the son of a bitch..)

The mornings have been awesome around here as of late, and I have been lucky enough to see a few sunrises on the water in the last two weeks. And Sunday morning Sunrise Service was awesome..

What else is happening. Did you notice there was a debate on TV last week? If you can call it that..

It seems that some on the left discovered, that in the blink of an eye, the CIC seems to have lost a step or two.. As a matter of fact they were shocked by the presidents performance.

How could this be.. Right up until the introductions of the candidates before the debate, this was the smartest and sharpest man in America..

At least that is the way the leftist news organizations have portrayed him. Although they have known all along that his mental faculties have seeped out his hair follicles and evaporated into thin air..

My personal belief is that all this is a setup. The moderators (Leftist hacks) did not prop up ol Joe, nor did they excoriate Orange Man Bad.. Actually did what they should.. Ask a question, await a reply.. And shut the fuck up.. Next question.

After the debacle was over, I had to switch over to CNN and CNBC to get their astute analysis of exactly what transpired.

I have not seen a meltdown like that since the night Trump was declared the winner over Hillary.. It was epic..

As a matter of fact, sometimes when I am feeling a little down.. I will go to U tube and watch some of the compilations of the reporting of Trump's victory by the leftist pukes on the aforementioned channels.. Never fails to bring a smile to my face..

It was so funny to watch their feigned shock and disbelief that the current POTUS had no cheese on his enchilada..

They have been covering for him so long.. And suddenly, after seeing him stumble for the first time, (sarc) they threw him under the bus..

These hacks have been feeding their base the same bullshit for two years.. He's fine.. He's sharp.. He's brilliant.

While he can't walk.. Can't answer a question off the cuff.. Won't answer a question off the cuff..

Won't do a news conference.. Calls a lid any time he's too out of it to function. Who in the fuck ever heard of a "Lid" before this president.

Speaks in tongues that Jesus would have problems understanding..

Has Que cards every time he's in front of a teleprompter.. And quite frankly, he should be in a mental care facility for the aged.. This is elder abuse..

It's not funny.. This is purely and simply all about the non relinquishment of power at any cost..

And the cost is going to be to you and me..

In any case, this all looks orchestrated to me.. It's about the replacement cycle.

And Jimmie predicts that Ol Joe ain't gonna be the one on the ballot come November.. But I will be glad if he is..

Well enough about that.. For now anyhow..

We'll be watching and reporting on any rain events come this weekend..

Get your ass dow here if you want to catch some fish..

See you on the water!

June 25, 2024: After being robbed of seventeen feet of water a couple of months back, it's good to see a bit of water going up the stick instead of down it.. Here in Zapata, we have received a solid six inches of rain over the last week.

It was scattered out of course, with some places getting more, and some getting less.. But overall I don't think there was a place close to us that did not get at least four inches.

That might not seem like much to Stormy, but in Zapata, it is cause for celebration.

A lot of these storm were pop up mean little sum-bitches, with downpours that limited your sight to about twenty yards.

Yesterday evening at my house, it rained so hard that in thirty minutes it rained a tad over an inch.. And here at the shop it rained just enough to make one drop fall out of the gauge this morning when I turned it upside down.

But that is the nature of these tropical showers.. Pop up in a flash, five miles wide, and leave water gushing like when Moses struck the rock..

We are sitting at 254.26, up about two feet and three inches in the last week. This due, of course, to a couple of small lows that formed in the gulf down in the Bay of Campeche, and headed up the Mexican coast line to about La Pesca, more or less.

Good rains fell from just above Laredo, all the way down to Brownsville. and the valley is soaking wet, so we should not be letting out much water for the next few weeks.

Amistad also slowed its releases, which seems proper for the mean time.

Seems like I spend more time talking about water than I do fishing. But the two are inextricably linked..

If you were able to fish between the storms, chances are that you caught a lot of fish. Numbers remain good, with some nice fish mixed in..

On Saturday there was a very small tournament, and I mean small, (five teams) but the results were good. There were two twenty eight pound stringers brought to the scales, and a couple of eighteen pound bags as well.

There were two seven pound plus big fish weighed.

I know a lot of folks were scared off by the inclement weather, and getting to the ramp, (and I use that term loosely,) was a royal bitch on Friday, but marginally better on Saturday.

And for the most part, the heavy rain held off on Saturday, and nobody really got a wet ass.

Me and a buddy ventured out on Sunday afternoon, after perusing the radar, thinking we could get in and out between storms.. Well we did, but our time on the water was short as another one of them pop up storms blew up right under the dam, and we decided to go home with dry clothes. We only got to fish about an hour and a half and caught about ten fish, but at least we got out of the house for a bit.

I also fished last Tuesday morning, but again I was thwarted from any extended time on the water.. Not caused by weather, but by stupidity.

I was fishing a rock point,, And evidently I was a little to tight on it as I crashed the TM into a rock and snapped a blade off the prop.. No worries, I always carry a spare.. Except I forgot that a couple of months ago I was out of props in the store and fetched my spare out of the boat and sold it..

Of course memory not being what it should, I neglected to put a replacement in the boat.. That has now been remedied..

I will have to say that those Minn-Kota shafts are more resilient than a blue vein throbber..

Bait selection has been all over the board, and I talk to folks all the time, and we of course discuss what baits we are using. And the multitude of answers I have gotten is as varied as the baits on my walls..

I reckon that means the fish are biting..

I'm dancing with the one what brung me, and a crankbait and a senko are my go-to baits as they have been for the last month.

I'm in love with the Spro 7-9 footer in Citrus Shad. And a Dinger in Cali Craw gold, five inch edition.

I bounce that crankbait down the rocks from zero to ten feet, and am getting bit in ankle deep water as well as out deeper.

The Dinger I am throwing in the same water, and I have gotten off the shakey head a bit, and find the Texas rigged version working just fine. I'm certainly better at fishing it than the shakey head.

Them bastards are biting the shakey head so lightly that you really got to pay attention.. Most of the bites are just pressure, so if something don't feel right, it really does.. Set the hook cause them fuckers are already swimming off with it..

Last week Jay Greishaw went with me, and he was cleaning out the worm bag fishing.. He caught fish on a bright white senko with silver glitter.. And some orange and kinda red creation that I cannot name. Not because I don't want to. It is just that I have no idea what the thing was called. But for lack of a better term I will call it a creature bait.

What this says to me is that the fish are biting.. Throw what you like and have confidence in.. It'll catch em.

As stated before, fish are at all depths from the dirt to about fourteen feet. Offshore ledges that are not obvious are holding some better fish. As are brushpiles deeper that ten feet. Of course the other day I was flipping an old brushpile that was half out of the water in about three feet.. And caught three fish out of it..

If you see cover, throw at it.

This shit ain't algebra.. Just go fishing..

Launching is easy down at the state park. When the road to the point don't look like a mud race track back in the seventies. It does dry out quickly if the sun pops out. But I still recommend four wheel drive if you have it.

It is possible that you could now get out of the Veleno.. But as of yet I have not tried to do it.. I think that once you get past the bridge, you could center up the creek channel, and stand on that motherfucker and fly over the silt dam at the mouth.

I am quite sure someone will try it very soon.. If it is not me first.. Will advise..

The gar and catfish are still very good, as anytime the river runs the big whisker fish go crazy. The locals are having a big time catching both species.

I talk to a lot of locals that fish the Veleno from shore, and most of them throw a cast net for bait. And regular reports of big ass crappie being caught in the nets have been passed on to me. And some small ones as well and a bunch of four inch bass.. And some bigger bass as well.

These freakin bass down here spawn when they take a notion.. And a four inch bass ain't over two months old..

See it all the time..

Some folks tell me that there ain't no way that these fish spawn in the summer as there ain't no male building a nest for the deed..

But my standard reply is that there is not one species that I know of, that when she says lets go, that there ain't a male around that won't oblige her..

Nature in it's finest form..

Well get your ass down here if you ain't catchin fish where you live.. Cause you can catch em here..

See you on the water..

June 17,2024: I know it has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote.. And it's not like I been trapped in a foxhole with wet paper and a dull pencil.. But I have been keeping myself occupied with family, a complete new septic system at the ranch, a busted AC unit here at the shop, and generally just day to day stuff that has kept me distracted.

Oh, and fishing. I been fishing.. Whenever I can..

And if you ain't, its your own damn fault cause I been telling you to get your ass down here..

The last week or two has been some of the best we have had in a long time. Numbers have been outstanding on some days, and more often than not there are a few good ones in the mix.

Like this 9.3 that George Frentz caught on Friday last week. On a Strike King 1.0 Square bill..

I have seen pics of lots of five and seven pound fish lately.. They're pretty common.. But no double digit fish have I heard of recently. But I'm going tomorrow morning and hope springs eternal..

So if you are looking for me tomorrow, look after about 1:30..

Water levels have remained pretty consistent for the last two weeks, and nothing has changed as far as launching goes.. It is really quite easy, especially with two people. Four wheel is good to have in your back pocket but you can probably get by without it.. But if you have it, use it.

Bait choices are all over the board. With just about everything working.

That sounds a bit like bullshit? Well it ain't. Crankbaits, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, Spinner Baits, Shakey heads..

Waddya wanna throw..

Senkos, U-vibe, Ol Monsters, smaller worms.. Just get out there and show it to em and you're gonna get bit..

Sounds too simple.. Cause it is.. And do not be afraid to cast on the bank..

The catfish and gar fishermen are still whacking them as well. That gar is pretty good eating, and the locals would just as soon eat that as a crappie.. Even though they are harder to skin than an Ewoc..

Crappie are still basically non existent. Although no one is really targeting them..

All the talk around here is about rain.. Maybe a good soaker coming our way.. I'm getting lots of e-mails with good wishes and optimism, as the first tropical whirlwind is getting going down in the gulf.

We'll see what happens but I don't think this is a big water event..

I do believe we are going to get some rain, but looking at the info so far I don't think it will dump a lot of water on our watershed. Could we catch some .. Sure.. But I'm not looking for feet in this go round.

Like I have always said, big water comes from Mexico and the Pacific.. And there's a lot of lakes to fill up before that happens.. And this moisture ain't heading for those lakes..

We'll see soon enough..

What else is happening.. Hope you had a good Fathers day.. I sure miss mine..

The presidential debate is scheduled for next week sometime.. This will be the first debate with commercials by sponsors for each candidate..

Trumps advertisers are Trojan and the American Bar Association..

Biden's are Prevagin and Depends..

I've been watching too much TV here lately.. Because when I get home in the evening it is just too hot to mess around in the yard till about seven.

So I have seen a lot of commercials and honestly some of them are insulting to ones intellect.

Who would put a copier in the middle of the room and run a cord ten feet across the floor.. (Seen it?)

And I am so glad to hear that the guy finally solved the impossible task of making a shirt that looks good untucked. Listening to the commercial you'da thunk he cured fuckin cancer.. Still looks like shit. Tuck in your damn shirt.. Or wear a Guayabera..

One of the best commercials was one for Colace. A stool softener.. For when it feels like "you're pinching off a porcupine.." I really liked that one but it did not last..

Reminds me of an old man at the deer lease talking about having the piles, and how it felt like he was shittin' cockleburs..

I am looking forward to the new westerns coming out in the fall.. That show Costners doing..

And a remake of Gunsmoke.. I hear Alex Baldwin was not invited to audition..

In other news, you can now dig up your bumpstocks from the back yard..

And some of the best news of all is that Dove Season is only 75 days away..

Well get your ass down here if you can.. You're missing out..

See you on the water!

June 4, 2024: Well we're still a couple of weeks away from the official start of summer, but Zapata County doesn't really follow any of the rules of nature.. At least not involving the start and end of the seasons.

But for that matter, we don't really follow a lot of other rules either. I could give you a list, but neither of us have that much time..

So I am going to say that summer is officially under way around here, and we have a decent string of 100° days going..

And it don't look like we are going to break the streak any time in the next week. We're supposed to be around 105 for the next five days.. But it ain't uncommon.. Matter of fact, if we don't reach a hunnert this time of year, it is usually because there are some storms about.

And we had another one all around us last night and some downpours happened all around us.. But none at my house or here at the shop. We did get 1.1 last Tuesday.. Enough to keep the humidity up to go along with the high temps.

But actually fishing till one or two is no sweat.. Well maybe a little.. But there has been a nice breeze to keep you cool most days, and actually at this level, the lake is not near as rough as it would be with seventeen more fuckin feet of water in the lake.

The lake level has stabilized the last week as Laredo had a good storm, and it put a little rise on the river.. We actually came up about four inches, and right now we are just holding steady.. But the water in the river has about gone Bill Clinton.. (Petered Out)

Launching in Zapata is still a no go.. As you can no go to the river due to a silt bar at the mouth. Maybe an airboat, but that's about it..

So we are forced to launch down at the state park. And currently launching is no sweat.. We did not even put it in four wheel drive on Sunday.. Yes I fished Sunday again and yes we spanked them pretty good one more time.

This shit is too much fun. And I don't think I have been this excited about fishing since I found all them crickets under a sheet of tin at Grandpas.. In 1963.. Had to respool my cane pole..

And staying in the store on what are usually my slow days (Mon-Tues) is becoming somewhat difficult. And if you show up here and I ain't got the lights on, I'll be sorry I missed you but I'll be back by 1:30 or so..

I will certainly go out of my way to help you if you give me a call.

Speaking of being out of the store.. This Saturday I will open, but only be here till about nine AM. My niece is graduating and we are having a big party for her at the ranch, and when your as old as me, you don't want to miss any more of these than you have to..

Besides, they wanted me to do the BBQing, and that's about as good a compliment as you can give me..

Back to the fishing.. Fishing is still very good, and anybody can catch them right now. Yes you can come down here and kick their ass.. With just a few pointers.. But it ain't rocket surgery..

Sunday we did not go north of marker 2.5, and we fished a lot of the ledges that are along the river channel, on the Texas side of course. Didn't burn three gallons of gas..

We did not go back in any creeks, but maybe a few hundred yards in.. But most fish were caught on the main lake.

We caught six species, and about twenty five bass or more. And we were off the lake by one O'clock.

Biggest we landed was a four, plus or minus.. I guess I have not made the right cast, because I have been hearing of a lot of five to seven pound fish, and a few bigger.

Of course I am not out deeper than about ten feet, but I did catch a nice fish on a jig out of a brushpile in about seventeen feet.

But the majority of my casts are landing in three to five feet of water, and fishing down the slopes.

It is very common to see fish beating the surface, and if you are on em pretty quick you can catch a decent number of them. A lot of these are keeper sized, with an occasional better fish mixed in. But I will say that we did not catch very many dinks.

Sunday we threw mostly crankbaits, because the wind was blowing a good bit. It is hard to fish a shakey head when you have ten feet of bow in your line. And I hate throwing heavy weights. I hang up enough with a quarter ounce head.

Most of the fish I caught were on the Spro in Citrus Shad, but I hear tell that the Cell Mate is doing well also.

Any five inch senko in watermelon red or green pumpkin based colors, with some sparkle in it will catch fish. Bigger baits are catching fish as well, but not as many.. Mag U-Vibe still catching them..

Put a half inch of Spike-It on the tail..

It doesn't get much easier that this..

My methods are not the only ones working.. I have told you what I am doing.. And a lot of folks are doing other things with similar results. I hear a C-rig is good.. But I hate throwing one.. Really I hate rigging one. (Or five in a day with these rocks) And these rocks are hungry.. They really think tungsten tastes good..

A jig is doing well on some days.. And a drop shot.. Whatever you like to do can and will work..

You just gotta get your ass down here and do it..

Till next time.. Save a kid.. Save a fish .. Save the planet.. Save me a beer..

And save the USA by voting this fuckin shit show out of office.. Your kids lives depend on it.. Even if they don't know it..

See you on the water!

May 28, 2024:

Dear Santa,

I know it is early, and you might still be on vacation, but I decided I would write now to avoid the rush that comes later in the year; and I figure your mail load might not be as big right now, and that you may personally read my mail instead of one of those grumpy old midgets you have working in your mail room.

Last year I got a letter back referring me to an Amazon fulfillment center. I didn't think a copy of Debbie Does Dallas on VHS would be that hard to find.

In any case, I have a request for you again, and being you have contacts that I do not, I was hoping to get you to talk to Mother Nature for me.

And in all honesty, the request is not really for me.. Well not directly, anyway..

I want two hurricanes.. They do not have to be too close together, but not too far apart either..

And they need to be delivered to Northern Mexico.. You can drop them off about two hundred miles off the coast of Cabo and have them wander their way up the ass of the Gulf of Cortes and break east across the mountains into the state of Chihuahua..

I can provide detailed mapping if needed, being this terrain in no way resembles the North Pole.

And why two hurricanes you ask? Only because one may not be sufficient to produce the water needed to replenish our lakes and landscapes. And unless there is more water than the Mexican lakes can possibly hold, the motherfuckers won't turn any loose as they are supposed to do..

So you see I really don't have any choice but to ask for two.. I'm not being greedy.. Just needy..

And for a stocking stuffer, would you please drop off a few sets of balls to our elected and appointed US officials that could in a short time get Mexico to comply with our water treaty.

They talk the talk, but as of yet, they do not walk the walk..

And talking is just that.. If someone tells me they are going to kick my ass, I don't get too worried.. Now if the son-of-a-bitch walks up and hits me in the mouth, I am going to take him a lot more serious.. And we will have to see where it goes from there.. (Not that I care to ever get in a physical confrontation with anyone.)

But so far, Mexico ain't too worried, and certainly no one in this administration has the balls to hit em in the mouth. (Either literally of figuratively.)

So I assume that things will stay status quo.. I vote no confidence in our elected..

Well Santa, I am sorry this letter rambled on so long, and I got off an an emotional tear that has nothing to do with my initial request. If you need more info or maybe GPS tracking for the storm paths I will be glad to provide it.

You can respond by phone, e-mail, snail mail, text, or even a fuckin' carrier pigeon.. I don't care.. You've got my number..

Anxiously awaiting your delivery..

Little Jimmie

Over seventeen feet of water has been drained out of Falcon in the last couple of months, give or take. Do you know how much fuckin water that is? Me neither.. The lake is still over a mile wide down south.. And it is still 25 miles long. Seventeen fuckin feet.. Seems impossible, don't it..

It's a fuckin travesty.. That's what it is..

We are at 251.09 feet low.. That's 50.11 feet low.. Lowest we have been in twenty two years more or less..

No access to the main lake up here in Zapata, other than being trapped in the Veleno.. We will have our own little private lake right here in town. Of course it ain't much over six feet deep, and dropping.. Gonna be a heck of a fish kill coming if it drops much more. At least that is my thought..

Down at the state park we are still putting in out on the point. No choice.. But it can be done fairly easily if one wants to. Four wheel drive is highly recommended..

The fishing remains excellent, because we have all the fish squeezed into half the surface we had just a few months ago. Numbers are good and size has also increased in reported catches.. Including mine.

I was out again on Sunday, and I think we only caught a handful of undersized fish. No monsters but nice chunky two and a half to four pound fish.

Some of the guides are doing a lot better with catches in the high twenty pound range and some days over thirty.

Last weekends Laredo bass club tourney saw a bunch of stringers in the twenty pound range, and several over.

Best baits are still a shakey head and a crankbait.. But I have heard of fish being caught on most everything.

This is not hard to figure out.. Long tapering points with ledges and rough rock. Fish the drops.. And the rougher the rock the better. Humps out in the middle of nowhere.. Which are everywhere.. Scattered rock on a flat bottom have fish on them.

Use your sidescan.. It's invaluable right now..

Of course if you can read the bank, you can easily catch a lot of fish. But you are also going to be fishing a lot of water that a lot of folks do.

Look for rough rock! Above and below the surface..

Amistad has started to release a bit of water, and maybe they will stabilize our level.. But who really knows..

Feel free to copy and paste my letter to Santa.. Call your senators and reps.. Even if just to piss em off..

Cause I'm pissed off.. They might as well be too.. And you should be pissed off as well..

Seventeen Fuckin Feet!

May 21, 2024: Summer has arrived down here, and this week looks to be above normal when it comes to daytime highs, with predicted upper temps to be in the 105 range. Yeah it's hot..

But so is the fishing.

Good numbers and good fish are being caught, with the vast majority of the fish and the fishermen located on the south end of the lake. But that has been going on for a long time.

Unless you are talking about catfish.. The locals are tearing them a new ass here in the Veleno.

And speaking of the Veleno, passage from our ramps here to the main river channel has become impossible unless you are in an airboat. And I don't have one of them motherfuckers.. Thanks Mexico..

And speaking of Mexico, the greedy fuckers have finally stopped the big time water release that has been going on for two months. And while I'm not gonna say we are no longer dropping, we have almost stabilized in the last two days. We are still letting out more than is coming in, but not by a lot. Who the hell knows what will happen in the near future..

Over the weekend, there were a lot of boats on the water, and on Sunday I counted about forty rigs at the state park where we are putting in out on the point. It ain't good, but it is pretty easily done.

Unless you have a small boat, I am going to say that four wheel drive is required. Currently the slope is good, and you don't have to get your back tires wet. But it is somewhat rough with some chunky rock to back over with your trailer.. But if you take it easy it is no problem

Once you are in the water you should find the fish friendly, especially the smaller fish in the twelve to fourteen inch range.

There is still a shitload of water out there to fish. And traversing the lake is no problem. But you do need to pay attention to your map once you get out of the river channel on your way into the back of the creeks.

The Tigers in particular have a lot of long gravel points that stretch out into the bays that the unknowing might find by accident. Caution is the keyword if you are not familiar.

These gravel humps, ridges, and ledges are all holding fish. And different times of the day you might see fish schooling all over them. The same can be said for all the mainlake ledges from the Tigers to the dam.

White bass can be a pest most anywhere down south. Them shakin' sons-a-bitches hanging on a crankbait have punctured more folks than all the needles laying on the streets in San Francisco.

Sunday a buddy and I fished from about seven thirty till one. I think we boated about twenty four bass. Only five legal fish in the mix. Lots of thirteen inchers. And some smaller. Biggest fish was a 6-2 I caught on a Plum Ol Monster..

We fished between marker three and the dam, and we have located a bunch of fish on the main lake ledges.

Crankbaits caught most of the fish, and a few on shakey heads. We fished a few brushpiles but did much better on rock.

The shad are flipping around everywhere.. Bait galore.. The pig-out is on..

Better fish are coming a bit deeper, say in the ten to fifteen foot range. There were a couple of small tourneys last weekend as well, and most caught fish. A few struggled.. Heard of a good number of four to seven pound fish, but nothing in the DD range.

In short, the fish are biting..

Without doubt, the Spro in Citrus Shad is the best bait going. Well in my opinion anyway. I have been tearing them up on it.

But shout out to the Plum Ol Monster. That motherfucker, day in and day out, is a big fish catching son of a bitch. Don't leave home without it..

A friend of mine was throwing it on a shakey head and catching fish on Saturday as well.

I don't know if it will do any good, but I am starting to hear some saber rattling in the government about our water treaty with Mexico, and how them fuckers owe us a shit ton of water. That's not a news flash by any means. But some of our Texas senators are making noise about withholding money to Mexico (WTF are we giving them money for anyway) to leverage some water releases.

They ARE NOT good neighbors. I say cut off the water we give them out west till they comply with the treaty. It's time to take the gloves off.. But this administration is even weaker than the ones previous when it comes to foreign affairs..

I can think of a lot of other words, but Pussies is about the best fitting thing that comes to mind.

Unless they try to persecute someone.. Then they land on them with both feet.

Meanwhile Mexican farmers took all the water they wanted, while Texas farmers in the valley are being squeezed out of business. With very little and mostly NO water allotment this year.

And if you think having no water in the lake is good for my business.. Well you ain't been paying attention.

Despite all the bullshit going on, we are fishing the best we have in years. And if you ain't catching shit where you are, then you might want to grab your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock and get your ass down here..

Call me if you need anything.. If I ain't here, I'll be back shortly..

I might be on the water. Till noon anyway.. I'm having too much fun..

May 15, 2024: As spring spreads it way across much of the country, we are headed into summer down in these parts. And I personally would rather deal with temps in the high nineties than temps that require putting on jeans and a jacket..

And that's what we got. We have a warm stretch coming on. These hot air temps that move off the Mexican desert to the east are common, and often run into some moist air off the gulf. And some mean thunderstorms can pop up when they collide.. There have been a few around lately, and we'll be hoping for more of them in the near future.

As much of northeast and east Texas have been getting hammered with rains, and some catastrophic, we sit here hoping for a major rain event on our water shed. We need something weird to happen.. As it does on occasion..

The Mexicans are draining the lake, and things are getting dire for the local water supply. We are on stage three water restrictions, while they let out more water in fifteen minutes than the city of Zapata uses in a week. (These are not scientific numbers.) But you get my drift.

So I'll start with the bad news. The lower Veleno ramp can still get you on the water.. But you cannot get out of the creek as the mouth is so silted in. I would not be surprised if in the next couple of days there will be a land bridge all the way across the mouth.

Last week when we boated across the mouth, there was about two feet of water at the confluence. Yesterday the Game wardens went out in a mud boat, and they barely got across.. Only about six inches deep and birds were walking on it.. When it is only knee deep to an egret, it's pretty shallow. So DO NOT attempt to get to the river from the Veleno.

The launching area at the Tigers is no longer usable at this level.

Long story short, the only place to put in is at the state park, out on the point past the canal leading to the official boat ramp. Which is not a problem by all accounts.

The lake level is 253.88, or 47.32 feet low. That is 13.95 feet lower than we were just sixty (60) days ago.

That surely leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Stormy Daniels says you get over it.. But I don't know..

My memory might not be as good as it once was, but I don't remember losing this much water in that short a time.. And at a time when there are little to no reserves in the system. I don't know what the Mexicans are thinking. I know farming is important, but they are putting the water supply of a couple million people in jeopardy.

But it is not unusual for them to rape a resource till it no longer exists.. Take netting for example. There is a long list and I'm not taking the time to go there right now.

Ok.. Some good news.. Fishing continues to be very good. Numbers are excellent for most, granted there are a lot of small fish mixed in. But better fish are out a bit deeper on rock and on brush piles in water deeper than ten feet.

You can beat the shit out of little fish on points and ridges. And you will occasionally catch a good one up there. But the folks catching the best fish are concentrating on banks with hard slopes, and droppoffs that are offshore.

Of course the brushpiles are back to being a major player because there is just no cover on any banks. There are still a ton of standing hardwoods in the backs of creeks, and the flipping bite can be good depending on where you are at.

Concentrate on on trees in water six feet deep or more. Work the creek channel edges.. It ain't rocket science..

Crankbaits, shallow and deep, are whacking the fish. A shakey head and a drop shot are also good on the rocky slopes.

The rocks near the dam, and the rip rap on the dam are also producing some fish.

I still would come no farther north that Pierce's cove.

There are a lot of main lake rockpiles and old houses that are out of the water.

It is important to run the river channel in a lot of areas, as the big flats along the river itself are laden with old hardwoods, and these trees are as hard as steel. If you are not familiar with the area you are in, caution is a good approach. Just because you are surrounded by water don't mean it is deep water.

If you are in the main body of the Tigers, pay attention to your map. Run the creek channels as there are a lot of gravel bars in places you might not expect. There are also a lot of fish on some of them.

The white bass are all over the place down south. Schooling activity has been crazy and many tines you can catch a hunnert w/o moving the boat. If you're into that sort of thing. Many times some bass are mixed in with them. Often under them.

Catfish are still good and they have been bowfishing gar and carp like crazy..

We have a shitload of fish of all species crammed into about half as much water as we had a couple of months ago.

So they are not hard to find.

If all of this sounds like it sucks.. Well a lot of it does..

But if you want to catch some fish, it ain't hard to do.. And that don't suck..

As always, I am hoping and praying for better conditions in the not too distant future.. We are headed into the time of year when we can actually catch some water.. And nobody is readier than me.

Come see us when you can..

If I don't answer the phone, I'm on the lake.. Best fishing we have had in a long time..

Maybe I'll see you out there..

May 7, 2024: Well another week has come and gone. and gone with it is another three plus feet of water. I guess we must have plenty, cause they are letting it out at an alarming rate. It appears that now you can do some white water rafting right here in South Texas..

Maybe it is time to strap a few logs together and go Huck Finn down to the coast..

We are down to 257.38, or 43.82 low. Right at ten feet lower than we were six weeks ago.. Who knows when they will back it off.. But it is amazing to think of how much water that is..

For a reference, the water at the Old Veleno bridge is right at the bottom of the beams under it.. You couldn't see under it yesterday. But you might today..

We are still on concrete here in Zapata, but if we loose another two or three feet, I don't think we will be able to get out of the creek, due to the silt buildup out at the mouth of the creek..

I fished the Veleno yesterday for two hours. Water looks like shit.. No fish.. Mud banks have returned for much of it.. Bait was everywhere. I can't catch a fish on this end of the lake..

I did fish the south end of the lake on Sunday. And numbers were not as good as the trip six days before.. It was still good, but not as many bigger fish. The white bass in places are swarming.. You could catch a hunnert in a row.. Well almost..

A crankbait still caught most of the fish, but my biggest was about a three and a half on a chatterbait..

I was shocked to see the difference in lake levels from two trips just six days apart. Places where I had caught fish a week ago yesterday were dry ground. Islands and ridges are reappearing in all the places we saw last year..

So when you're back in the Tigers for example, pay attention and watch your map and give points a wide berth.. We drug up on some gravel in a couple of areas and supposedly I knew where we were going..

It's changing that fast..

Launching down at the Butterfly beach is really getting interesting as well.. If this drop continues we will be back shortly to launching out on the end of the point that sticks out past the canal at the official boat ramp. That announcement could come pretty quick..

There is still a lot of water out there to fish. But having shitty access to the water is a pain in the ass.. It is doable, but it ain't what it should be.. You just gotta keep your sense of humor about you..

Water on the south end of the lake looks great.. Bait is everywhere, and I truly do not know why a fish would bite an artificial lure.

Fish are still relating to rock.. Ridges.. Points of course.. Ledges where points fall off.. Offshore on the main lake down around marker three.. That ledge runs for two miles more or less and it has a lot of ins and outs.

Main lake rock piles are also starting to produce some fish. Some of the mainlake rock piles are starting to pop out of the water from Pierces south.

We did not flip a tree on Sunday, and we concentrated on rocky stuff like I have been talking about. If you do the same you will catch fish.

Crankbaits were still best.. We did catch some on shakey heads.. And as a matter of fact I caught two and a half fish out of a brushpile.. I said two and a half cause I broke what I am sure was the best one on the hookset.. I guess I just don't know my own strength.. Either that or I'm too stupid to retie once in a while..

But we flipped no standing timber..

The Spro in a mid diver. Either the Rock Crawler or the 50 series that runs about ten feet will get you bit.

I've got a couple of favorite colors working.. Stop in and I'll show you what I am using..

Also a 1.5 or a 2.5 square bill will work as well. A senko on the shakey is a good idea.

Of course I have sold a plethora of different baits as of late. When the fish are biting, most anything will work.

Only complaint is that not a lot of big fish are being caught. Next time I go out I am going to fish deeper and more open water.. If the wind allows.

Supposed to be a hot Mo-Fo the next two days.. But nice temps return on Friday and thru the weekend..

If you're coming this way, bring a four wheel drive vehicle.. You may not need it. But you just may..

Happy Mothers Day to all you Mothers!

See you soon I hope..

April 30, 2024: Another month gone, and with it about seven feet of water.. So much for a light irrigation season..

The Mexicans are the ones releasing 90% of the water.. Like there is plenty to go around.. I guess that truly the American farmers are not getting much..

Sounds about right.. Mexico does whatever it wants.. And we don't do shit.. I guess when we're all walking down to the river, or whatever is left of it, to get a tin cup of water to drink, they might stop and ask, "What happened?"

With very little reserves in Amistad, If we don't have a good summer rain event or two it's gonna get serious.. If it ain't already..

On a lighter note, the falling water has pulled a shit load of fish out of the brush. We knew they were in there, but it has been hard to get to em.. Well it ain't now.

The shad are up on the rocks, and the fish are right there with em.. Lots of em.. Numbers are like we have not seen in years.

And water I fished a month ago, and couldn't get a sniff, is now full of fish. Biting fish.

About three weeks ago, (water about four feet higher) I fished some of my favorite spots in the Tigers.. Not a bite. Yesterday we caught thirty in there in a quarter mile square.. It is hard to believe the difference.

Me and a buddy had about forty fish, give or take, and were back here at the shop before two O'clock. Yes I did fuck off yesterday.. Well most of the day..

Best fish was a 6.5, and we had several over three. And I jumped off several on a crankbait that you'da swore were kites if they had a rag tail hanging off their ass.. Jumpin' sons-a-bitches..

Plus the fact that most of our fish were on crankbaits.. How can a twelve incher get all six hooks stuck in em and big ones have one hook hanging on a thread of skin. Frickin witchcraft..

And BTW, the biggest fish came off a hardwood in about eight feet of water.. There are actually some fish on wood.. Get back on a creek channel edge and concentrate on on the denser woods, multi trunked trees, in about seven to eight feet of water.. The good stuff..

Other reports have been good as well, including last weekends PoBoy tourney.. Decent numbers and some good sacks were caught.

And yesterday Matt Reed and his clients had 102 fish for the day..

You starting to get the picture?

Granted a lot of these fish are under fifteen inches long. But they've mean and fun, and if my cork goes under I'm gonna jerk..

Also the white bass are everywhere.. We left a couple of areas because they were so thick.

Crankbaits are catching the most numbers, but a shakey head with a senko on it will also get you bit.

Jay Grieshaw was telling me that he has gone to a bigger, fatter plastic to fend off the small fish.. He likes the Mag U-Vibe worm right now. The tail on that thing shares like a ten dollar hooker..

Launching at the state park is easily done, but we are back to the butterfly ramp, (and I use the term ramp loosely) or out on the end of the ditch from the concrete ramp.. Four wheel drive is a plus..

And you'll be glad to hear that they are top coating the parking lot and the roads in the state park.. Guess the state has a lot of money to spend.. Too bad they can't put in a fuckin' low water ramp when the water is down..

I know for a fact that they scare off a lot of visitors because we have to launch on the bank.. Lots of folks don't have four wheel drive and they won't go to the park for fear of getting stuck.. Can't blame them..

We're still on concrete here in the Veleno.. Also at this writing the old bridge is out of the water by more than a foot.. If you hit it, it's on you.. Run right beside the west end of the bridge on your way out..

Looks like they will be putting in a floating barrier down in front of the gates at the dam. Last year they poured some giant footings up near the top of the dam.. I'm sure they are for anchoring the ends. They have some giant buoys on the bank in Government cove.. And I imagine they will be put in before too long.

How do I know? Well it ain't because of a news release from IBWC.. They say less than Jimmy Hoffa..

It's just pure conjecture on my part..

Well I've told you what I know.. If you like to catch fish then get your ass down here..

I don't say that all the time.. See you on the water.. And this time I mean it..

April 22, 2024: Winter paid us what I hope will be it's last visit yesterday, as we never got above 60°, and the cool temps were accompanied by drizzle and light wind all day. Not what you'd expect for the middle of April.. But it is Texas and things change around here all the time..

Speaking of changing, the water level is changing for the worse in an alarming way.. We have been dropping about three inches a day, and it doesn't take a genius to figure that math.. That's a foot and a half a week. And that has been happening for several weeks.

We have dropped to 263.68, or 37.52 low. That's down almost four feet since the middle of last month. So much for people telling me they were going to really cut back on irrigation water this year..

The concrete ramp at the state park is no longer functional. Most folks are putting in at the end of the ditch going out from the concrete ramp.. Not an issue, but it is disappointing. I am sure the butterfly ramp is probably useable, and it will get better with a bit more water loss.

The county ramp here in Zapata is still fine, but you best steer clear of the old bridge here in the Veleno. It is only about six inches below the waters surface. Most definitely in the kill zone.. If you don't know, ask!

On a different and better note, the dropping water has pulled a lot of fish out of the jungle, and catching numbers of fish has improved greatly. I have heard lots of reports of numbers in the mid twenties, with a lot of those fish being smaller, and even some fish being caught that are this years hatch.. Little fish.

On Saturday the Laredo tourney circuit kicked off its season, and I hear they had about twenty seven teams on the water. And it was not a bad day to fish. The wind has backed off a bit the last several days.

Twenty eight something won it, and second place finishers had twenty three, and third had twenty one something. Big bass was a six plus..

Not stellar but not a bust either..

PAW was down here last week, doing their shocking survey. And they did not find a overly large population of small fish. One of the guys that as been doing this for years said there were more big fish brought up than he'd seen in years..

Biggest they floated was a nine plus, but numbers of fives and sixes were way up compared to the last several years.

You have to remember that shocking is not an exact science.. But it gives you an idea of what is going on.. It rarely surprises to see the results, but I thought they would find more small fish. My theory is they are still back in the thicket where you can't get to them..

What they also reported, were inordinate amounts of shad. Gobs of em.. That doesn't surprise me. If you have been on the water this will cone as no surprise to you either.. They are lousy..

The forage in the lake right now is as good as I have ever seen it. Also so many tilapia you can't stir em with a stick.

So when you are fishing you have a lot of competition.. Your bait might not seem as appealing as the real deal.

A lot of fish are pulling out on secondary and main lake points. Or certainly points in big bays. A Texas rigged bait on the sloping points and ledges are where the most fish are being caught. And being the fish are moving out to rock, crankbaits are finally starting to take some fish. The flipping bite in the bushes has slowed from most reports.

And while I am thinking about it, I am going to try and enlist your help in the not too distant future. PAW will be doing their annual stocking here pretty quick, but not as early as usual.. Near the end of May or early June we should be getting some fish. Too early to tell how many. The fish we are getting have not been born yet.

The fish they stock are thirty days old, give or take a few days. I will let you know as far in advance as I can on a target date.. So if you can help scatter fish out it would be a great help.. Stay tuned..

This weekend the Po' Boys tournament will be taking place here on Falcon. It's not an open tourney but a group of fellows that have been getting together for over forty years. They should have about twenty boats on the water. And a mixture of white and black bass are weighed in their contest.. Be interesting to see what happens..

The white bass have been stacked up near the dam..

BTW the PAW boys shocked up a shitload of em down south.. Jigging spoons.. Crappie jigs.. Easy to find and there is some schooling activity going on..

PAW did not shock up one crappie.. Confirms what we already knew.. I hope there are enough the the netters didn't get to rebuild the population.. We'll see.. BTW, PAW does not stock crappie..

I still have not heard a definitive report saying that repairs are imminent on the dam at Amistad. If you have heard any rumors let me know.. IBWC is not the most forthcoming with information.. WTF?

And they are doing such a good job they were recently given a giant increase in their funding.. Like up from 65 million a year to 156 million.. Some of that money is earmarked to fix a Mexican sewer problem on the California border.

How bout cutting off water from the Colorado till they give us the water they owe us from the last who knows how many years.. It's ridiculous. Spineless.. Politicians. All talk. No action..

Speaking of government waste.. How about the bombshell report, that just possibly, NPR is left leaning in their broadcasting.. No shit..

If you didn't know that, then you have never heard a single utterance from them.. Or you're just plain a dumb ass..

National Propaganda Radio.. That's a lot closer.. More of your tax dollars at work.. If they had a viable product, it would pay for itself.. Like any other business. Air America didn't fall on its ass for no reason.. It's hard to sell bullshit..

And in the latest from the White House, a travel advisory has been issued for Papua New Guinea. Seems that you are likely to be eaten by cannibals if you visit there.. Especially if you arrive by air..

At least that is the report from our C in C.. I would think that Bill Clinton got eaten more than Joe's uncle..

And he lived to tell about it..

Well enough about being eaten.. Get down here and see if you can get your worm eaten..

And even if you don't, you're bound to be able to make up a more credible story than the aforementioned..

See you on the water!

April 15, 2024: Webster defines wind as the perceptible movement of the air around you.. I got some other words to to describe it.. Most of them are not acceptable pleasant conversation..

Well, unless you are in Falcon Lake Tackle and are sharing in the misery of the last ten days. I didn't learn any new foul language, but I have heard plenty of words that were not exactly complementary to ol' Mother Nature..

Driving any mechanical conveyance, short of a bulldozer, on land or sea, has been an interesting proposition..

So that has kept most folks from putting a boat in the water.

Yesterday was fishable, but you had to want to do it.. Somewhere in the near future I'd like to see a Sunday forecast say: Sunny with a SW winds from six to ten MPH. I'll keep hoping..

There was a little benefit tournament on Saturday, but only 10-12 boats participated. I am sure the wind kept most people at home. And from what I hear most of the lake was basically unfishable.

Just over twenty pounds won it I hear. No giants were weighed. But decent numbers were caught.

Speaking of tournaments.. There is a series scheduled to come to Falcon this summer.. And while I am not a big fan of summer tournaments, due to the tough nature of keeping fish alive in mid eighties water, it will be nice to see a few tournaments return to Zapata.

The series is going to be called the South Texas Shootout.. Planned are five tournaments on Falcon and five on Amistad. Starting on June 22 here at Falcon. With a championship scheduled for the spring. Contact and more info are to be found on Facebook..

I'm sure there will be much more info as time gets closer..

PAW is headed here today to do some shocking, and I am interested to see what their results will be. We should see a good number of juvenile fish in the mix. This years spawn had the best potential for a big year class that we have had in years. We'll see if their survey indicates the same.

Shocking is hardly an exact science, but it is the best thing we got..

The lake is dropping pretty hard, and we have lost 20" of water in the last thirty days. And we are still letting it out at a pretty good pace.

But it does have the fish a little more cooperative it appears. Numbers have improved considerably in the last month.

Some fish have finally moved out on some points and secondary points in the mouths of big creeks. But flipping a senko into the willows is still about as good as anything going.

A shakey head and a Texas rigged plastic on those tapering points are catching some fish. A lot of the fish out there are smaller sized. But a good one is mixed in once in a while.

Some crankbait fish have been reported.. But it is not the "go to" I hear.

Most of the Winter Texans have headed back north, and most of then should have gotten good gas mileage with the big southerly winds. There are a few more headed out this week, and with that the lake will basically be deserted during the week. Good for you.. Plenty of elbow room out there..

Ramps on both ends of the lake are still on concrete. But at the current release rates, the state park ramp will be out of service in about ten days.. Best guess..

And by the same token, the old Veleno bridge will be back in the danger zone about the same time.

Stay tuned..

Fishing is still pretty decent, not great.. But not too many fishermen to ask. Maybe if the wind ever subsides I'll have more answers..

Come on down. We got plenty room for you!

April 4, 2024: Well as we roll into the fourth month of the year, which really doesn't seem possible, things are picking up around here in the catching department. Decent numbers of bass are being caught.. If you know what to look for.

Water temps are consistently in the middle seventies range, and that is normally in the range where the fish bite consistently. And they don't mind it hotter down here.. And I am sure that is coming.

There is literally no one on the lake this week. High winds have kept the few remaining snowbirds off the water, and folks that live here full time, well, we'll just wait for a better stretch.

But those that have ventured out, have had better results than in the last few weeks.

And if you're headed this way, you better have your flippin stick at the ready.

Most fish are being caught in six to eight feet of water, mostly still in the willow trees, and mostly still on a senko or a bait very similar.

There are also a few fish being caught on smaller spinnerbaits.

That's the bushes and trees report.

And there are a few fish starting to show up on rocky points and drop offs, still close to the dense cover in the shallows.. Open water rocks are not producing a lot of fish.

Big fish are on holiday, as I have not heard of many fish over five pounds being caught.

But it is currently possible to catch twenty fish or more if you are fishing the right cover. Now granted, that is getting out there and getting after it.. Not all folks are having the same results.

It has been a while since the flipping bite was the "go-to" technique around here.. Finally shit starting to swing my way..

Remember the days when you would flip whatever bait in the bushes or trees, and Whang! they'd nearly knock the rod out of your hands?

Well that shit ain't happening.. These fish are just getting ahold of the bait, and putting a little pressure on your line.. Or maybe moving it a little. Rarely are they whacking the crap out of it..

You need to be on your toes and be a line watcher.. And line a little lighter, say seventeen, will get you a few more bites and a little better feel.

Most of the better fishing is STILL down south.. There are finally a few fish being reported from the Tigers, which is something I have not said in quite a while.

And maybe like blood poisoning the better fishing will spread up the vein of the Rio Grande towards Zapata.. Cause fishing on this end of the lake still sucks.. I would still not start north of Pierces if I put in up here..

And Pierces has been a disappointment to me for the last three years. One of my favorites.. I have every rock in there named.. But evidently they have forgotten mine.

The catfishing this spring has been absolutely phenomenal. And still is very good. Big fish.. Big numbers of fish.. And easy to catch fish. All over the lake.. If you're fishing for a trophy, or just a basket full of eaters, you chances are excellent.

The Crappie are still non-existent.. My only explanation is that the Mexican netters, while un-abated last summer for months, did major damage to the population, and basically destroyed a fantastic fishery.

No doubt plenty were taken by American fishermen as well.. Some to the point of gluttony.. But the catching was still good before the invasion of netters last summer. Hence my theory on the crappies demise.

White bass numbers appear to be down, and very little schooling activity has been seen.. There are still some around, and I am sure the netters in the river caught a lot of them during the spawn as they headed up the river. But all in all, those that chased the them, did pretty well this year.. Especially those fishing off the bank below the rapids in the river near San Ygnacio.

It is a little early yet to see the giant schools on top, back at the south end of the lake which is common in summer. We'll see..

There is still a bit of a shad spawn going on, although it is sometimes hard to observe, as they can be back in the thickets. They are still easy to catch in a cast net, and the catfishermen are making short work of catching bait.

The Veleno is also full of them. You'd think there'd be a few bass up here eating them. Not..

On the weekend of the 27th, there is actually going to be a bass tournament here. The Po' Boys fishing tournament is going to be held on Falcon for the first time in four years. So it will be a little busier that weekend. This is a group of about forty associates that have a once a year contest.. It's all about good times, good cookin, and of course bragging rights.. They have been at Amistad for the last three years cause we had no water to speak of.. Welcome Back

I saw a national news story yesterday crawl across the web.. About how Mexico owes us a shit ton of water and will never comply with the international water treaty between the two countries.

Several state reps and a couple of congressmen were moaning about the situation.. While all of us who depend on the Rio Grande for a living are left holding the sieve..

You know this is one of my hot buttons.. The gutless bastards in our government will evidently do nothing to enforce or persuade the Mexicans to live up to their agreement. One that has us constantly letting water out of the Colorado to them.. And getting nothing in return.

We are the stupidest nation on earth..

We are like that co-dependent child that keeps doing everything that our joined at the hip partners demand, expecting something in return.. And it never happens..

And we don't learn..

There are so many measures we could take, but we won't .. Because we are pussies.. We wouldn't want to piss them off or offend them.. While they shit all over us passing the dregs of the world thru their country and into ours..

But don't forget that these are good neighbors and partners..What a crock of shit..

And there in NO ONE to blame but ourselves. Our national government.

What is the end game here? Can anyone really tell me? Is this allowance of mass invasion really just a ploy to acquire more voters for the Democrats?

Is the quest for power really that strong that you would destroy the fabric of what has made our country so great.

Do you feel that guilty, that people from other countries don't have it as good as we do? Maybe the people from other countries haven't put in the work necessary to to pull their shit hole out of the gutter..

I read this week that someone said America is not "Magic Soil" and this country did not just spring up by accident.. And I believe nothing is truer.

Over two century's of sacrifice and hard work by millions.. And now we are witnessing a preplanned and programmed destruction of our nation..

I'm not sure what it is going to take to get us back on the right track..

But I can guarantee you that the current administration is not going to get us there.. And I can also assure you that they have no intention of trying..

Pray for our country.. Like your way of life depends on it..

Cause it does..

March 27, 2024: Not a lot has changed around here, with the fishing or the lake level. We are sitting at 268.39, or 32.81 feet low. Up just a tad since I last wrote.

And while about thirty three low sounds bad, it's heck of an improvement since this time last year, when we were sitting at about 259.. That's an improvement of over nine feet. And that nine feet makes all the difference in the world when it comes to access, and maneuverability..

Concrete ramps on both ends of the lake.. Four or five wide here in the Veleno.. Still just the center ramp at the state park. But it's all good.

Speaking of the ramp in the state park.. I hear there are hundreds of four to five inch bass swimming around in the ditch on the way out of it. And there is no doubt we have baby bass all over the lake. This should be the best year class we have had in years. Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. But then I am a very sensitive guy..

All that being said, the fishing remains pretty spotty, with most folks complaining more than bragging. The fish are scattered all over hell's half acre, and finding concentrations of them has been tough.

UCBC was in town last weekend, and their results were about the average. Only one five fish limit was weighed in in two days of fishing. There were a lot of onsies-twosies, and some zero's as well.

In their defense, Sunday was about as windy as Biden on a terror, and fishing any open water made about as much sense.

Rhonda Kosub caught the big fish of the event.. Didn't get the weight.

Nice hat, BTW...

Wind has been a factor as of late, and we had a few days last week that it was rainy and just plain nasty. We did get 2.25 inches of rain over the spell of precipitation. Every thing is green and the senisas are blooming.

Most fish are still in about six to eight of water. One would think that these post spawn fish would move out to some deeper secondary points and onto some rock.. No such luck..

Most of the bait is still shallow, and the shad are still spawning on the edges of brush, and on some shallow rocky banks.. If you can get to any.. Under any normal circumstances one would think you could whack em on a squarebill or a spinnerbait.. But it ain't been easy..

A senko or a finesse type of bait on a lightly weighted Texas rig is still the best.. Rage Craws are still catching a few. And a chatterbait or spinner should also be on the deck. Just gotta keep showing it to em..

Flipping the willows and thorn bushes is still the best thing going..

Sunday was a windy SOB, but it was my day off, and dammit I was overdue to get on the water. So I decided that the Veleno was my only option, as my boat is only two hundred and fifty two inches long.

The water in the Veleno looks fabulous.. Stupendous.. Amazing.. Unfortunately it is also fishless.

I fished from behind Oso Blanco to the far reaches to the east a half mile beyond the Hwy 83 bridge. The cover looks perfect. Clear water slightly tea stained.. Every bush and tree known to south Texas.. I did see a gar..

Four hundred eighty six casts.. Zero fish. I been telling you there ain't no fish up on this end.. I hate it when I am right..

Here's a couple of pics you ain't seen lately.. Under the bridge, and then looking west from way up the creek..

The entire lake looks like this.. A veritable jungle of flooded fauna that is harder to penetrate than a ... Oh heck. Still Lent..

Speaking of Lent, only four days of it left. And I hope you will take the time to reflect a bit on the meaning of the day.

All of us are leaving this life one day, and it is up to you to decide on which terms your exit is undertaken. (Pun intended)

The only way to the Father is thru his Son, Jesus.. And even if you don't think so, you do still have time.. But it is a decision you have to make.

It has been my honor to share faith and friendship (Along with a bunch of fishing lies) with thousands of you who have come thru my door. And I hope to greet you again one day, whether you or I are passing thru that final door.. Of course depending on which one of us gets there first will ascertain which side of the door we are on respectively..

Ok.. Off the box..

I hope to see you pass thru my front door before to long.. Maybe you can figure these fish out..

March 18, 2034: It has been a while since I wrote, and I'm not making excuses, but I have been a little busy. Some here at the shop and some peripheral stuff.. There is always something to be tended to.

And truth of the matter is that a not a whole lot of things have changed. Fishing is still a bit of a crapshoot.. Yes there have been some good fish caught, but there have been a lot of man hours invested in catching them..

It is still not uncommon to hear of folks with two fish caught in an outing.. Of course there are still reports of better, but it is not common to hear of numbers of a dozen or more.. A few, but not many..

One thing that I can report that has changed, is that a senko seems to be working as good or better than anything else..

And that senko should be soaked in the bushes in about six feet of water.. It is a flipping bite for the most part, and I am not saying a different bait won't work. But a senko has been the preferred bait as of late..

The shad spawn is underway, and I really figured the smaller fish would be up there piggin out.. And they may be.. But it has not greatly improved the catch numbers. But shad are thick in a lot of areas on the outside brush lines.. And I am sure they are back in there along the banks.. But it is hard to get there as the cover is so dense..

I have talked to a dozen people that have fished offshore rock. Points.. Secondary points.. Rock ridges and humps..

Not happening...

All the fish are inside ten feet of water..

I'm sure you are thinking, "James .. You're out of your freakin mind if you think all the fish are in less than ten feet of water.."

Well it wouldn't be the first time somebody told me I'm nuts..

I not gonna say that if you fish all day you won't catch a fish out there. But you might not..

With today's electronics it is easy to tell where the fish are. And they ain't deep..

Tilapia are everywhere.. The locals are cast netting up a shitload..

Catfish are still biting good.. They are still shallow for the most part as well.

The Veleno is full of em.. So is the river and just off the river channel down to marker eight.

Crappie are still nonexistent..

White bass are spotty. You might find them anywhere.. Or not.

The game wardens have continued their assault on illegal netting.. The are still picking up gill nets and hoop nets regularly. But the netters must have gotten the memo.. There are very few nets on the Texas side..

Thanks for the labor boys.. I know it is tough work.. But it looks like yall have em beat back pretty good.. Keep it up..

We have gotten over two inches of rain in the last three days.. And rain that came down in a hurry.. Saturday nights midnight event was pretty wild.. Constant light show for about 45 minutes.. And a couple of close shots that nobody could have slept through..

And with that we have gone back to rising just a bit, and as I type we are sitting at 268.28

That puts the old Veleno bridge at almost five feet under the waters surface. So I am sure you can motor over it with no problems.. The top of the bridge rails are at 263.45 +-. Put that number somewhere you can find it.. But I would be happy if we don't have to worry about it for a while..

State park and county ramps are working beautifully.. Beacon's ramp is also back in use. If you wanted to launch up top.. But there ain't no bass up here.. Catfish yes..

Who knows where we'll end up and when.. Too many variables to make a guess..

Thirteen days till Easter..

Hope to see you here.. And holler if I can help you with anything..

March 7, 2024: The lake has about topped out, and we are sitting just under 268, but should hit that by days end.. There ain't a lot more in the pipe..

Because as of last Saturday, Amistad drastically reduced the releases from their dam. I suppose they have got the lake down to where they want it to start repairs on the dam..

Or did they? Or are they going to get going on the repairs.. It would be nice if they announced their plans.. There wasn't this much secrecy prior to the Normandy Invasion..

In any case, Falcon is stabilizing, and that just might be good for the fishing, as these fish are never too happy with rising lake levels.. I don't think they know what's good for them..

We are seeing more and more spawned out fish, but there are still a lot of fish, still carrying eggs according to a lot of reports.

So we ain't totally headed into the post spawn patterns just yet.. But these bitches should be coming out of the thicket hungry and mean.

And what a thicket it is.. I ain't seen this much bush since I saw Debbie Does Dallas..

And it takes a man with a strong constitution to get in there amongst em' and do combat.. Metaphorically speaking.

We shall fight them on the beaches.. We shall fight them in the bushes.. We will fight them in the hardwoods..

We shall never surrender..

Shout out to W.C. ... Although in my purview, it could be Fields or Churchill..

A lot of fish are being caught on the outer edge of the bushes, or around water that is six or so feet deep.. On any given day, they might be up or out a bit, but that is a good place to start..

Hardwoods on the outer edges are also something that should not be ignored. Stands of willow trees are a really good place to give your worm a good soaking.

Senkos have gotten a lot more popular this week. With the fishermen anyway. So I assume the fish are liking them as well. A Rage Craw in W/M Red or Falcon Lake Craw are also good choices.

A six inch lizard has caught a lot of fish as well.

And in moving baits, the chatterbait and spinnerbait are still tops.

I spoke to a feller I know this morning and he said he fished about four hours in Goose Bay yesterday. And caught two fish.. One was an eight and one was a six.. On a spinnerbait.. Near bushes.. Go figure..

Best reported fishing is still south of Tigers, but I am hearing of more and more fish coming from the the Three Armed Monster..

Before very long, the shad spawn will be in full bloom.. And normally they like getting in about one inch of water on windy, gravel covered points and beaches. When the egrets are lined up along the bank pigging out about a foot apart, you know it is a good place to start..

Kinda looks like the hosts of The View, when the green flag drops for the buffet at the Golden Corral..

Corral.. Somehow I see that as funny. And maybe even fitting..

But I digress..

The state park ramp is is doing what it was designed to do.. Launching boats.. BFT.. Water is about four feet deep off the end of it so no sweat..

The Zapata ramp is working four wide.. But it has not been that busy..

The Veleno bridge should be about four feet under the water.. But I don't trust it yet and I am still running west of it.. It's a good habit to get into..

I fished the Veleno and Pierces on Sunday, about two hours each.. It sucked for me. But I wanted to check them out.. I keep hearing reports of some fish in the Veleno.. But it did not work.. It looks awesome.. But so does the entire lake..

There is no doubt that the fish are scattered.. But when you catch one, beat up that area a bit.. They seem to group up a little on occasion.

The water is clearing up some on the top of the lake, and all this vegetation, and a slowing river should allow that to continue. But I think it will take a bit to repopulate the top half of the lake. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Get down here if you have a chance.. And we'll see you when we do..

February 27, 2024:

Down the river, the water flows, into the creeks, where the huisache grows.

Covering the grass, and flooding the trees, there's brush in the water, way out past your knees..

It's way past your hips, and up to your chest, if you like flipping hardwoods, then this is the best.

The cover's so thick, you cain't hardly fish thru it, but if you're like me, then you're gonna do it.

You better bring tackle, that's up to the task, what's that bout a fairy wand?, don't even ask..

It's better than us folks, have seen in years, and when one breaks you off, it's gonna bring tears..

So pull up your panties, and come try your luck, cause sitting at home, ain't worth a...

Almost forgot.. It's still Lent..

Well that's enough of that shit.. But one of these days I'm going to do the entire report in iambic pentameter..

The lake is still rising, and right now we are sitting at 266.77, and that's calculated to 34.43 feet low..

Yeah that's still low, but compared to what we have become accustomed to, it's fantastic. As a matter of fact, we have not been at this level since September of 2023.. Which wasn't really that long ago.. But that level was short lived back then and the years before it were lower for a long time..

It's refreshing to see water under the highway bridge across the Veleno. In short, the lake looks awesome..

I have three old Waterloo scrape rods in a rack in my garage.. I might have to break em back out.. Long as a pool cue and a half, with about the same amount of flex.. The ultimate bass removing machine..

I remember 2009 when I had 65 pound braid on everything.. Yessir it was full contact bassin'. We might be headed back there..

Fishing has been great, or so-so, depending on who you ask.. It is still not knock em out John.. But some days, some folks knock em out.

Best baits are still moving baits from the sound of it, but the flipping bite is coming around.

A chatterbait has caught a lot of big fish.. Probably more than most. A spinner bait will work, but the swimjig bite seems to be tapering off.. Haven't heard a thing about a crankbait.. Course you really can't fish one where most of the fish are..

As you G&R fans would appreciate, "Welcome to the Jungle.."

As far as flipping and worming goes, lizards, flukes, senkos, and rage craws are some of the best..

The vast majority of these fish have still not spawned.. I have seen pics of damn few fish that have done it, and I have seen a lot of pics of big fish as of late. And not many folks have told me they caught a spawned out fish either..

Maybe the rising water has em messed up.. But water temps are starting out low to mid sixties, and ending up at almost seventy. It should be going on.. And I am sure some are doing it as we speak...

Most of the action, and boats, are on the Texas side, south of Tigers.. And while Tigers is putting out a few fish, that's not where I'd send you..

Lots of boats in town last weekend, including a couple of San Antonio clubs.

Big bass in the Alamo club was this 11.52 caught by Susan..

Several other big fish were caught as well with a few six to nine pound fish.. Not everybody caught em.

In the SAPD club they had 13 anglers fish. 32.47 was heavy two day stringer, of ten fish. (Russell Kessler)

The club caught seven fish over seven pounds, with two of those right at nine..

Thanks JB3 for the report.

Last week Hunter Chaney caught his personal best with this nice 6.4.. Falcon is always kind to the young-uns..

Meanwhile, we have seen more folks in town than we have in years. And thanks to all of you who have stopped in. I hope I steered you in the right direction.

And if you paid attention to the background in these two pictures, and I am sure you have, you can see what we are fishing in..

So come prepared..

Hope to see you soon!

P.S. Another post without the F word.. Only thirty three days to go.. :-)

February 20, 2024: Last time I wrote, I was talking about the weather being as fickle as a seven at a dance hall, with three hours to go before closing time.. Just damn hard to make a commitment that early..

And Mother Nature, being female and all, has had a hard time making a commitment to spring.. What you Yankees might call summer..

We are supposed to be in the middle and upper eighties all week, with a full moon only a few days away. And it looks like the weather and the calendar has given a bunch of fishermen a big ol boner, as a lot of folks showed up over the last weekend. Kept me on my feet all day.. I'm getting too old for this shit.

In any case, the weather we talked about brought cold and rain back to Zapata for three days, and Sunday and Monday night bottomed out right at forty degrees. Also to complicate matters, we had two days of clouds and rain, which resulted in water temps yesterday in the upper fifties, barely climbing into the low sixties in the afternoon.. And only in shallow backwaters..

Which resulted in few bites for most folks. Five to eight fish was the majority of reports, but some folks did not get a sniff.. Of course there were a few really nice fish caught. And there are every day.

Lately I have seen more sixes, sevens, eights, nines, and tens, than a forty five year old hooker in Vegas.

Quality fish, but not a big number of bites. But if I was a betting man, I'd bet the next seven to ten days are going to be something better..

Right before the cold front, Bill Cirone caught this 10-2.

And yesterday I heard of several six to eight pounders, but not any whoppers.. Of course there is always the story of the ones that got away.. Got a few of my own..

Swimbaits, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits are all very popular right now. And believe it or not there have been some flipping fish in the hardwoods. If you find a likely looking patch of trees on a creek channel edge leading to the shallow waters, you might want to check it out. Throw a fluke or a brush hog or for God's sake pitch an Ol Monster in there. Liable to get an arm broke..

Here's a hypothetical for you..

Amistad continues to release water at a pretty good clip, for a reason that is yet to be divulged.. Every year we hear the same rumors about, "They are going to be doing repairs to the dam."

But as I have said in the past, one would think that a news release would come out about the project, describing what the water levels might be dropped to, the scope of the work, and an estimate of how long it is estimated to take.

It would be nice if businesses in Del Rio could plan on how to deal with basically a river instead of a lake. If that indeed is what is going to happen.

And right now there are murmurs to that effect. Is it true or not? I don't know. And I don't plan on receiving a phone call from anyone in authority giving me the skinny..

But here's the Hypo..

Last week we got wet from Zapata all the way to Brownsville.. Lots of places we irrigate got two to four inches of rain. That should keep releases from Falcon at a minimum for approximately three weeks to a month, and maybe longer if we get more precip..

If Amistad is truly going to drop another twelve feet, plus or minus, I estimate that it would get us another seven to nine feet higher.. And that would put us in the 273 or 274 range.. Somewhere we have not been since about April of 2019.. That's five years, mas o menos..

And the next ten feet of water has a thicker bush that a seventies Playmate..

And here's a little more hypo.. If they are working on the dam at Amistad for a couple of years, we would be holding the water that would normally be shared between the two lakes, albeit we certainly have not had two lake worths of water in the last ten years..

This, of course, thinking practically, one would assume that they would not let Amistad come back up above whatever they drop it to while repairs are being done..

Now DO NOT take any of the above as Gospel.. Which normally you can do with my writing..

This is purely speculation and conjecture..

But if Joe Biden could be president for four years... Well anything is a possibility..

Lent is underway, and I have given up using the "F" word for forty days..

I decided to put $5 in a swear jar every time I'd slip up and use it..

So far I haven't decided if I want the King Ranch or if the Lariat will do..

Old habits are hard to break. And it appears that our government can't seem to break any either.. Probably developing a set of new ones as I speak.

I have not written about much of anything political in a while, And when I do, I am sure I am just preaching to the choir for the most part.. But a lot of this shit is really stretching the boundaries of believability.

But I'll leave you with this.. You DO KNOW, that the fates of billions of people on the planet, who basically only want to be left alone, and be given opportunity to do as they will, within reasonable limits of law, are held in the hands of less than 200 people..

Which group do you think is the problem?

P.S. We are back on the concrete ramp at the state park!

February 8, 2024: The weather this time of year can certainly be volatile.. With more mood swings than a girlfriend with manic tendencies during a bout of PMS..

And the last week has had wind direction tantrums ranging from north to south and back again, and subtlety was not involved.. And you really had to be mad at em to fish the last two days, but today is fairly calm with temps heading into the seventies.. Although we started out right at 40° this morning.

Water temps are still not locked into the middle sixties. It might get there during the afternoon, but it is not starting out there in the mornings. And surface temps are varying by five degrees, depending on where you are at.

Of course there is the possibility that not all machines read it the same.. My front and back machines have been arguing over one degree for years.. Of course they are married, so what would one expect.

The lake is still on the rise, but I see this morning they have slowed releases from Amistad, and projections on NOAA's site show a decrease for the near future. However there is enough water in the river to bring us up close to another foot by the time this flow finishes getting here.

And as we sit it is possible that we may, repeat may, get on the concrete ramp down at the state park. Hard to say if they will open the ramp as it will be marginal, with the water I predict will get here. We'll see.

But more importantly, we have a very good chance for rain Thursday thru Saturday. At least that is what the predictions are. And I don't give a shit if it rains a drop from the dam north.. I want it to rain from the dam all the way to the gulf. And it needs to be somewhat significant, so we can get the ground wet enough down south to keep them from irrigating, which is what usually happens right about this time every year.

We have fish spawning in the newly flooded grass and sticks, and there is very good cover for the fry, if we can keep the water on the weeds. So if you're the praying type, ask the Lord to send the valley a good soaking..

They need it.. And so do we..

The lake looks absolutely fabulous on the south end.. The top end looks good as well, but we have a lot more color in the water up north.. Mostly due to the current with the water from Amistad. Which the catfish are loving, still..

And while I'm thinking about it.. The old Veleno bridge is now back under water, just at the right depth to sheer your lower unit clean off. You need to run twenty yards west of the westernmost marker on your way out of the Veleno.

If you are headed here for the first time, stop in here and let me explain exactly what I'm talking about.. You do not want to join the many who have made this mistake..

There have been a shit load of nice fish caught in the last week. Five to seven pound fish are pretty common, and there have been several nines, and an eleven caught on Saturday that I saw pictures of.

Fishing the flooded grass has been method one, but more fish are starting to come from scattered woods.. From what I hear, repeated flips to likely looking hardwoods can provide some good results. Beat the bark off of em..

A craw imitator is a good choice, but your favorite flipping bait will probably work.. Fish em slow..

Back in those flooded weeds, a spinnerbait is as good as it gets I hear. Followed by a chatterbait or swim jig.

White appears to be a good choice, and a buddy of mine is sold on a single big Colorado thumper blade.. Your results may vary. But I also heard reports of a Boo-Ya double willow in white doing good..

I think what it boils down to is that you have to get out there and show it to em.. And certainly the young hard-dicks that have been out there and busted it, have had really good results.. But they ain't fuckin around, they are out there fishing hard.

There was also a group of fellows who ventured into the Salanaias.. And fished for two hours. And they reported the fish were spawning back in that creek as well.. And they were kicking their ass..

Until they were asked in a very unpleasant manner to get out of that creek.

I still do not advise fishing in that creek.. I have heard of no problems with any other areas on the lake. But certainly be on the lookout for nets on the Mexican side, if you must go there.. But then again, be on the lookout for nets on the Texas side as well. If you find one on the US side, call the game wardens or call me.

The wardens have confiscated five miles of net in the last six weeks. They have been busting their ass.. But evidently the risk is worth the reward for the netters.. And I will have to say that the nets I have seen are loaded with tilapia..

They also catch some game fish as well. But not a lot. Not that any is a good thing.

But when you see the wardens out there, thank them for their efforts.. Cause pulling nets all day is no picnic I assure you.

Here is a couple of fish that were caught by father and son while fishing with Jimmy Steed..

Willard Pease and son Westin, respectively.

Pretty good trip I'd say.. But there has been a lot of really nice fish as of late.. Better come get you some..

Last weekend I had a couple of my "Boys" from South Louisiana in town.. And as usual they bring some crawfish and some good times with em.. And when they gone I am wore out.. And in today's world, that's what $350 worth of crawfish looks like.. Holy Shit! Not sure I can blame this on Biden.. But might as well.. That's some real inflation!

Rocky and Tim spreadin the love..

Well, get out of the house and go fishing.. And if you want to, we got plenty room for you down here..

If you got any questions, give me a call.. I think next week after this weather passes might be really good..

I'm gonna go try em tomorrow for a bit, so if I don't answer, leave me a message.. I'll be back!

February 7, 2024: February has come and lit, and some folks are getting bit.. And sometimes when you set the hook , it'll make you yell, "Oh Shit.."

At least that has happened to several anglers recently..

We are not catching twenty fish a day.. Some folks are not catching eight.. But the chance at a really good fish are very decent if you get out there and show it to em.

Yesterday there were several nines caught that I heard of.. Probably a dozen fives and sixes and a few between the two mixed in.

Quality fat fish on the verge of spawning..

Water temps are around 63 to 67 in the late PM. Depending on your location. Most of the bigger fish are still coming from the Tigers south, in the backs of the creeks, fishing the flooded weeds and grass.

I am not hearing a lot of talk about rocks. But rocky banks, back in the creeks, with grass and vegetation mixed in are good. Any laydown, mixed in the weeds, or a standing hardwood standing in the same, are worth special attention.

If you did not catch a fish near a piece of timber on your moving bait, flip it with a soft plastic. Several times.. And pay attention with the soft baits because the bite can be very subtle.

I caught a fat three and a half yesterday off a laydown I had beat the bark off of with a chatterbait.. First flip with a Plum Ol Monster.. So give a good looking piece of cover some extra attention when you run into it.

Spinnerbaits were king yesterday I heard, and of course I never threw one.. Chatterbaits are still catching fish as well, along with some swim jigs.We are fishing pretty thick weeds and you need to throw something you can get back..

I'm talking about getting back in the creeks,, You can't go too far. Most all of these fish are coming out of knee deep water.. Any pocket or offshoot from the big creek can produce fish.

I have heard of some flipping fish off hardwoods on the creek edges, but it did not work for me yesterday.. And there is nothing I like better that flipping woods.. But it IS NOT the predominant pattern.. Cover water and keep chunkin.. It is very likely that something good is going to happen.

The lake is rising three inches a day.. All this water is coming out of Amistad.. And I have still not heard anything definitive about why they are releasing it. Of course rumors abound..

Yesterday was a wonderful day to fish. Bout eighty and light winds. Today it is trying to take the roof off the store.. But the coming three look really good.

Last weekend the Ingram Bass Club was in town.. And they got a good day on Saturday, but cancelled Sunday due to thirty plus MPH winds..

Seventeen and change won it on Saturday. There were several six and seven pounders caught, but no one boated a monster. And the water was about three degrees cooler back then. Big fish was caught on a chatterbait..

Here's a couple of pics from the last week.. Here's the Veleno bridge yesterday..

Note location of bouy.. This bridge will be under the water three days.. You do not want to hit it.. So stay about twenty yards to the west of this float and you'll be good.. The roadbed will be far enough under the water that you can't hit it.. don't go scraping the bank either..

First timer to Falcon, Robert Dembeck caught this PB yesterday at 9.56.. 3/8 white chatterbait.

And 92 year old Leo O., who has been fishing here for years, caught this 9-2 yesterday on a spinnerbait.

Jim Chaney also caught a 9-2 fishing with Tony Coatney a few days ago.

And earlier last week, Terry Butcher caught this pretty 10-14..

I have heard of a lot of four to seven pound fish the last week. All shallow.. The vast majority anyway.. If you can get down here for the next three days I would.. I ain't saying it is time to quit your job. But something good could happen..

Besides.. I took this pic of my ash tree yesterday.. This fucker thinks it is spring... And I'm good with that..

Hope to see you down here.

January 30, 2024: We're heading into February with a warming trend underway, after we froze our collective asses off the third week of January. I'm quite sure you did not like it any better than I did..

The fish did not care for that shit either.. And the water temps did not rebound enough by the full moon last Thursday to really make anything happen. And the cold and WIND returned on Friday and Saturday and made things almost un fishable..

But the wind laid and Sunday and yesterday saw much improved conditions and the bite improved right along with them.

Yesterday water temps warmed into the mid sixties on the surface, especially in areas back in the creeks, with the sun shining on it.

And numbers and size got a lot better.

Granted we are not catching thirty fish a day.. But it is coming.. Ten to high teens were reported by a few fishermen from yesterday. And mixed in were a few seven to eight pounders. And a story or two of the ones that got away.

My best guess is that the continued forecasted warm temps will only make things better and better.. This week looks good, but winds return on the weekend with a frontal passage. But it does not look to drop the temperatures too much.

So unless we get another chunk of arctic air down this far, things should really be picking up from here on out.

So look at your calendar.. Look at the weather.. And plan accordingly.. But we should have more and more fish moving up in the next week.

Best baits are still something you can swim thru the flooded weeds and light brush in the back of the creeks.. That is if you have committed to fishing the shallow water..

Swim jigs, chatterbaits, underspins, and spinnerbaits are a good choice..

This is the first year in a lot that we have had to deal with fish living in any type of cover that is not rock..

And as the water warms I am sure we will see some fish spawning on the gravely shallow areas as well.

And when the shad move up on the windblown banks and points, we will be back to the squarebill and lipless crankbaits. But that is most likely a month or more away.

The carp are in the shallows like crazy.. That's one sign of the coming spawn.. But the Huisache are far from blooming.. And when that happens, it'll be in full bloom as well..

The catfish are going crazy and a bunch of really big fish have been caught lately, including a new rod and reel record sixty-two pounder a couple of weeks ago. But everything from six to ten inchers on stink, bait to lots of good eating sized fish are being caught.. Shad is a good choice for bait.

The white bass are thick up the river, and in the river between the nine and eleven markers.. You can troll the channel with a trap or something shiny and catch a bunch. The locals are fishing in San Ygnacio off the bank and killing em..

Crappie are improving, and I am hearing of much better numbers than in the last few months.. You can't catch a limit off one brushpile, but you can catch ten or fifteen if you get after it..

The Game Wardens have been back on the water the last few days and they have pulled a ton of nets from the Texas side of the lake.. And confiscated at least one boat. I hear they have a small task force coming this week to concentrate on the illegal netting, and I applaud them for their work..

If you think it is easy pulling miles of nets out of the lake you're crazy.. And all the Falcon fishermen thank you for your labors..

We are getting a good amount of water from Amistad, and it is being released by Mexico. Why? Fuck if I know.. I have heard the same ol age ol story that they are going to be working on the Amistad dam.. But I ain't heard that from anyone in a position to actually know that it is going to happen.. And one would think, that if it was really going to happen, IBWC would put out a statement to that effect.

Of course I'd probably be the last one they'd tell. If any of you have heard anything about this water release let me know.. But for now I am just going with the theory that they are just moving irrigation water for the coming year.

Well it looks like the shit is hitting the fan up around Eagle Pass. And we have the beginning of what we call a good ol Mexican standoff..

We'll see who blinks first, but I say Go Governor Abbott.. Fuck them fuckin fuckers that are letting our state and country be over-run by an invasion sized bunch of motherfuckers..

We cain't take care of our own, much less a few million more tit suckin son of a bitches.

This shit would be funny if it weren't so sad.

Next time out I'm going to tell you about a few observations I have.

But here in Z-Town nothing has changed.. It's quieter than where you live and there is nothing going on here in Zapata border related.. Just like when you left it last..

Come see us and catch you some fish..

And as Tom Bodette would say, I'll leave the light on for you..

January 22, 2024: Ya know, after about a week of this wet, drizzly, cold, windy shit I start to get a case of the redass.. Until today we have had about seven out of eight days of it..

Yesterday and last night we did manage to get about 9/10ths of actual rain.. Something you could actually measure.. And the first real precipitation of the new year.. I made a big pot of stew and sat on my ass all day..

Some areas east and south of us got double that.. But we'll take it in any manner it comes. And as you can imagine, not many folks fished over the last few days.. Only last Thursday was actually fit for a human to be on the water.. And reports from that day were far less than stellar.

Water temps dropped into the fifties for about a three day period, and today with the sun back out, I'm sure we are back around sixty.

And with the next ten day forecast, I am hoping we will get somewhere in the mid sixties.. And it might happen quicker than I think.

The full moon is on Thursday, and I am not really sure if we will have enough time to get a lot of fish up by then.

But you can bet your ass that I (and a lot of other folks) will be in the backs of the creeks next time out.

Count Down to Ecstasy

Not only the name of a great Steely Dan album, but what we are in the middle or beginning of right now.

But the countdown is on..

And as soon as I get some reports in the next few days, I'll follow up with a report on the spawn's progress.

The lake is coming up a bit, but will probably level off in the next couple of days. But I'm talking a few inches from the low a couple of days ago.. The valley also got wet so hopefully no drawdown's in the next couple of weeks. Plus we have rain chances in the forecast this week.

We'll see what happens.. And you will know when I do..

January 18, 2024: I don't have to tell you it is cold outside.. And odds are that it is colder where you are than where I am. But it is all relative and it has been a cold stretch down here.

The last two mornings it has been in the low twenties and maybe a tad cooler for a few minutes at sunup. And that is just non-sequitur down here in Zapata. All of that red stuff in the thermometer seems to be bottled up in the thermometers scrotum.. And it won't venture out..

And I ain't feeling too much different.

Kinda like me letting my old bird dog out of the house in the morning. Nice day and he'd run the fence to see if Fife' next door took a piss anywhere.. But on a morning like this he'd be be back scratchin' on the door in 45 seconds..

And with all the cold, you can guess that there ain't been too much fishing going on around here the last few days. Although there were quite a few out last weekend.

And as is typical this time of year, there seems to be a bite window on the warmer days, usually in the afternoon around two o'clock. But it ain't everyday and certainly not everywhere..

Last weekend there were a couple of bass clubs in town, and they got better conditions than were present the days prior and certainly the days after. But no one was fishing in short britches I guarantee. Water temps were in the middle sixties at best.

A few folks caught a few fish. And that is about as good as I can describe it.. There were a lot of onesie-twosies in the mix, but I did hear of a eight on Saturday and a few other decent fish.. Did not get any reports from Sunday.

But overall it was pretty tough. A few other decent fish were caught by the locals, but no one is knocking them out just yet.

Some fish have been very shallow.. Some still in twenty feet..

It's January. It's winter.. Par for the course..

The Rule of the Fifties..

As always here at wintertime Falcon, the rule of the fifties applies.. Not sure it is a rule of nature.. But it is certainly a rule of observation that I discovered long ago.

Nature and animals are much more in sinc, than nature and man. And I believe that Mother Nature sends animals signals all the time.. Probably sends Man signals all the time but we are too smart to believe her.

In any case I truly believe that Ma Nature has to tell the fish that it is time to go spawn. Not all the fish listen either, or at least not at the same time.

But the vast majority of fish (bass) do listen, or sense the Fifty rule.. Which is this..

In our part of the country, the water temps have to dip into the fifties for at least a few days, to get the fish to know it is winter, or to signal them that winter has occurred.

And when we get a warming trend, preferably into the 63-65 range, these fish are going to spawn.. Sometimes we get this to happen coinciding with a strong moon cycle and it can appear that a switch has been flipped..

It can happen that fast.

Most often the water fluctuates in January and February from the fifties into the sixties, often making the cycle three or four times.. Aggravating the fishermen and confusing the fish.

But I firmly believe that we have to get the water into the fifties before any major spawn is going to occur..

Mission accomplished..

The long range forecast is looking much warmer after about Tuesday of next week.. The full moon is next Thursday. I'm not sure if we will warm up enough to really bring on a big wave of fish, but I'll bet that some will.. And if the water continues to warm, into that magical 65 degree mark..

Well the shit is going to hit the fan.. Too many fish I have seen are ready to pop.. And pop they will.

I promise to write more frequently and keep you abreast of what is going on.. It's gonna be a good spring..

On a side note, we have still been falling very slowly every day.. On another side note, Amistad has been releasing a lot more water the last few days.. I'm guessing they have been generating during the cold snap.

We are apt to catch a few inches of water in the next few days.. We'll see how long it lasts.. If we don't start releasing more as well..

You just never know with the IBWC.. If they were a sports franchise, I'd recommend that they look for new head coaches as well.. Certainly a new offensive coordinator.. Cause we put zero pressure on the Mexicans..

Call me if you have questions.. Make the cold go away.. Put some new line on your reels.. And check your wheel bearings and tires.. Never know when an emergency trip may have to be taken..

Oh, and you might want to mention it to the boss.. And the Ol Lady..

See you in Zapata..

January 4, 2024: Whooda thought we'd still be alive way out here in 2024.. Already almost a quarter of the way through the "new" century..

Not sure how we survived the year two thousand.. At least according to the hype.. If you even remember back that far.. The computers were supposed to die and all of mankind with it.. I guess we made it..

If you can call this making it..

Anyway Happy New Year Folks! I was going to say, "Happy New Year Motherfuckers" but I didn't want to offend anyone..

But which ever category you consider yourself in, I wish you the best in the coming year..

Well I can say one thing.. I was about the only motherfucker in the industry working from December 23rd thru January 3rd.. Getting anything done or getting anything shipped was an impossibility..

I hope you goldbricks are back at it.

In the last two weeks, we have seen damn few fishermen down here. On the nicest of days there might be ten rigs on the lake. But on average it is closer to four or five..

Of course we have had some winter days with cold and wind. But nothing a Yankee would call cold..

The lake has started a very slow fall, about the same speed it was coming up a few weeks ago.. Today we are sitting at 261.45, and last time I wrote we were at 261.58.. And that was about two weeks ago..

Anyway we are currently on a slow fall and who knows what tomorrow will bring..

We had some spotty days of good fishing.. With some big fish being caught. Shallow.. I mean very shallow.. As a few of these fish were up spawning on the last full moon when we had a few warming days.

I know you think I am crazy because I talk about spawning fish in December every year.. I'm telling you it happens.. Some of these fish were so bellied up it was hard to recognize the species of the fish..

OK Maybe not. But they were big, fat, spawning swollen up Mo-Fo's.. And they were in flooded grass from ankle deep to knee deep water..

The numbers were poor.. And can still be.. But folks caught from twenty on the good days.. To four or six on the slow days. But usually a good fish or two were mixed in..

Am I telling you the spawn is on? No.. Fuck no.. But I'm telling you some of them did.. Are.. Are fixin to..

Best areas were still on the south end of the lake.. Way in the backs of creeks.. Way in the back..

There is a ton of flooded grass back there and you can't throw your bait too shallow.

Best baits are a swim jig, a chatterbait, a spinnerbait, or a squarebill when you can fish it.. You get the message.. Something you can fish thru grass and cover..

A lot of the bites are coming off wood that is laid down or standing in the water. A little piece of it can make a difference.. Of course then you can catch one in the middle of nowhere just casting thru the flooded weeds.. But a little mix of wood certainly will not hurt you..

A few of the fishermen have abandoned the rock.. Although a few fishermen have caught some fish off of rock..

But keep in mind here my use of the word "Few". Because that is what we have here is damn few fishermen..

But I am telling you this with a good degree of certainty.. We are going to catch a bunch of fish in the next few months.. And a bunch of big fish..

Write it down.. It's gonna happen..

And I hope to see you here while it is happening..

Water temps are from low sixties early to upper sixties on consecutive warm days in the PM.. We have not dropped below sixty as of yet..

Launching is still no sweat.. Either end of the lake..

Call if you have questions.. And if you see some consecutive days of warm, you might want to get your ass down here..

See you when we do!