Falcon Lake is approximately 32 ½ feet low, with the surface temperatures ranging in the low to mid 70's. Water clarity ranges from extremely clear in certain areas, to off color in other places.

Bass fishing has been erratic with most fish coming on Flukes and Senkos in 3 to 5 feet of water. The best colors have been watermelon with red glitter and "baby bass." There have also been some fish caught on spinnerbaits. Catfishing has been OK on cut bait, shrimp, and stink bait. There have been no reports on white bass or crappie.

Falcon being an international lake, on the border with Mexico, requires a Mexican fishing license and boat permit, when fishing in Mexican waters. They are available locally. The Zapata County Ramp, the big ramp at Falcon State Park, and the ramp at Beacon Lodge are all open.

Due to all of the wind that we have had lately, there haven't been a whole lot of fishermen out on the lake, but the ones that have made it out have been doing OK. We've have a world class spawn this year, and I believe that next year at this time, we will have plenty of action, with a lot of small fish being caught.

Because of the wind, fishing a Fluke or a Senko can be pretty tricky. I've been using a weighted Fluke hook, made by Aggressor Lures and sold by Falcon Lake Tackle. In addition to the hook, at times I am also inserting one of the small lead nails that are made by Slugo, just to get the bait down close to the cover that I'm fishing.

The Tiger area is still producing some fish, as is Coyote and the Salinillas. There are a few fish coming out of State Park Cove and also Government Cove. I haven't been any further up the lake than Coyote, but I've heard of some fish being caught in Veleno, School Bus, and even some up the Salado.

Congratulation to Terry Oldham and Jamie Buitron for winning the STX Media Bass tournament on Coleto Creek over this past weekend. The had a nice stringer that weighed a little over 20 pounds, and it was anchored by a big bass that weighed 9.20 pounds. The big fish came on an Oldham Jig, which Terry makes, and is (IMO) the absolutely best jig out there.

Our second place team of Flores and Rigby had a run in with a big alligator that actually hit their boat. I'm mentioning this because our next Media tournament is at Choke Canyon, which is full of alligators. I think the females are guarding their nests right now, so I would advise that you keep some distance between you and them.

The rest of our Media schedule is shown below, and I would like to invite everybody to come out and fish with us. We really have a good time. For more information, give me an e-mail or go to www.mediabass.com.

April 27: Choke Canyon Registration: April 26, 4 to 7 PM, Nolan Ryan's Waterfront Restaurant. Take Off & Weigh In: Calliham Unit, Choke Canyon State Park Headquarter Hotel(s) 1. May 18: Falcon Lake Registration: May 17, 4 to 7 PM, Place TBA Take Off & Weigh In: Falcon State Park Headquarter Hotel(s) 1. Beacon Lodge 2. Falcon Heights Motel

June 22: Lake Amistad Registration: June 21, 4 to 7 PM, Ramada Inn Take Off & Weigh In: Diablo East Headquarter Hotel(s) 1. Ramada Inn, Del Rio

We have a great tackle shop locally, which is Falcon Lake Tackle, and they have a selection of baits that will rival any tackle shop that I have ever personally been in. They also have Mexican fishing licenses and boat permits, along with a bunch of other stuff. Their website address is www.tackleandrods.com. Their phone number is (956) 765-4866, and their physical address is on Hwy 83 in Zapata, right at the Zapata county Ramp turn off.

Bill Dee came down with Larry Bridgeman last week and fished the river with me and my friend Olivero Talamante. The action had slowed quite a bit, but we still caught quite a few, with the biggest in the 4 pound range. These fish are still coming on Flukes and Senkos.

The day before I did a TV show with Patrick Starnes, that is shown in Mexico. We had a great day, with the biggest fish weighing a little over 5 pounds. We fished until darkness and the mosquitoes ran us off. Keep in mind that the river below Falcon is extremely dangerous, with rocks almost everywhere. An aluminum boat is highly recommended.

Me and Oliver are now running some guide trips down there, and if you want a trip, please give me a call at (956) 848-5630. Don't expect many monsters, but the action is almost non-stop.

Bill Dee, who is the owner of SOB Lures, brought down some prototype spinnerbaits, which really looked good to me, and I'm sure will make a fine addition to his line of baits. Bill is currently having the same problems as Larry Bridgeman with his website (same webmaster), but I believe that you can still get the contact information there. His website is www.soblures.com. Also don't forget that Falcon Lake Tackle carries a great selection of SOB spinnerbaits, which are in stock and ready to ship.

Some of the websites for the products that I highly endorse are www.soblures.com for the best spinnerbaits and other stuff that money can buy. Kistler Rods can be found at www.kistlerrods.com, and I honestly don't believe that there is a better rod out there. Tuf-Line can be ordered at www.ronstackle.com, and Ron Totten who is the owner, is a very knowledgeable fisherman himself, and can give you some good advice concerning our South Texas Lakes. Waypoint Marine has a nice site at www.waypointmarine.com, and I highly recommend them as your South and Central Texas boat dealers.

I've been fishing these Senko and Flukes on a 7 foot Kistler Rod, medium action, with a Shimano Chronarch SF100. Most of the time (in the river), I will use either 30 or 50 pound Tuf-Line, but I have been experimenting with some of the flourcarbon line, because the water in the river is so clear.

I mentioning this because the only reason that I "trying out" the flourcarbon, is because I have some tournaments coming up at Amistad, which is super clear. Almost every day on the river, I will get one or two "break offs," and I think the main reason is because I've been spoiled by fishing with braid for so long, and I honestly don't "retie" the flourcarbon as often as I should.

My "Fluke rig" is easy to cast, but has enough backbone to "horse" a fish if you have to. The river is full of hydrilla and a lot of other green vegetation, and believe me when I tell you that these river fish "out fight" their size. I've caught several fish down there this year between 6 and 8 pounds, and every one of them makes me think that I have at least a 12 pounder.

Debra Dean (my webmaster) has started revamping www.falconlake.com, but it will take a while to get everything changed over. We currently have my lake report online, along with some other information about the Falcon Lake area.

Next week I will be attending the Texas State Bass Tournament, which is being held this year on Richland chambers. I haven't missed one in 27 years, and really look forward to seeing some old friends. In any case, there won't be a Falcon Report next week. If you need some information concerning the Falcon Lake area, you can call the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at 1 (800) 292-LAKE or give me an e-mail at murrayleather@cs.com. Until next week, Good Fishing!!