Fishing Fanatics

Fishing Lake Falcon in Texas was a challenge

I've been back from my fishing trip to Lake Falcon for a few weeks now but I've been procrastinating on writing my blog. My eldest daughter who is my blog conscience and got me into doing this blog in the first place just sent me a stern reminder so I guess it's time.

 

As I explained to my daughter the primary reason for my delaying things is that I'm still pouting about not getting my double digit bucketmouth.

 

The primary reason we went at the beginning of March is that the water temperature has warmed to the requisite 62 to 65 degrees and the big girls are moving in shallow to spawn. You can drastically cut down the area you need to fish to target big fish and catching them in 2 to 5 feet of water is a blast !

 

Unfortunately when we arrived the water temperature was 57 degrees and the fish were scattered. To add to our woes the wind was consistently at 20 to 35 mph. We used a guide for the first 2 days and he constantly reminded us that they were usually fishing in shorts and T-shirts at this time of year instead of the hoodies, jackets and jeans that we donned, not to mention the gloves the guide wore. The midday sun warmed the air temp up to the low 70's but the water did not get over 58 degrees all week.

 

Now that I have layed on the required excuses let's get on to the fishing we did do. The only structure that was consistently holding fish were the trees that bracketed the creek channels that existed before the reservoir was there. Remember, Lake Falcon is a man made reservoir resulting from the damming of the Rio Grande River. On one side is Mexico and on the other the U.S. The tops of the trees were anywhere from a few inches to several feet above water.

 

The method of fishing was to throw large, soft plastic baits (6" to 7" Senkos, Lizards and Brush Hogs) texas rigged on 5/0 and 6/0 hooks and 3/8 oz to 1/2 oz tungsten weights. A heavy action flippin rod and either 25 lb flourocarbon or 65 lb braid was a must to get the fish quickly out of the trees. You tighten the drag on your baitcaster all the way down and you set hard and reel fast when a fish hits. If you can't  tell the difference between a fish and a limb you will be setting in tree limbs all day long and making the local tackle store owners very happy. I was frequenting them regularly. You did not move your offering. The cold water made the fish very lethargic so they would not chase.

 

Most days we struggled to get 10 fish each, including the guide and while we did score a couple of 7 pounders our average for the trip was probably closer to 5 lbs. As you might expect my big fish story is about the one I lost. I set on him hard and got him up through most of the tree limbs but the biggest limb was just under the surface and I ripped the hook out of him as he hit it. Thinking he was still hooked he jumped a few feet from the boat and I could have sworn I saw a small middle finger get extended. Who knew fish had them ! He might not have been my 10 pounder but it was close.

 

Unfortunately my buddy got a bug that kept him close to the plumbing for the last 2 days so combined with the howling wind we figured we would cut things a day and a half short. 

 

You might find it interesting to know that our guide told us he spends 5 to 6 days per week fishing, year round on Lake Falcon and last year, which he considered a good one he caught a total of 10, double digit fish, the biggest being 12.4 lbs. Not as easy as you might think, huh ?

 

WOULD I GO BACK ?

 

Lake Falcon is a fishing factory. It is surrounded by flat, brown grass, pastures. No picturesque Northern Ontatio landscapes here. Our motel had a least 35 Bass Boats in the parking lot as did every other Motel in Zapata. In fact, the parking lots in every service station, restaurant and convenience store in town were all full of Bass Boats. I certainly don't have a problem fishing hard and intense but there is something about being the only boat in sight on a beautiful, Ontario lake that appeals to me beyond all else. Maybe it's my advancing age but if I'm going to spend a week fishing I want the entire outdoor experience. I still love a day or two of tournament fishing but once a year I want to get next to nature in her full glory.

OFF TO TEXAS FOR SOME HOGS

Every year, a good friend living in Atlanta and I go for a week of fishing. One year in the States and the next in Canada. Last year we went to a fly-in Bass Lake near Blind River, so this year we were looking for a location where we had a chance at one of our life long ambitions...a double digit largemouth.

 

We considered Mexico but a four day trip looked like a $3000 plus proposition...ouch !  Some more online research led us to Lake Falcon in Texas which lies on the Texas-Mexico border. In fact we had to get both a Texas and Mexican fishing license, both online of course. Our plan is for me to fly to Atlanta where my buddy would pick me up with his boat in tow and make the two day drive to Zapata, Texas and Lake Falcon.

 

The next order of business was to get back online and search for a guide. Falcon is a big lake and we need a day or two of coaching before setting out on our own. I emailed several guides before selecting one. My criteria was simple, "while we would like to catch lots of Bass our number one priority was BIG Bass". We selected a guide and he suggested we come down the first week of March for spawn or just into post spawn.

 

We asked him for suggestions for accomodation and he hooked us up with a motel right on the water for $65 per night.

 

Next I found a website for a tackle store in Zapata (subsequently I found a second one)  that had an excellent fishing report and started to monitor it daily to find out where they were getting them, shallow, deep etc and what they were using. This helped me stock my tackle bag. I also asked our guide for suggestions. It got me very excited when he told me to leave my spinning gear at home and don't spool up with anything less than 25 lb fourocarbon or 65 lb braid. The excitement built as I looked at the pictures of the HOGS on the fishing report.

 

I decided to take 6 rod/reel outfits individually selected for the type of fishing we were going to do. I mostly fish smallmouth so I'm glad I did some foreplanning to get the big baits that would be needed down there, I suppose I could have waited and bought them down there but I don't like leaving things to chance. In fact there were some baits that I couldn't find up here but my buddy in Atlanta had no problem at all.

 

I checked Air Canada's baggage regulations to see if I would have to pay a premium for my 7.5 foot rod case and thankfully found that there is a waiver for some types of sporting equipment and fishing rod cases was one of them. They do suggest that you call and register it with them a few days before your flight. 

 

Since I'm using aeroplan miles for my flight to Atlanta the total cost of this trip should be less than $1000 so I'm pretty happy about that.

 

I'll be writing another Blog when I return on March 7 to let you know how we did. Hopefully I'll be doing some bragging.

 

 

Fly-in fishing

We are asked frequently about the merits of fly-in fishing.

I have fished at a fly-in location several times and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has never tried it.  Let's look at a few of the criteria that you should consider before committing to a trip.

Species
My experience is with the Northern Ontario walleye/pike lakes. You can also do an Ontario fly- in for most species of Trout or Bass. Once outside of Ontario you can do fly-in's for virtually any species of fish available in Canada. For purposes of this blog we're going to stick to the Northern Ontario fly-in if only for the fact that the prices for, say, a Western Canada fly-in tend to be 4 or 5 times more expensive.

Rates
You first want to decide whether you want to stay in a housekeeping cottage where you bring in your food and do your own cooking or take advantage of the American Plan where the lodge does the cooking. Usually the American plan has a few other perks like a fish cleaning service and a shore lunch or maybe even an upgraded boat.

For a one week stay in a housekeeping cottage a representative, average rate would be in the area of  $1200 per week, per person. Add $600-$700 to that for the American Plan.  Alcoholic Beverages aren't normally included in the rate. When considering the American plan keep in mind that the meals are served within certain time windows. For instance breakfast will be served between 7AM and 9AM and dinner between 6PM and 7PM. Truly a consideration if you want totally flexible fishing time.

You can find fly-in's for as low as $800 per person, usually in a remote housekeeping cabin but there's definitely an element of risk relative to the quality level and service with this kind of arrangement. I once did one of these with my son and father and the outfitter didn't bring enough gas for our boat for the week on the original flight in. He promised faithfully he'd bring more gas mid week. We never saw him for the rest of the week and we were paddling by Thursday. 

Remote/Wilderness Cabins

These can be absolutely beautiful and a great experience and are indeed offered by most outfitters but you have to remember that you and your party are alone with no contact with the outside world for a week. Not something I would recommend for someone with a health issue or the elderley. If no showers and a rustic cabin aren't your thing I would pass it up. If you do decide to do it consider renting a satellite phone for the week.

 

Length of Stay
If I had to do it over again for the first time knowing what I know now I would probably opt for the 3 or 4 night stay rather than the full week especially at a walleye/pike lake. Unless you're there early or late in the season the fishing for big pike can be very tough (once the water temperature rises the "big guys" head for deep water) so you usually concentrate on walleye. The host will give you a map marked with a few shoals that you will drift over using a jig and minnow. You will probably catch lots of 1.5 to 3 pound walleyes with the occasional 4 or 5 pounder mixed in. After 3 days of this style of fishing I've had enough. My 58 year old spine also starts to howl after more than 3 days in an aluminum boat with bench seats.

Also, this is usually my longest trip of the year and the thought of my nice comfortable boat sitting at home in the driveway makes me crazy !!!!!!

Conclusion
Again, if you've never been on a fly-in definitely try it. The scenery is beautiful, the fishing for numbers is almost always good and the shore lunches are awesome. There are several good outfitters out there so check around and find one that meets your criteria. Check things like the weight restriction you're allowed on the plane, the catch and release policy and the availability and cost of a guide. Carefully read their checklist of what you need to pack and what tackle is recommended.

HAVE A GREAT TIME !!!!

Just starting out? Not sure what gear you need? Read my post on Getting started