Falcon Lake boasts a thriving, diverse fishery, excellent scenery, and less fishing pressure than many Texas lakes. Here's a rundown of what to fish for when you visit our fine lake.

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Largemouth Black Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Scotty Deaton: 15.12 lbs ...Barry St Clair 18.18 Texas Record Bass
Falcon Record
05/01/91 53ed
* Largest Bass in Texas-Tx Record 18.18 lbs Barry ST Clair Lake Fork

November 09, 2008: While it has been quite a while since this page has been updated, not a lot has been done in the way of stocking here on Falcon. There have been a few attempts at relocating some adult white bass to the lake. So far I have not heard of one white bass being caught. There were 170,000 white bass fry released here last spring. But I think they could all fit in a quart bottle when they were released.. I'm still waiting to see if a viable population will ever inhabit Falcon again.. Also last spring there were about two thousand Largemouth fingerlings released into Falcon, and they were third generation Sharelunker fry. It will be impossible to tell if they make any real effect on Falcon.. But it can't hurt anything.

My belief is that if you catch a Sharelunker size fish here on Falcon, the best thing you can do for the fish and the Lake is to turn her loose right where you caught her.

 

Current Status 5/06/05: With several good years of spawn behind us, fishing on Falcon has continued to improve for blacks (and catfish)and catches of 50- to-100, or even 150 fish a day for one boat with a couple good fishermen has not been unnusal, although it is not always a sure thing either. If you find the fish (and some of our better guides like the guys at Beacon Lodge, are a good bet if you want to make sure you find the fish) chances are they will bite. Not all guides are created equal so make sure you get a guide and not a guy with a boat who charges to go out on the lake. We can help steer you away from the disreputable guys who take your money and leave you dissatisfied.

Current Status 2/8/04: Falcon enjoyed a stable or gradually rising lake during the 2002-2003 early and mid-spawn (October - April), which enabled the bass to produce a large number of fry. Unfortunately Mexico's insatiable appetite for water using Falcon's water and rapid drawdown of the lake together with their total disregard of the fishery followed the same inevitable course as in the past. Beginning in April, thousands of acre feet of water was released daily during April, May and part of June. This devestated the late spawn causing the eggs of millions of Falcon fry to have gone dry before they could spawn. The 2003-2004 spawn has already produced another good class of fry. By next year, juveniles from the 2002-2003 class will be over 14 inches and the new fry will have grown to 12 or 13 inches. This should bring much improved fishing over the current fishing experience.

View all state records at TPWD
View Top 50 Largemouth at TPWD
View Falcon Lake and other Body Records at TPWD

Striped Bass aka Stripers
(Morone saxatilis)

State Record: 52.90 lb. Brazos River 1999
Falcon Lake Record: None

View Top 100 Stripers at TPWD

A pair of pleased anglers with 10.3 lb striper caught 03/31/01.

February 2004..For a few years, back in the seventies and beyond, stripers were caught in large quantities and the size was in the 20 to 30 LB range. Many of the stripers stocked in early years died during a summer O2 depletion episode. Striper stocking in Falcon was accelerated in the last several years and fish over the 18" limit were being taken in fairly good numbers. Location of fish varies with the time of year, but generally those fishing in the summer and early winter will find fish in the lower end of the lake up as far as the Tigers. During late winter, fish seem to migrate into the river for a doomed effort in spawning. It is was not uncommon to catch these fish in the river around Zapata and even farther North depending on the amount of water available in the river.

The price of having stripers in the lake proved to be very high in terms of the impact on several of our other species. Harvesting by U.S. fishermen, Mexico's commerical netters and the stripers (in addition to loss of habitat due to extended drought conditions) depleted the white bass and crappie populations. Now the Mexican netters have proficiently and systematically eliminated virtually all the stripers. Considering the multiple millions of stripers stocked compared to only a couple hundred thousand black bass during the same period, most of us considered the process pretty much a waste of money and effort (see below chart). We have therefore encouraged the TPW to abandon striper stocking and concentrate on a revitaliztion of the catfish, crappie, white and black bass fisheries.

White Bass AKA Sand Bass
(Imorone chrysops)

State Record:  5.56 lb. Colorado River 1977
Falcon Lake Record: None

Mr. Bridgeman Sr. Deceased with a stringer of Falcon White Bass..

February 2004..Like many of the Winter Texans, my Dad and I always enjoyed our treks up the Rio Grande to catch white bass and an occasional black bass or striper. Thanks to the efficiency of the Mexican Commercial Fishermen the white bass no longer exist in fishable numbers. The once prolific species, that was evidenced by large schools of white bass working shad under birds, has been virtually obliterated. In October 2001,2002 and 2003, the O.P.E.C. Tournament offered a $100/day prize for the big white bass, but not one was weighed in. In recent "shock and net surveys" by TPWD, not one white bass was taken. Lack of enforcement, greed and low water conditions apparently achieved what years of overfishing failed to accomplish-an obliteration of the species. Efforts are being made to repopulate via catch and transfer, but the jury is out as to the ultimate success.

Freshwater Catfish
Blue (Ictalurus furcatus)
Channel (Ictalurus punctatus)
Yellow AKA Flathead (Pylodictis olivaris)

State Records:
  Blue: 116 lb. Lake Texoma 1985 (unrestricted)
  Channel: 36.5 lb. Pedernales River 1965 (R&R)
  Yellow: 114 LB Lake Livingston 1976 (unrestricted)
Falcon Lake Record Blue :Jeffery Hammer 31lbs 7/23/02
Falcon Lake Record Yellow: Jeffery Hammer 29.9 lbs 9/23/02

February 2004: Picture 26 LB Blue Cat taken by Greg Kemph 11/00 on Red Bug Brush Hog (above). Many of the large blue cats are caught by bass fishermen in the hardwoods during the winter months on Falcon. Large cats (yellows and blues) approacing 80 lbs in the past were often taken from the Rio Grande on live bait. Due to the continued exploitation of these fish by Mexican netters and trappers, the size and frequencies of catches have continued to decline. Enforcement, although better than in the past, continues to be largely ineffective especially against illegal netting and trapping on the US side of the lake.

Crappie
White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)
Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

State Records:
  White: 4.56 Navarro Mills Lake 1968
  Black: 3.69 Toledo Bend 1985
Falcon Lake Record: None
February 2004: Crappie have been decimated by Mexican commercial fishermen, US fishermen and stripers. A stocking of 1500 mature crappie this year by TPWD will hopefully be followed by another substantial stocking at a later date.

Gar & Carp

Several species of Gar are found in good numbers in Falcon Lake and the Rio Grande River. The largest gar is the Alligator Gar. This one weighed 200 lbs after lying in the sun for 3 hours and probably would have topped 220 lbs when caught by Oliver Talamante 04/13/01 on the Rio Grande River below Falcon Dam with a bow and several arrows. Texas has no shortage of big gar, as TPWD shows a 302 LB state unrestricted tackle state record taken on a trotline by T C Pierce Jr. in the Nueces River 01/01/53. The rod and reel record is 279 lbs, taken on the Rio Grande by Bill Valverde 01/01/51.

Carp are very common in the Rio Grande River and in Falcon Lake, often foul hooked by a crankbait or similar lure. Rarely will a carp bite an artificial bait, as they prefer dough bait, corn, or multiple other concoctions. This carp weighed over 25 lbs. and was taken by Oliver with a bow on the same day he took the above monster alligator gar.

In May 2005, Alex Gutierrez pulled this spotted gar weighing 5.24 lbs out of a net on Falcon Lake. Texas Parks and Wildlife lists the unrestricted State record as 5.9 lbs taken in Houston in 2004.Falcon lake record: 213# Jorge Gutierrez Arrowhead Ranch May 2004

See Pic below left

See picture right taken in front of Falcon Lake Tackle on May 6. 2005.

Falcon is one of the top big gar lakes in the country and hunters from all over the US make treks here to seek out the big fish. See additional pictures in our Big Fish Gallery

LIST OF SAMPLED FISH SPECIES FOR FALCON LAKE FROM 1990 TO PRESENT COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Courtesy Randy Meyer Falcon Lake Biologist 12/2/05
Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus
Longnose Gar Lepisosteus osseus
Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum
Threadfin Shad Dorosoma petenense
Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
Pugnose Minnow Opsopoeodus emiliae
Inland Silverside Menidia beryllina
Smallmouth Buffalo Ictiobus bubalus
Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus
Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus
Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olvaris
Yellow Bullhead Ameiurus natalis
Mexican Tetra Astyanax mexicanus
White Bass Morone chrysops
Striped Bass Morone saxatilis
Redbreast Sunfish Lepomis auritus
Warmouth Lepomis gulosus
Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus
Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides
White Crappie Pomoxis annularis
Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus
Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens
Rio Grande Cichlid Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum
Blue Tilapia Tilapia aurea
Alligator Gar Lepisosteus spatula
Bullhead Minnow Pimephales vigilax
River Carpsucker Carpiodes carpio
Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas
Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus
Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Sheepshead Minnow Cyprinodon variegatus
Gulf Killifish Fundulus grandis
Sailfin Molly Poecilia latipinna
Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella

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