Falcon Lake � The current daily bag limit of one alligator gar would be changed to five fish per day. The increased bag limit would be in effect in the all impounded waters of the Rio Grande from the Falcon Dam upstream to the Zapata/Webb County line.

Falcon Lake anglers and stakeholders have become increasingly concerned about management of alligator gar in recent years. In response, TPWD conducted a comprehensive study at Falcon in 2014 to obtain the biological information necessary to make management recommendations for the species at this locale. Most (88 percent) anglers who target the species reside within 1.5 hours of the reservoir. The fishery is primarily harvest oriented, and harvesting a trophy-size alligator gar was not a highly important motivation. Most Falcon anglers (gar and non-gar anglers) desire an increase in the daily bag limit.

A simulation model was used to assess the potential impact of harvest rate on the sustainability of the population and trophy-size fish. Harvest rate is currently estimated to be one percent or less, based on the estimated gar harvest on Falcon Lake and in comparison with harvest data from nearby Choke Canyon Reservoir. An increase in the daily bag limit poses a minimal risk to population sustainability and trophy fish abundance and would allow anglers to harvest more alligator gar.

I don't get why there's even a limit.... Wipe these things out.

About time

Hat's off to James Bendele at Falcon Lake Tackle. Were it not for his staying on TPWD about the AG on Falcon Lake, this new limit probably would have never happened.

Great job James.

One more step to the rebound of those mammoth bass.

That's absolutely right.

Thanks Fellers.. Keep in mind that this change will not go into effect till September first..

Like telling a man he has cancer.. But we ain't gonna do anything about it for a year.. They could make it effective at the March Meeting.. But I highly doubt it..

We will apply pressure for that to happen though at the public hearing to be held in Zapata in the next month.. Date has not been set yet..

Thanks for your support and to all the anglers that responded to TPWD's survey at the ramps..

Is there an expectation that harvest will actually take place? Are there more than a handful of people who will try to fill their limits? I hope the answer is yes on both fronts. Any insight on those two questions James?

A lot of people quit coming from any distance because they could only take one fish per day.. So hopefully folks will come back that used to come from the midwest and beyond..

It is possible that some commercial fishermen will return.. Gar meat is in demand and a few man crew could help the situation.. They have to use hook and line methods only though.. No nets..

I am sure a few guides will be bringing clients down here as well..

The locals think "Catan" is awesome and I am sure the few bowfishing boats around the lake will take a few more..

Back in the eighties commercial fishermen took a million pounds of gar out of Choke Canyon.. And it is back to crawling with gar..

So I don't think that they will hurt the population too bad with a five fish limit..

But it can't do anything but help the bass population down here!

Get your Bows out Boys!! Don't know what your missing out on!!

Kill them all

I witnessed some commercial guys back in the early 90's on choke. They had just come in and backed a long bed truck full off ice down to the ramp. I watched as they loaded that truck down with big gar. He said by the time they got back from new Orleans to offload that their juglines would be full of gar again. He said you could almost run your lines and by the time you got back to the first line it would have one on it already. There were that many down there.

some of those falcon gar look like small submarines when they run up under your boat

Good job James!

So is this new limit only for Falcon or is Choke getting it as well?