My son and I are headed to Falcon right after Christmas in hopes of getting on some of those pre-spawn fat girls!

I know the lake is really low right now, fishing hasn't been all that great down there lately, and the weather that time of year can be pretty unpredictable.

Was hoping to get a little general information about patterns and baits we might expect to use, some general locations on the lake to concentrate on, and the best places to launch the boat.

My son recently got a permanent career job, so we're kinda celebrating with a Texas bass fishing adventure. Hopefully we'll get a few good ones, but regardless of the outcome, fishing with my son (who's never fished Texas before) will be great for an ole' guy like me!

Appreciate any help you can provide!

Thanks a bunch!

Don’t forget to stop at FLT and get that Mexico fishing license. Keep up with lake levels and which ramps are open. If you have to put in at the state park, get up a little earlier since it’s further than most people think from town. Be wary of the weather - look at forecasts for fronts coming in (Falcon is capable of going from calm to dangerous in short time when fronts blow in). Don’t forget your foul weather gear- better to have it taking space in a box than to be caught out in it with nothing. You’re coming a long way- make sure you bring everything you need - Zapata is a nice place, but isn’t much for shopping if you forgot something important.

Take a look at your topo map and think about the kind of water you want to fish. There are multiple ways to catch fish on Falcon. There isn’t one magic formula.

It’s a great lake. Have fun. Take yourselves to Paraiso for a chicken fried steak. You’ll be glad you did.

ETA: if you’ve never been there, it’s a bigger lake than a lot of folks think. Plan your runs so that you spend your time fishing instead of running back and forth across the lake,

http://www.tackleandrods.com/ This link is to the Falcon Lake Tackle shop website. On the left side, you will see a link to their fishing report, check it once a week and it will give you a good idea of what is going on at the lake, also a great read because as James (owner) states: Not your Daddy's fishing report... Colorful read for sure.

TxRabbit gave some great advice and will add that there are only 3 "Real" ramps on the lake. I say that cause some people actually launch off gravel points which you can do if you have a 4 wheel drive. If you launch at the county ramp and head out to the river or come in from the river there is a very large "Complete" bridge which may or may not be submerged at the time you will be there just inside Veleno. It was marked with a large orange buoy a couple years ago but I don't know if it is right now maybe someone can tell us if it is still there (Good Ole James put it there cause the state wouldn't do it). You MUST stay way wide to the south end of it to avoid it. Hit it and your trip is over!! Catching fish on Falcon is usually easy but catching the big girls is not an everyday thing. I would suggest hiring a guide for a day then fishing those places the rest of the trip. John @ Broken Braid Guide Service is as good as it gets when it comes to the big fish!!

Good Luck and Have Fun!!

Bridge is currently marked, and tops of rail posts are out of the water.. So right now it should not be an issue..

No telling if we will be higher or lower by then but either way we will help you out with safely getting on the lake and with fishing info that is current..

Very few fishermen around right now..

See you then!

Hey James how are things at the shop these days?? Sorry I hadn't been down in a while but since I moved from SA to Killeen it's a MUCH further drive!!

Hope All is well with you guys I really miss visiting with you when I'm there!!

Here is a view of the Veleno bridge on Falcon with the water lower than the deck. North is pointing straight up. There is a large rock pile right in the middle of the open gap that rises to 6 feet deep at the current lake level.. If the water drops another 5 feet from the current level the only safe passage will be right up against either end of the bridge and those gaps are only about one boat wide. Another 5 foot drop from there and we will be able to go under the bridge (hope I never see the lake that low).

Great information and thanks for taking the time to respond to this post.

We will definitely see James at FLT and continue to read his very entertaining fishing reports!

Hoping that we get to make use of the few remaining jars of Uncle Josh and sore mouth a few of those TX fat girls. Nothing like a solid whack on a pork chunk to get your heart thumping! We enjoy fishing jigs the most and have experience good success here locally on pork during the winter months. We’ll only need of few jig bites a day to keep our confidence up knowing that the next one could be a camera worthy specimen!

The old school topo map and Hotmaps Platinum South card should be here this week.

Question, north or south, which part of the lake would tend to be more productive at the end of December?

Thanks again for your help!

Most of, certainly not all, but most big fish come from the dam.

Late December could be good! It also can be impossible if you happen to catch a cold front. But you never know if you don't go!

If water is low to mid 60's I'd be cranking rock points leading into spawning pockets 5-12ft. We used dd22's on 25lb to keep them up and hammered fish years back.

My son's 13.35 # ShareLunker was on Dec 28th. a few years ago. 6XD on a 12' deep ledge.

Great information from those who posted! Thanks

Keep reading the reports and watching the weather, hoping that both will be excellent to usher in 2021.

South end is the place to be for the past few years for your best shot at a big un. And I have made many, many big fish productive trips down there November-January the past 10 years and I am hard pressed to ever put down a chartreuse/blue back 6XD. If I do, it is to drag a big worm. Good luck on your trip.

Like the sound of "drag a big worm"! One of my favs for sure!

A hard cold front can kill the fishing on Falcon for a few days(duh, right?). I’ve been sunburned one day and in a snowmobile suit the next. All about the timing. We had one of those rare arctic blasts that reached all the way down to the border and brought us freezing temps during one of my trips and it shut down. But a buddy did catch a 12+ dragging a big 1oz spinnerbait deep off a point right after that front. Have you checked the 30 day weather forecast? 🤪 JK! Good luck!