February mean late prespawn or spawn for the bass in Gibbon’s Creek Reservoir. A power plant lake, the water temperature stays a few degrees warmer than Other east Texas lakes. A former holder of the Texas state record bass, you can bet that giant bass swim in this small reservoir. Which is why I guide and fish it myself. Keep in mind that Gibbon’s is strictly catch and release for large mouth bass. But a good shot at your personal best makes it worth that. As I write this our weather is still fall like, so if this remains the trend expect the spawn to be on. A some what discolored or stained body of water, sight fishing is a rarity. So if the bass are between the inside grass line and the bank you’ll need to fish a locator bait such as a Slug-Go type jerk bait. A white skirted Stanley Wedge 3/8 oz. Spinnerbait worked around all the laydowns and stumps will get ambushed as well. If the bass haven’t moved to the beds yet, you’ll need to fish the inside and outside edge of the grass which can be accomplished on the same cast as the grass is narrow due to the water color. Start the morning off with a buzz-bait working from the bank to the open water past the outside edge of the grass. Use a big bladed buzz-bait and work it just fast enough to stay on the surface. Never set the hook when you sec the strike, but wait until you feel the bass. Once the surface bite has stopped I’ll change to a Stanley Wedge spinnerbait with a willow leaf blade around the grass and a Colorado blade around the stumps and laydowns. A red, chrome, or gold Rattle Trap will also be seen sailing away from my rod tip. This time of year I never use less than 18 lb. Triple Fish Camo Escent fishing line. Re-tie (often if you don’t want a story about the one that got away. This is such a great “Power-Bait” lake that I never throw finesse baits. Doesn’t mean they don’t work, they do. But I catch a lot more fish a lot faster with “Power-Baits”. And if you fish Gibbon’s and don’t do any good, you are definitely doing something wrong. It’s not a high numbers lake but it is a high quality lake. one last note on the lake, it’s closed on Wednesdays. And if you want some quality instruction on a quality lake in the art of fishing “Power-Baits” give me a call and we’ll set up a trip Great Fishing.

With summer still bearing down on us, I want to begin this month by talking about how to cope with the South Texas heat while enjoying the lake. Our guides at Lunkerville and 1, have a regular list of items that we do not forget, First and foremost take plenty of water on your outing, I recommend a bag of ice and some Gatorade also, A largo hat is another good idea. Good sunglasses are a must out on Falcon right now. Not only will they give you protection, but they help in locating fish holding cover just beneath the surface. Good quality sunscreen is another necessity. While a painful sunburn may not be a problem for some of us, skin cancer certainly is a concern that all outdoors people are becoming more aware of. I also carry a bandanna. You can put it in the water and tie it around your head or neck, or better yet, give it a few minutes in the ice chest. Now that we are prepared, let's go fishin'. Currently Falcon is 42 feet low and still falling at a slow pace. There is launching available at the public boat ramp, on the west side of the "park area". You can also launch at Beacon Lodge, located off of FM 496, there is launching available at the State Park on the south end. There are numerous navigational hazards popping up, so I recommend that you navigate between the markers, staying in the old river channel. Even then, there are a few old stumps out there so pay attention and go slow. The fishing right now is absolutely awesome. Despite low water levels, the black bass are still up shallow, Hardwoods and rockpiles near deep water are a sure bet early in the morning. Blue fleck power worms, and shad colored raffia traps are producing best for us right now, Later in the day, fish deep diving shad colored cranks and a Carolina rigged 1 O" worm. Watch your graph closely, for signs of rocky drop-offs or rock piles that have not popped-up yet. Also don't forget the points and rip rap at the dam. The striper fishing has picked-up drastically, Striper up to 20 pounds are being caught on jigging spoons at the south end. Early in the morning watch for birds diving to signal schools of striper and white bass. A 3/4 ounce rattletrap can produce constant action especially on calm mornings, If there happen to be whites around, go with the Little George or Blue Fox. Finally let's not forget about the catfishing. Good numbers are being caught on the main river near Marker #9. The many stick-ups around the mouth of the Tigers has been another good producer. Shrimp and stinkbait is a favorite of many Falcon "whisker' hunters. Don't let the water level discourage you from coming down to good ol' Falcon this summer. Even with low water, it is one of the top summertime producers in the country. Finally, I want to let everyone know that our store at Oso Blanco is closed. We are currently rebuilding just south of there at Godkin's Restaurant. Our phone number is the same at 210-765-3939. Give us a call and we would be glad to set you up for a guide trip, We can handle all of your lodging and restaurant needs also. We hope to have the store reopened by October.

We continue to suffer from low water conditions caused by lack of rain and irrigation in the valley. At the bme of this article, Falcon is down about 38'. There is good news though, First of all we have finally gotten some rain, so the lake is rising a little. The best news though is the outstanding fishing right now. Falcon bass are used to periods of low water, and have an uncanny knack to stay shallow and active during tough times. Our guides are fishing from the Marker #9 area south towards the dam. The hottest pattern is to pitch a spinnerbait into bushes in about 3' of water near deeper water. Falcon fish are showing a real preference for the now "Tru-Trac" spinnerbait that we sell. They have realistic patterns and a large rattle chamber. Rattletraps in the same type areas are also producing well. As the day goes on, I suggest throwing Carolina rigged lizards and worms and deep crankbaits along the rip-rap of the dam. There are several long deep points in the south end, and these will keep you busy all day. You need to watch your graph and try to locate one of the many off-shore rock piles near the Tiger creeks and along the main lake, These have been big fish producers. They are old houses and buildings that were destroyed when the lake was built. The best way to locate them is to look for such structure on the bank and work your way out, as many of these areas are old "colonies". Currently, we have two boat ramps available. One is at the State Park on the south end, and the other is located at Beacon Lodge. One major navigational hazard on the lake is an old highway 83 bridge near the public boat ramp. This bridge has the mouth of the Veleno completely shut off and will wreak havoc on a boat. Plan a summer trip to Falcon, I assure you that you won't be disappointed. Our common guide day right now is about 20-40 fish with sever2i in the 5-9 pound range. For 1ake, motel, and guide availability don't hesitate to give me call at 210-765-3939. I'll probably be fishing, but our Pro Staff can answer any of your questions.

This month’s report is a sort of good news bad news scenario here on beautiful Falcon Lake. The bad news is that we are still suffering from extremely low water levels and from all appearances the lake will continue to fall through the summer. The good news is that the fishing is fantastic. As Mr. McCarty talked about last month, Falcon is one of the few lakes that will produce five fish 30 pound stringers throughout the summer’s heat. For the summer there will be two predominant patterns. One will be deep diving crankbaits fished down rocky points and parallel to rock ledges. With the water so low these areas will be visible. I recommend red, firetiger and chrome. The second hawg huntin’ pattern is to pitch and flip worms or lizards around 3-6’ hardwoods. This pattern works from the Marker 9 area south. When it comes to colors I would recommend red shad, blue fleck and junebug. In locating the preferred hardwoods limit your search to ,areas that are near deep water. When coming down to Falcon this summer I have several recommendations. First spool up with braided line. Down here all my guides use T.U.F. line 50-65 pound test. I can personally recommend this super braid as I have used it for the past three years. It was one of the first braids available and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Secondly have plenty of sunscreen and water available. Thirdly purchase a good map and run the international markers along the main river channel. There are lots of mean rock piles and trees popping up right now. Finally bring a camera. Falcon can produce the fish of a lifetime, even in the summer months. Give me a call at 210-765-3939 for any information you might need. My headquarters are at Lunkerville Tackle and Guide can take care of everything from guides to motel and taxidermy. you will find that our unequaled selection of tackle and capable guide Pro Staff will gladly help you in any way. Until next month hope to see you on the water. If you see a big red silver and red Stealth motor on over and say hello. (Chip Harmon’s sponsors are Stealth Boat, Falcon Rods, T.U.F. Line, Browning and Angler’s Marine. For information on any of these products or a demo ride don’t hesitate to give me a call)