Falcon International Reservoir, TX Fishing Report

Water temperature in the upper 60s. Waterlevel 29 1/2 feet low and slowly falling. Most days we are averaging 20 to 25 fish a day right now. Wendy are not windy. If we can't have a day with a small amount of wind we get more fish. Cranking square bills and medium diving cranks is producing on rock right now. Mostly out near the river channel. These spots are holding both post and pre-spawn fish. There are also many fish still up in the shallow bays. On-calm days the most effective method by far is to pitch weightless or tail weighted senkos into the trees. 1 to 5 feet of water. The Mexican side has been far more effective for me lately. Benavides Creek coyote Creek Blanco Creek and the Salinias arm still have plenty of bass. The most effective Rockpile locations are on the Texas side however. The area from marker 6-9 has been very effective. I have had very limited success in the salado river. I have not spent much time on the river ledges on the Texas side between markers two and four recently. But Deep cranking can be very effective there for a big bite or two. On most guide trips this year our big fish has come on a three-quarter ounce silver and gold Indiana bladed Joe baby spinner bait. Chartreuse and white skirt. Toss it out and don't start reeling until your bait is near the bottom in 2 to 5 feet of water. Try to make as much contact with underwater cover as possible. Occasionally jerking it harder to make the blades flutter when you're near a visible object.

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Thank You! Jim Behnken​

Listen to my reports on fishhound!

Listen to my report on Fishhound.com!

Falcon is steady at 40 feet low as of late August. Amistad is still releasing water which has slowed down the rate of fall here at Falcon...but what really is needed is a good old (non damaging) hurricane!  The ramps are ok, County ramp is still good, and State park has a temporary steel ramp...Beacon Lodge is still passsable.
Water temp. is around 86 degrees.

The shallow bite from 4 to 12 feet continues to dominate. Shallow cranking rocks and old houses are producing good fish in early morning, then again in late afternoons. Mid day is dominated by flipping and cranking the hardwoods for the suspended fish. Swim that plastic or jig in and around the trees and crash a crankbait into the limbs you can not see. Have both a shad and craw imitation crank tied on. Some days one dominates the other.
Several Fall tournaments are coming to Falcon, including Bass Champs Championship...look to see some big weights again!

If youare looking for a trip this Fall, give me a call!

Jim Behnken
www.fishlakefalcon.com  

res is 40 ft low right now. Fishing is good. Through shallow diving crank baits in 2-7 feet of water around rocks and trees.

Falcon is 36 feet low at the start of July. We need water, but I certainly do not expect it. The fish have stayed shallow all summer so far. I expect it to continue. I have fished the lake since 82 and low water has meant shallow fish all those years.  We are catching them flipping trees in 3 to 8 foot, cranking shallow with shad  cranks and casting a jig or Texas rig to rock bottom in 2 to 12 foot. The tree flipping is most effective  on large flats.  A 1 oz Lateral Perch in ta-lop is a great choice. Many tilapia are suspended in trees presently.

Do not venture above marker 14 as it is dangerous and the bridge in veleno creek is inches under the water as well. Tigers has many shallow humps inches under the water right now also. Most of these are on the north shore. All ramps are in poor shape so use extreme caution loading and unloading your boat.

Thanks,
jimbehnken@hotmail.com
www.jimbehnkenguideservices.com 

Fishing is average bass caught on jigs, brush hawgs, 3/4 spinner baits, and shallow diving crank baits. Cast and pitch jigs to rock and wood structure from 2- 6 ft of water.

Fishing is average bass caught on jigs, brush hawgs, 3/4 spinner baits, and shallow diving crank baits. Cast and pitch jigs to rock and wood structure from 2- 6 ft of water.

May brings us hot weather and a rapid decrease in water levels here on Falcon. This May is no exception as we have lost 8 feet of water in 3 weeks. I fished by the flood gates a couple days ago and you could not hear yourself think for the roar of the water being released.

This release puts a tremendous current throughout the lake and puts the fish on a big time feed. When the fish are active (stoking a lateral perch and cranking) they will be on the up current sides of points and humps and when inactive (deadsticking) on the down current side. Many fish are generally shallow, but the motherload will be deep along river and creek ledges. Dominant trees on points will produce if flipped into also.

Drink plenty of water as we generally have more 100 degree days than not in May
Thanks,
jimbehnken@hotmail.com
www.jimbehnkenguideservices.com  

FALCON.... We are getting some serious usage out of the new composite cranker rods here on Falcon. On most days, if you keep cranking all day, your gonna put a 35 to 40 lb bag in the boat. Rocky points with gravel or shell beds are the deal. It has been difficult at times to generate the first bite.But, I have found that we generally can generate the first bite when cranking. When you get one on, get all the rods in the boat in the water, they get fired up and you can double and triple up. We had a huge wave of fish stage and move shallow the end of February. Waters continue to rise and several more feet of water are expected. Deep flats in 7 to 15 foot are producing with a carolina rigged magnum skinny dipper. Flipping in creeks is producing big fish by staying on the edge of defined channels and pitching jigs and brush hogs tight to cover. Some days, you must let it hit bottom and leave it motionless several seconds before you shake it. It has been difficult at times to generate the first bite when cranking. When you get one on, get all the rods in the boat in the water, they get fired up and you can double and triple up.

Have fun and release them ALL.

Thanks,                                                                
jimbehnken@hotmail.com
www.jimbehnkenguideservices.com

Lake level is 26.5 feet low as I write this. A slow rise is still occurring which makes it hopeful we will have a decent spawn this year. They sure were skittish when it was falling so rapidly in early to mid January.  A big thumper spinnerbait is catching some really nice fish in 3 to 8 foot around staging points, as is a matte finish square bill crank in either brown crawfish or black back chartruese sides. I'm using a Fury Lures brand thrown on the new composite crank rod...PGC73-7'3".  Flipping isolated willows just off a thick brush shoreline is catching quality fish, bait seems irrelevant, it's a reaction bite with many fish suspended in them on certain days. Use a stout rod (PG104.5-7'6") and #65 braid with a #40 fluoro leader for these fish. I had been using straight #25 fluoro for flipping, but I started blowing up that line on these big egg heavy females, and  went back to braid.

Slow is still key, when your bait gets in the strike zone, crawl it! If you fish an area and catch buck fish, go back later in the day and see if the females have moved up. We did this and caught 3-#8 pounders on one point at quitting time this week.

Thanks,
jimbehnken@hotmail.com
www.jimbehnkenguideservices.com

Falcon continues a rapid rise. Lake up 6.5 feet from it's yearly low the 2nd wk of January. The crank bite has been best for us. Both deep cranks in 10 to 15 foot and shallow in 3 to 5 foot. Water temp 62.

Lake level is 26.5 feet low as I write this. A slow rise is still occurring which makes it hopeful we will have a decent spawn this year. They sure were skittish when it was falling so rapidly in early to mid January.  A big thumper spinnerbait is catching some really nice fish in 3 to 8 foot around staging points, as is a matte finish square bill crank in either brown crawfish or black back chartruese sides. I'm using a Fury Lures brand thrown on the new composite crank rod...PGC73-7'3".  Flipping isolated willows just off a thick brush shoreline is catching quality fish, bait seems irrelevant, it's a reaction bite with many fish suspended in them on certain days. Use a stout rod (PG104.5-7'6") and #65 braid with a #40 fluoro leader for these fish. I had been using straight #25 fluoro for flipping, but I started blowing up that line on these big egg heavy females, and  went back to braid.

Slow is still key, when your bait gets in the strike zone, crawl it! If you fish an area and catch buck fish, go back later in the day and see if the females have moved up. We did this and caught 3-#8 pounders on one point at quitting time this week.

Thanks,

jimbehnken@hotmail.com
www.jimbehnkenguideservices.com

The new moon has another wave of spawning fish moving up. Females are staging on points at the mouths of creeks and bays. A 3/4 ounce spinnerbait with a #2 colorado ahead of a #6 colorado is catching some giant fish in 3 to 8 foot. Put a firetiger skirt on it and a split tail chart trailer.

The lake has stabilized at 30 feet low and rose 2 inches today. A freakin miracle! Today we caught them on cranks and spinnerbaits pretty well. It was dark cold all day. They definately reacted more than fed today. The males are pouring to the bank. It amazes me how fast they react to a rising lake. It was great to see after we lost so much water and the fish seemed so confused by it. We never caught a fish deeper than 5 foot today.

Warming weather and a stabilized lake level is beginning to push more  bass to the shallows. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits continue to catch good numbers. Jigs and flukes are producing in 5t to 15 foot on points. Decent numbers caught cranking fury lures matte finish square bills in 2 tio 4 foot gravel points.

January fishing on Falcon is truly trophy fish time. The biggest fish on the upper 3rd of the lake are staging to spawn. Fishing hard bottoms in anywhere from 8 to 18 feet are where you want to be. Ledges just off the river channel early in the month and secondary points at the mouths of spawning bays in the latter half of the month. Some days a ridiculously slow retrieve is required, other days they will eat a big crank. Try it all, let them tell you what they want. Best baits for us has been a jig and a carlolina rig.

On the lower half of the lake, many fish are in their winter pattern still. Fish the same way as we spoke earlier, just a tad deeper due to the clearer water down south. Go with more watermelon colors down south as opposed to the darker colors in the stained water up north.

Remember, you are fishing the finest big bass lake in the country, come prepared! I use the Power Tackle PG104.5 for all my jig and plastic fishing and the ever versatile PG104 for spinnerbaits and shallow cranks. You come unprepared here, you risk losing the fish of a lifetime.