Stren Series ventures into great unknown

Records may succumb to Falcon Lake

ZAPATA, Texas – Straddling the Texas-Mexico border, Falcon Lake brings new meaning to the word remote. For years, anglers have discussed the big-bass capability of this 84,000-acre canyon reservoir. Some describe it as a little Amistad. Others say it is better. But up until now, no major tournament organization has tested its waters.

Not only is the Stren Series Texas Division kicking off its season on Falcon, but the Bassmaster Elite Series is scheduled to make a stop in early April. The Stren event, however, figures to have much more impressive weights due to the spawn. A good number of the bruising females in Falcon have already spawned, but some are still on beds.

The forecast for the week calls for stable and sunny weather. If that holds true, then every record in FLW Outdoors history is in jeopardy. With calm winds, a 25-pound bag will put you in contention, but not necessarily in the driver’s seat.

“Some of the fish spawned last week and some are still spawning, but the weather was a little cold overnight, so that might affect the fish some,” said pro Charlie King of Shreveport, La. “Either way, there’s an awful lot of fish shallow.

“But this lake doesn’t fish like Amistad. The water is much darker, so if the fish are still on beds, I can’t really see them. This tournament will be a power-fishing extravaganza. You will see a 30-pound bag for sure, and 10th place will be over 20 pounds today.”

Falcon is prolific for a variety of reasons. Primary among them is its remote location, which has helped keep it under the radar. The nearest major metro area is San Antonio, which is three hours away. The Rio Grande impoundment is also teeming with forage such as crawfish, shad and, most importantly, tilapia, a protein-rich baitfish that makes bass bulk up like baseball players on steroids.

Despite the abundant fare, the largemouths will still gladly attack artificial offerings. The most popular baits include spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Texas- and Carolina-rigged worms. These are used around flooded brush, points and offshore structures, which include humps and rock piles.

“This is a tournament that could break all the records,” said Stren Series Tournament Director Ron Lappin. “According to the fishermen, we will see several 12(-pounder)s and 13s this week.”

Tournament logistics

The full field competes on days one, two and three, with the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advancing to day four based on their three-day accumulated weights. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.

Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a $40,000 198VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics if contingency guidelines are met. Ranger will award another $3,000 cash if the winner is a Ranger Cup participant. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,500 to the highest-finishing participant in the contingency program. Yamaha or Evinrude will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup earnings if “Powered by Yamaha” or “Powered by Evinrude E-Tec” guidelines are met. That puts the total potential first-place award at $69,500.

Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $5,000 plus a $30,000 Ranger boat and trailer if contingency guidelines are met.

Anglers will take off from the Beacon Lodge located just off Farm Road 3074 in Zapata at 7 each morning. Weigh-ins Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will also be held at the Beacon Lodge beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Zapata County Community Center located on Highway 83 in Zapata at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

On the Web

For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, an online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.

Wednesday’s conditions

Sunrise: 7:28 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 50 degrees

Expected high temperature: 76 degrees

Water temperature: 62-65 degrees

Wind: ENE at 6 mph

Maximum humidity: 42 percent

Day’s outlook: mostly sunny