Cold front Friday
Wind, rain arrive for final day of opening round
ZAPATA, Texas – Stren Series Texas Division anglers could be about to experience the stingy side of the famed Falcon Lake. Gone are the warm temperatures and calm conditions from day one and in their place is chilly, blustery weather. On most lakes, this translates into brutally tough fishing. But on the country’s hottest bass fishery, tough is relative.
According to Laredo, Texas, pro Charles Haralson, today’s conditions will provide Falcon with a definitive test.
“The fish are still there and they will bite,” said Haralson, who caught 33 pounds, 11 ounces on day one. “The problem is keeping your boat positioned. Some of these fish are grouped up so tightly that if your boat is just a little bit off than your baits will not be in the strike zone.”
Yesterday’s leaders said although the quality was impressive, they did not receive numerous bites. Most of the heavier stringers were caught deep and involved only two or three culls. If the fishing is just slightly worse it is possible that some of the day-one leaders will come to the scales today shy of a tournament limit.
The anglers that are fishing shallow have a slight advantage in this regard, but they are battling highly-pressured fish. This lake, amazing as it is, has never held an organized event with 200 boats. The Stren Series event last year saw 150 boats and the BASS Elite Series saw roughly 100 boats.
Haralson added that cold fronts in south Texas are not the same as Florida cold fronts.
“These fish aren’t quite as sensitive and that’s a good thing. It doesn’t make things easier, but the fish don’t completely shut down.”
Another local pro still thinks 56 pounds will be needed to make the top-10 cutoff.
“I really think 56 to 58 pounds is the mark,” said Dan Schoonveld. “Right now, on a 1 to 10 scale (10 being exceptional), I would say the lake is fishing at an 8. But with this weather, you never know.”
Logistics
The full field competes on days one and two with the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers advancing to day three based on their two-day accumulated weight. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days. Today’s weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. at the Zapata County Boat Ramp and tomorrow’s final weigh-in will take place at the Zapata County Community Center at 4 p.m.
On the Web
For those who can’t catch the weigh-in action in person, FLWOutdoors.com offers FLW Live, a free online application that brings fans real-time weigh-in results, streaming video and audio.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:28 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 50 degrees
Expected high temperature: 56 degrees
Water temperature: 60-64 degrees
Wind: ENE at 15 mph
Maximum humidity: 60 percent
Day’s outlook: few showers