Falcon Vs Okeechobee Late Feb/early March Help!

[Brian Needham]

 

 

A buddy of mines went to a local tournament like a year ago and believe it or not, he got a 14, 13 and a 10 pound bass on the same day,

 

surely your buddy had his camera with him that day, right?

not doubting, but let's see 'em.....

[joeyfishes]

Alberto beat me to it. I have heard some not so good reports in the last couple weeks. 

[WRB]

Falcon and Okeechobee lakes are not known for giant bass, bass over 15 lbs., both lake records are in the 15 lb class. What these lakes were known for is a good population of 10 to 12 lb bass. Okeechobee DD bass are caught during the spawn, very few after that time period. Falcon has or had a much longer time period for catching DD that extended year around, that may be the problem, over harvesteding. Boom and bust cycles are well known with big bass populations.

[Shane J]

Falcon is one amazing fishery, especially that time of year. If your pitching/flipping game is up to par, you are in for a treat.  Friend of mine says it IS fishing tough right now, though. I'll be there in a week. It's like returning to the Motherland.

[Smokinal]

I fished falcon with a guide 5 days last sept. Water was 39 ft low and the lake did not hold up to its reputation for sure. Sure, I got my pb on that trip but it was only (geeze I hate to put it that way) 7-9. Honestly I was expecting one over 8 and a DD would have been a dream come true. I like to think that my buddy and I are decent bass fisherman and we fished hard for 5 days straight but with the water down so far it really had them in a funk. Last I looked they are around 27 ft low. I will be back at some point (when I save enough $ again) but I'm going to be more spontaneous and watch the reports and water level and jump when I can. We planned this trip a year out when the place was hot, bought plane tickets, downpayment on the guide, lodging etc...then water dropped and the place went to hell in a handbasket. When that place is up, I strongly feel there isn't a better lake in the country for the possibility of a lot of big bass or even a DD.

 

[FALCONB]

Im a guide on both Falcon & Amistad. Ive fished tournaments on Okee but its been years ago... To begin with they are totally different type lakes. Clear water vs stained water, 400,000 acres vs 80,000, live bait vs no live bait, very shallow vs semi shallow, the "wind" can get you on both, and the list goes on...  I know many that have "blanked" on both lakes and also many that have had their best day ever.... Right now on Falcon you can easily blank however you can also catch 40 to 50 a day on spinnerbaits. Size from 3lbs to 10. Falcon fish are in large schools but not on every point. Its a matter of the right spot. HERO or ZERO is the best way to look at it. You can easily have the most unbelievable day of your life. Its a gamble but so is Vegas or the lottery. I know many that have blanked on Okee even with LIVE BAIT. Its all a gamble.... As for guides, they (we) are guides, not gods. haha... Ive qualified for the Bassmaster Classic and have won 6 boats over the years but Ive also had many terrible tournaments and slow days on several good lakes around the country. You never know until the day is over so pick your lake and enjoy the trip regardless of the outcome. Success will eventually find you and the memories will last forever!

[WRB]

Welcome FalconB and hope you feel comfortable enough to share some of your bass fishing knowledge and experiences. Being from the west coast we are used to extreme water level fluctuations and they have lasting impact on fisheries, mostly low spawn recruitment due to sparse shore cover.

The Texas boarder lakes have low water problems, due to drought conditions, Okeechobee not affected as much.

The original question was timing a pre spawn bite and my response was Falcon may have a longer time period or window of opportunity than Okeechobee and touched on the live bait factor.

Tom

[ToledoMard928]

Headed to Falcon in November!!!!   My 11 year old son wanted a guided trip so I decided sacrafice and give him what he wanted....What a sacrafice on my part.  I know November is not spring time but I will post the results when we return.

[Smokinal]

^^^The jig bite could be incredible then though. What a shame that would be....

[oufaninks]

I have just came off Falcon lake.  Don't waste your gas money.  Just like Lake Amistad, Flacon is dead as well.  Don't waste your time to fish either.  I have spent 6 years fishing these and they are at an all time low.  Previously I thought it impossible to not catch fish, good fish, now you are lucky if you even catch a fish.

;

 

These lake are low, but not as low as they were last year.  They are low because the water is used for irrigation, not because of drought. Both are only 20 some feet low versus up to 60 feet last year.