Bass pros marveled by Falcon hulks

Lake Falcon in deep South Texas continues to shock the imaginations of bass anglers around the globe. Located along the Texas/Mexico border near the sleepy town of Zapata, Falcon is regarded by some as the best big bass lake in the country, if not the world.

Some of the nation's top-ranked anglers were in Texas on Nov. 20-22 to compete in the Wal-Mart FLW Series East-West Fishoff. Not surprisingly, many of the pros went home feeling as though they had just experienced bass fishing nirvana.

During the opening round, David Fritts of Lexington, N.C. tanked a five-bass limit that weighed 37 ounces, 2 ounces. Fritts' catch ranked as the heaviest single-day catch in FLW history until Day 2, when Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., topped it with 39-11.

Fritts, who is well known for his prowess with a crankbait, summarized his experience on Falcon as almost surreal.

"This place is unreal, I've never had my string stretched like that," Fritts told FLW reporters. "I'm not used to catching fish like this, it's a different universe here."

Terry Bolton of Jonesboro, Ark. was was equally impressed by the 83,000-acre South Texas jewel. Bolton weighed in 36-13 on Day 1.

"I might not catch another bass the rest of the week, and you know what, I don't really care," Bolton said. "That's the most unbelievable fishing day I've ever experienced; I'll have that memory as for as long as I live."