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Zapata, Texas & Falcon Lake |
 Zapata
Texas,Falcon Lake, & Robert Amaya |
 APerfect Bass fishing Combination |
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| Last August we were At a fishing show in San Antonio and met Robert Amaya from Zapata Texas. Robert had invited us to come to Falcon and witness how well the fishing had returned now that the lake was back to normal levels. We needed to make a swing through the South Padre area and thought that this would be a great time to go through Zapata, so last week we called Robert to see if this would be a good time for him. He said he would be happy to show us around his bait and tackle shop and even take us out on the lake if we had the time. Zapata is located on the Rio Grande River at Falcon Lake. The best route into Zapata from San Antonio is down highway 16 to the south. It is about a three and half hour drive if you put it on 70 and don’t stop. So we took off on Wednesday morning and enjoyed the drive. | |
 Not all of the road is this barren but most of it is. There is at least 2 and a half hours of driving through the South Texas brush country. However there is a very scenic area along the Devils River that I am going back to fish. |
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| The South Texas brush country is a rough and rugged country. It is a semi-arid to arid and is covered in cactus and mesquite brush. It raises some of the most bodacious whitetail dear on earth. The rivers that flow through this country are usually pristine and clear because they are flowing over rock bottom river beds. Because of the abundant source of water in the rivers there are usually large Cypress, Cottonwood, Chinese Tallow, or Willow trees along the banks. The brush country itself is somewhat harsh but the rivers are usually beautiful. |
Falcon Lake late in the afternoon. |
| It must have been 20 years since I had been in the town of Zapata and what I had remembered was a very small laid back town that depended mostly on the oil and natural gas industries, hunters and seasonal hunting business and some fishing business for it’s economy. I was really surprised at the way Zapata had grown. There were many new buildings including a new and very large high school building and a new courthouse building. | |
| This was January but Zapata was bustling with activity. There was traffic every where and people were pulling boats every where you looked. I noticed a lot of it was out of state traffic. You could also see many gas and oil company vehicles and I realized this industry was again booming in the area. I drove around the town for a few minutes and then decided it was time to go see Robert’s Fish N’ Tackle. Robert’s shop is located on US 83 as it comes in from the south of town and across from the Oso Blanco motel. |
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Robert’s Fish N’ Tackle is one of the cleanest bait and tackle shops I have ever been in. Everything is neat and orderly and the shop is well stocked. Robert has anything in the way of equipment that you will need to be successful while fishing Falcon Lake including good usable information. He has fished here all of his life and was taught by his dad, who was also a guide on the lake. |
| Here is Robert and his family. This
is one of the nicest and most cordial families I have ever met.
I really look forward to being back in Zapata very soon to enjoy
their company , hospitality, some good Mexican food, and to do a
lot more fishing.
When I left San Antonio earlier in the morning the wind was blowing at a pretty good clip but when I reached Zapata it was fierce. Robert wanted to get a bite to eat and then he insisted we try the lake for a couple of hours even in the wind. I have been with a lot of fishermen and some guides that were supposed to have been catching fish the day before. He was catching fish on the third cast. |
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The Pictures
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Robert Amaya P.O. Box 578 |
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