The most infamous incident occurred on September 30, 2010. David Hartley and his wife Tiffany were jet-skiing on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake near the old Guerrero settlement. According to Tiffany, pirates (cartel gunmen in small boats) opened fire on them. David was shot in the head and fell into the water. His body was never recovered. The U.S. government could not enter Mexican waters to search without permission, which Mexico refused to grant, citing sovereignty. The incident created an international firestorm and effectively shut down recreational travel on the lake for nearly a decade.

If fishing is not your goal, Falcon Lake is still an ecological wonder. The area is part of the Tamaulipan Mezquital ecoregion.

Falcon Lake faces an uncertain future.

He flipped to the last notebook. The final entry was different. Not a list, but a letter.