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Summer Fishing in Full Swing
A few tosses of a cast net can yield enough lively bait for a full day of fishing.
I have come to realize there is no graceful or "Gucci" way to throw a Carolina-rigged live bait but the standard "grip and rip" usually does the job. The rig's unceremonious landing sounds like second graders throwing crawfish mounds into a park pond. Regardless of the judge's score for splash-less entry, this contraption does one thing well; it flat-out catches fish.
The idea of letting a live bait entice a fish while the fisherman expends little or no effort is appealing to many folks and Sabine Lake is no stranger to this technique. The fact that several tosses of a cast net can produce a day's supply of lively bait adds to the popularity. The Sabine and Calcasieu ecosystems get chock-full of perfectly sized shad, pogey, and finger mullet throughout summer. This readily available supply of bait certainly helps the old pocket book, especially when compared with a quart of live shrimp from the bait house. At the current price one would think they might be gold-plated.
More than likely a bunch of readers just blew by this article due to the fact that live bait has been mentioned. If so, that would be their loss. Live bait fishing in itself is another technique that requires a certain set of skills that not everyone can master. Contrary to popular belief, you can't just sling a live bait out there and start reeling in fish. Many of the folks who routinely turn their nose up at any method other than "grinding" or "plugging" are usually first to point the finger and scream the loudest. "Dadgum potlickers" is a common cry of many would never dare stoop to "chunking meat."
I just shake my head. I enjoy both styles and routinely employ both in my day-to-day fishing trips. I get just as big a rush catching fish with live bait as I do with artificials and that's the honest to goodness truth. (Insert Boy Scout salute here.)
Figuring out the fish is the name of the game, is it not? Finding and patterning fish on a day-to-day basis is what makes us tick; it's why we do what we do. If I am capable of finding structure and understanding how fish are relating to it, it should not matter whether I throw a topwater or a phone book. I found them and now it's my choice as to how I catch them. To hear a fisherman discredit another by saying, "Yeah, but he was throwing live bait," is just a shame and downright disrespectful. Just because you prefer a different method, don't hold that against another fisherman.
I never heard a hunter say, "Yeah, he got a limit of ducks but he was using Brand-X decoys and we were using handmade." Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
July usually brings a weather pattern that makes everything from the marsh to offshore platforms easily accessible. Summer months are historically dry and runoff from up north will be minimal barring tropical storms of course. These conditions will quickly allow the lower reaches of the Sabine and Neches rivers to become salty and, naturally, a host of saltwater species will move in. In addition to speckled trout, redfish and flounder, there will be sand trout, whiting, jack crevalle and sharks. Many of these fish catch unsuspecting anglers by surprise, especially the jacks.
Several years ago I had a run-in with a huge jack about eight miles up the Sabine River. My clients and I had staked out on a great looking flat in the river that included good structure with deep water close by. Our morning had given us speckled trout, redfish and a couple of big flounder. We were all throwing live shad on Carolina rigs and enjoying the laid back atmosphere and fellowship this style of fishing provides. The very distinct thump of a good fish crushing a shad prompted setting the hook. The fish swam off the flat without fanfare, no surface struggles, no line-stripping run, just a steady pull that I could not stop.
The initial run had me believing that a big black drum or perhaps a striper had decided to make an appearance, boy was I wrong. Once the fish got off the flat and got into deeper water the whole complexion of the fight changed. Whatever had taken the bait had shifted gears and was now in full blown "run off with all your line" mode. Fortunately, just as we pulled the anchor and were about to chase the mystery fish, it began making a big circle enabling me to gain much needed line. The next thirty minutes was a classic tug of war that ended with a broken rod and thirty pound jack in hand. That fish was easily one of the best and most bizarre catches for me that far up the river. Genuine proof that you never know what you might catch in the river in the summertime.
Another summertime scenario that presents itself when we have very little fresh water entering the area is the half-eaten trout, courtesy of Mr. Shark. Jetty and short rig anglers deal with these eating machines more often than folks who stay in the lake and invariably lake fishermen are the poor souls who lose really good fish to these gray missiles severed right behind the gills like a butcher with a sharp knife. I'm not sure how they do it but the sharks almost always seem to leave marginal trout alone in favor of a solid three pounder with an $8.00 lure pinned to its lip. I don't know what's worse, losing the fish or the tackle.
Speaking of sharks, the summer will also present many opportunities to see just how insignificant we really are when we get in the water. The infamous bull shark, top-shelf predator with a bad attitude, will be out in full force, so by all means pay attention. Our part of the world, with its normally moderate salinity environment, is an excellent place to find these creatures. It seems there are crazy stories of really close encounters with big bull sharks on Sabine every summer. Most any fisherman who calls this area home has at least one good story about bumping into a bull shark. These ill-tempered critters get large and can certainly present a danger to those who are careless. Waders are often reminded to use longer stringers and watch for bleeding fish on those stringers. Another good idea is to tuck the stringer spike into your wade belt rather than tying it. Should a shark hit your stringer he can take it without pulling you down or dragging you with it.
The summer ahead will almost surely be one to remember, just make sure it's for the right reasons. Please be safe on the water, courteous to your neighbor, and by all means, enjoy every minute of every trip.
The idea of letting a live bait entice a fish while the fisherman expends little or no effort is appealing to many folks and Sabine Lake is no stranger to this technique. The fact that several tosses of a cast net can produce a day's supply of lively bait adds to the popularity. The Sabine and Calcasieu ecosystems get chock-full of perfectly sized shad, pogey, and finger mullet throughout summer. This readily available supply of bait certainly helps the old pocket book, especially when compared with a quart of live shrimp from the bait house. At the current price one would think they might be gold-plated.
More than likely a bunch of readers just blew by this article due to the fact that live bait has been mentioned. If so, that would be their loss. Live bait fishing in itself is another technique that requires a certain set of skills that not everyone can master. Contrary to popular belief, you can't just sling a live bait out there and start reeling in fish. Many of the folks who routinely turn their nose up at any method other than "grinding" or "plugging" are usually first to point the finger and scream the loudest. "Dadgum potlickers" is a common cry of many would never dare stoop to "chunking meat."
I just shake my head. I enjoy both styles and routinely employ both in my day-to-day fishing trips. I get just as big a rush catching fish with live bait as I do with artificials and that's the honest to goodness truth. (Insert Boy Scout salute here.)
Figuring out the fish is the name of the game, is it not? Finding and patterning fish on a day-to-day basis is what makes us tick; it's why we do what we do. If I am capable of finding structure and understanding how fish are relating to it, it should not matter whether I throw a topwater or a phone book. I found them and now it's my choice as to how I catch them. To hear a fisherman discredit another by saying, "Yeah, but he was throwing live bait," is just a shame and downright disrespectful. Just because you prefer a different method, don't hold that against another fisherman.
I never heard a hunter say, "Yeah, he got a limit of ducks but he was using Brand-X decoys and we were using handmade." Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
July usually brings a weather pattern that makes everything from the marsh to offshore platforms easily accessible. Summer months are historically dry and runoff from up north will be minimal barring tropical storms of course. These conditions will quickly allow the lower reaches of the Sabine and Neches rivers to become salty and, naturally, a host of saltwater species will move in. In addition to speckled trout, redfish and flounder, there will be sand trout, whiting, jack crevalle and sharks. Many of these fish catch unsuspecting anglers by surprise, especially the jacks.
Several years ago I had a run-in with a huge jack about eight miles up the Sabine River. My clients and I had staked out on a great looking flat in the river that included good structure with deep water close by. Our morning had given us speckled trout, redfish and a couple of big flounder. We were all throwing live shad on Carolina rigs and enjoying the laid back atmosphere and fellowship this style of fishing provides. The very distinct thump of a good fish crushing a shad prompted setting the hook. The fish swam off the flat without fanfare, no surface struggles, no line-stripping run, just a steady pull that I could not stop.
The initial run had me believing that a big black drum or perhaps a striper had decided to make an appearance, boy was I wrong. Once the fish got off the flat and got into deeper water the whole complexion of the fight changed. Whatever had taken the bait had shifted gears and was now in full blown "run off with all your line" mode. Fortunately, just as we pulled the anchor and were about to chase the mystery fish, it began making a big circle enabling me to gain much needed line. The next thirty minutes was a classic tug of war that ended with a broken rod and thirty pound jack in hand. That fish was easily one of the best and most bizarre catches for me that far up the river. Genuine proof that you never know what you might catch in the river in the summertime.
Another summertime scenario that presents itself when we have very little fresh water entering the area is the half-eaten trout, courtesy of Mr. Shark. Jetty and short rig anglers deal with these eating machines more often than folks who stay in the lake and invariably lake fishermen are the poor souls who lose really good fish to these gray missiles severed right behind the gills like a butcher with a sharp knife. I'm not sure how they do it but the sharks almost always seem to leave marginal trout alone in favor of a solid three pounder with an $8.00 lure pinned to its lip. I don't know what's worse, losing the fish or the tackle.
Speaking of sharks, the summer will also present many opportunities to see just how insignificant we really are when we get in the water. The infamous bull shark, top-shelf predator with a bad attitude, will be out in full force, so by all means pay attention. Our part of the world, with its normally moderate salinity environment, is an excellent place to find these creatures. It seems there are crazy stories of really close encounters with big bull sharks on Sabine every summer. Most any fisherman who calls this area home has at least one good story about bumping into a bull shark. These ill-tempered critters get large and can certainly present a danger to those who are careless. Waders are often reminded to use longer stringers and watch for bleeding fish on those stringers. Another good idea is to tuck the stringer spike into your wade belt rather than tying it. Should a shark hit your stringer he can take it without pulling you down or dragging you with it.
The summer ahead will almost surely be one to remember, just make sure it's for the right reasons. Please be safe on the water, courteous to your neighbor, and by all means, enjoy every minute of every trip.