Mixed Emotions

Okay, so here’s your fair warning. If you are not in the mood for a soapbox sermon you may want to turn the page; I’ve got something I need to get off my chest. One of the best things that ever happened to both this magazine and me personally was when Everett and Pam Johnson took over and began to be such a great voice for Texas saltwater fishermen. I am proud to say that I am the longest tenured writer in TSFMag and that I consider Everett and Pam great friends. In the early days it was really difficult for Everett to wrap his head around some of the things that went on in my part of the world, specifically the “meat haul mentality” that seems to be more prevalent the closer you get to the Texas-Louisiana state line. I would do my best to explain how things worked over here, and Everett was just blown away by some of it. We have had some great conversations on a variety of those topics and I honestly can say we have never had a cross word or even a heated discussion when we didn’t quite agree. Several weeks ago we had one of those conversations concerning the new speckled trout regulations and I expressed both my displeasure and fears about the upcoming changes and I’m sad to say that everything I thought might happen has become reality.

When Texas decided to enact a coastwide three fish daily bag limit for speckled trout earlier this year, based on declining populations in middle and lower coast bay systems, I knew we were destined for problems here on Sabine. I hate to say this but we are not the middle and lower coast. I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that when the limits changed in Texas there would be exponentially more people willing to take the necessary steps to begin fishing from the Louisiana side of Sabine and keeping the more liberal Louisiana limits. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even somebody who slept in a Holiday Inn Express to see what’s going on now. All one has to do is make a pass by the boat launches on both sides of the border and count boat trailers with Texas plates to see the extent of it. Changing the limit from five to three fish was the tipping point. Instead of Texas anglers launching from our side and keeping five trout as they have been doing for several years, they are now buying Louisiana licenses and putting in over there…and likely keeping fifteen trout every chance they can. All I can say is God help our fishery!

Now, I’ll take a deep breath and move along to happier subjects, such as how Sabine is beginning to shape up for the summer months.

At the present time Sabine is really coming along nicely and the trout bite has been steady. Some of our most tried and true patterns from the past have been resurrected and are paying dividends. The ship channel, jetties, and beachfront have all been great choices for those willing to get there early. The early risers have long been the beneficiaries of the pre-dawn bite that takes place on the south end of Sabine, especially at the jetties. The folks in the Dawn Patrol have been taking advantage of a great bite and cooler temperatures, as well as calmer conditions, which is a fantastic trifecta. The topwater and swimbait bite along the jetties before sunrise can be magical at times, especially on incoming tides. For whatever reason the trout down there seem to be wired differently, they are just wild. The strikes seem to be more aggressive when you probe the rocks, and that adds to the mystique of that area because you never know what’s going to show up down there.

The upper end of Sabine has shown increasing signs of life, in particular from the redfish. There was a fantastic bite when the brown shrimp made their way out of the marsh but that has slowed somewhat. There are still good numbers of redfish patrolling the east side of the lake and they are more than willing to eat. Soft plastics under a rattling cork along with 4-inch soft plastics on lighter jig heads have been doing the majority of the work lately. A few folks are also doing well on shallow running crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The trout bite has been slowly improving on the north end and looks to be getting stronger as the deluge of freshwater from early spring rains has finally subsided. Hopefully as the salinity continues to improve we will see more and better trout on this end of the lake.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the summer so far has been the steady flounder bite. The folks running the marsh drains have been really doing a number on the flatfish and that’s nothing but a bonus during this time of year. I have yet to see any really big flounder but the number of Texas-legal keepers has been impressive. If these fish get a chance to make one more year without falling to a Louisiana limit or some other force of nature it would be a bright spot going forward.

As we head into the brunt of the summer months look for the pattern on the south end of Sabine to continue to be the bell cow and everything else will follow. If the water conditions improve you can bet the fish will follow as far as the salinity will let them. At some point the big pogies will emerge and you be assured that the big schools of redfish will be shadowing them. Very few things are as impressive as rolling up on a big school of redfish on a feeding rampage, it’s like nothing you have ever seen. There will be some honest 40-inchers and larger redfish running around so be prepared.

As for the trout, it’s a toss up as to what happens this year. Sabine has been on a comeback trail and all signs point toward the positive, so I’ll cross my fingers and hope for that trend to continue. Look for the big schools of shad and stay with them because the trout won’t be far behind. Slicks and bird activity will be the name of the game and the angler who can decipher the good from the bad under these conditions will most certainly prosper. Be prepared to run through your fair share of gafftop if you chase the big rafts of shad, it’s the cost of doing business during the summer, but its 100% worth it when the more desirable species decide to show up.

As always, be prepared for the heat, and if you get an opportunity please take a kid fishing. Share the outdoors with others and be a good steward of the resources because nobody understands how important this ecosystem is like those of us who routinely enjoy it.