Sabine Scene: June 2017

The bad news is that the “trout catching” on Sabine Lake cannot get much tougher than it is right now. The good news is that this extended run of tough outings has been punctuated by just enough good days to keep us coming back.

To say that the bite is merely inconsistent, however, would be unfair to the handful of local anglers undaunted by daily blows and fresh, dirty runoff. Thanks, however, to bull tides that have helped some with salinity levels, we have recently seen some improvement on the south end of the lake.

Areas like Keith Lake and the ship channel south of the Causeway are producing the most decent catches on the heels of big incoming tides. Depending on the direction, when we do get back-to-back days of less than 15 mph winds, we have even been able to find at least a few trout in the clearer water around mouths of the bayous and along the north revetment wall.

Those areas are traditionally “lights out” this time of the year, but at least for right now, we have been forced to fish where we can rather than where we want to. We have seen a little bird activity but, more often than not, they are working over schools of redfish.

I truly believe that, gale force winds aside, as soon as the Neches and Sabine rivers begin to clear, we will see more bait and the catching will drastically improve. So, what do you do until that occurs?

After praying that these daily downpours between Toledo Bend and Sabine Lake slow down, consider shifting gears and taking advantage of what has been a better than average flounder bite thus far. You hear a larger number of glowing reports primarily due to the increased number of folks that have already made the switch, but the bite truly has been very good.

There is no doubt that most of our serious flounder fishermen prefer an outgoing tide and tend to concentrate their efforts around the mouths of the bayous. Both live bait and small tails will work on the fish waiting to ambush the bait exiting the marshes and the expected catch is usually a mixed bag of not only flounder, but small keeper trout and redfish as well.

As you would expect, the point on either side of the drain or a submerged piece of structure is worth leaving the house early to homestead, but that distinct color change in the water can be just as productive. There are days when that color change is well outside the mouth of the bayou and you can have it all to yourself.

The folks that I speak with on a daily basis with duck leases on the east side of the lake report that their ponds and canals are just full of crabs, small baitfish and redfish right now. Wind or no wind, lower tides will eventually push all of that bait into the open lake and it will be “game on.”

The flounder tactic that I prefer and one that gets far less pressure is to work the flooded roots of cane lining the shoreline. There is a world of flooded grass between East Pass and Blue Buck Point and you don’t have to fish near the bayous to do well. A great deal of this water never gets fished and the bull tides were made for this bite as they guarantee flooded grass every day!

I have never used live bait when targeting these fish. There is no doubt that small paddle tail grubs and swimbaits work well, but going even smaller all but guarantees success most days. A white or chartreuse GULP curly tail fished on 1/8-ounce heads is deadly but, for my money, the most irresistible lure you can fish is a 1/8-ounce horsehead jighead and three-inch curly tail grub tipped with a small piece of shrimp or soaked with a fish attracting scent.

Do not worry about the smaller wire hook as we lose very few fish. And, as far as scents go, I have great confidence in Pro Cure’s Menhaden formula. Every so often a redfish will crash the party and you are at a distinct disadvantage with the lighter hook, but a lighter drag is a big equalizer.

Sign the kids up for the CCA Texas S.T.A.R. tournament today and get them on the water. Great investment and even greater reward!