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Sabine Scene: October 2009
Grandkids and redfish make a wonderful combination.
It is easily the single most important, yet unheralded example of going the extra mile for the fishermen that eagerly await their copy of this magazine each month. In an effort to provide their readers with the most useful and current information possible, Everett and Pam willingly sweat out the arrival of our monthly guide reports right up to the midnight hour.
Aside from newspaper columns and CCA's edition of Currents, any other deadline I ever worked under carried a minimum of ninety days in advance. While I always remind folks that even a day old report is already old news, any predictions as to what will happen three months from now has to be based on what happened last year!
We have enjoyed the company of some solid trout up to 26-inches only a few times over the past month. We have dodged our share of thunderstorms and the accompanying wind, but they were not to blame for my inability to locate the better fish. When we did find them, the bite never lasted long and was only a pleasant memory a day or two later.
Unlike many anglers on the middle and lower coast, most folks in the Sabine area are not as dedicated in their desire to pursue and catch only big trout. For that reason, we think we are still having a very good year as long as the redfish and flounder continue to bite everyday and they have done that all summer long.
We have ridden the backs of slot redfish right on into football season and that incredible bite shows no signs of declining. As the water temperature drops following the passage of each front, more and more reds vacate the shallow marshes and prowl the open lake.
Fishing live mullet or shad on a Carolina rig or under a popping cork is very popular for resident anglers, but there is no need to nurse live bait all day. If you cannot find them pounding away at baitfish and shrimp under the gulls this month, head for the nearest shoreline and tie on a spinnerbait, spoon, or shallow diving crankbait.
The most consistent action will take place in close proximity to the bayous or small cuts exiting the Game Reserve on the east side of the lake. The transplanted marsh grass between Madam Johnson and Green's continues to attract not only redfish, but trout and flounder as well.
It has been rare indeed when we cannot limit with a quarter ounce Red Daddy spinner bait or gold weedless spoon. When the reds are holding on the outside of the grass, we do well with She Dogs and Assassins or Gulp shrimp fished under a Kwik Cork on a 24-inch leader.
Because I have more than I can say grace over on the north end of the lake, I seldom run south, but this is the month both the larger trout and redfish start fattening up on ribbonfish and mullet all the way from Garrison's ridge to the south revetment wall. You do not need the gulls to point the way as you can sometimes hear the fish blowing holes in the water well before you spot them.
The smaller trout will chase shrimp all day long, but the key to catching larger specks is to locate those fish chasing the baitfish. Virtually every lure you own will work provided you arrive on the scene early enough, but you can do equally well after the fact with a MirrOdine XL, Catch V, or 3-inch Spoiler Shad.
I suspect that we will pursue flounder a little less fervently this fall, but they are already showing up in the river and along the drains in the bayous. We have not caught a large number of flounder thus far, but the size has just been excellent.
If you elect to concentrate your efforts in the Sabine or Neches River, especially on bad weather days, fish deep. Look for both the trout and redfish to stack up at depths of 12 to 22 feet. You will do better by fishing vertically with soft plastics and pinpointing deep structure changes. The use of braided line also provides a distinct advantage in detecting subtle strikes in deeper water.
It is still early for stripers, but we have already caught and released one 19-pound fish last month that hit a Hoginar. Hopefully, we will do better on them this year with most of the pipeline traffic now out of the area.
Aside from newspaper columns and CCA's edition of Currents, any other deadline I ever worked under carried a minimum of ninety days in advance. While I always remind folks that even a day old report is already old news, any predictions as to what will happen three months from now has to be based on what happened last year!
We have enjoyed the company of some solid trout up to 26-inches only a few times over the past month. We have dodged our share of thunderstorms and the accompanying wind, but they were not to blame for my inability to locate the better fish. When we did find them, the bite never lasted long and was only a pleasant memory a day or two later.
Unlike many anglers on the middle and lower coast, most folks in the Sabine area are not as dedicated in their desire to pursue and catch only big trout. For that reason, we think we are still having a very good year as long as the redfish and flounder continue to bite everyday and they have done that all summer long.
We have ridden the backs of slot redfish right on into football season and that incredible bite shows no signs of declining. As the water temperature drops following the passage of each front, more and more reds vacate the shallow marshes and prowl the open lake.
Fishing live mullet or shad on a Carolina rig or under a popping cork is very popular for resident anglers, but there is no need to nurse live bait all day. If you cannot find them pounding away at baitfish and shrimp under the gulls this month, head for the nearest shoreline and tie on a spinnerbait, spoon, or shallow diving crankbait.
The most consistent action will take place in close proximity to the bayous or small cuts exiting the Game Reserve on the east side of the lake. The transplanted marsh grass between Madam Johnson and Green's continues to attract not only redfish, but trout and flounder as well.
It has been rare indeed when we cannot limit with a quarter ounce Red Daddy spinner bait or gold weedless spoon. When the reds are holding on the outside of the grass, we do well with She Dogs and Assassins or Gulp shrimp fished under a Kwik Cork on a 24-inch leader.
Because I have more than I can say grace over on the north end of the lake, I seldom run south, but this is the month both the larger trout and redfish start fattening up on ribbonfish and mullet all the way from Garrison's ridge to the south revetment wall. You do not need the gulls to point the way as you can sometimes hear the fish blowing holes in the water well before you spot them.
The smaller trout will chase shrimp all day long, but the key to catching larger specks is to locate those fish chasing the baitfish. Virtually every lure you own will work provided you arrive on the scene early enough, but you can do equally well after the fact with a MirrOdine XL, Catch V, or 3-inch Spoiler Shad.
I suspect that we will pursue flounder a little less fervently this fall, but they are already showing up in the river and along the drains in the bayous. We have not caught a large number of flounder thus far, but the size has just been excellent.
If you elect to concentrate your efforts in the Sabine or Neches River, especially on bad weather days, fish deep. Look for both the trout and redfish to stack up at depths of 12 to 22 feet. You will do better by fishing vertically with soft plastics and pinpointing deep structure changes. The use of braided line also provides a distinct advantage in detecting subtle strikes in deeper water.
It is still early for stripers, but we have already caught and released one 19-pound fish last month that hit a Hoginar. Hopefully, we will do better on them this year with most of the pipeline traffic now out of the area.