Redfish in the marshes

Capt. Bill Watkins (409-673-9211) says Sabine Lake fishing has been good when you catch it between the fronts. “The fish are there. If you will just look and work at it, you will catch fish.”

He says the whole lake got kind of fresh from all the recent rains. “The freshwater flow we got didn’t really redistribute the fish toward the south end of the lake. It didn’t run long enough, and the fish kind of hunkered down in the salt layer. It scattered them, but it didn’t move them.”

Baby pokey or little glass minnows are starting to work their way back into Sabine. “I saw them yesterday for the first time. They are all over the flats and out in the deeper parts of the lake. That tells me the transition is coming. They will sweep a lot of the redfish out of the lake and into the marshes as the small baitfish go into the marshes. The redfish just gorge on those things.”

Watkins says he’s fishing 2-4 feet deep mostly with soft plastics. “I’m throwing a lot of MirrOlure soft plastics with a 1/4 oz. or 1/8 oz. jig head. The key is fishing 2-4 feet of water. Some days the trout are out there in 4 foot of water. Some days they move on up to 2 foot depending on the tide.”

He’s working flats, steep shorelines, points, and mouths of bayous. “I just keep moving until I find fish.

“The redfish have been pretty easy to catch, slot reds anywhere from 18 – 30 inches. The trout are in and out of the deeper water, a bit more out than the redfish are. But when they move in right and you find them, you can catch them. I haven’t had anything over 5 lbs. mostly 2-3 1/2 pounds, but they are nice fish. The spring movement is on its way.”