Fronts= Shrimp= Fish

F inally, with the arrival  of October, fall is officially here and we can begin shifting our attention to fishing techniques that go hand in hand with the ever-increasing cool fronts that will begin to blow in this month.

High tides this summer have pushed big numbers of shrimp into the marsh, and we should be in for stellar fall on Sabine Lake. Once these fronts, especially the stronger ones, begin to push their way to Texas’s upper coast, and the north winds begin to pull water from the marsh and bayous, the bite in the lake should take off in a big way.

The shrimp will finally have the green light to begin riding the current out of the marsh and venture out into the open waters of the bay. Once there, they will be happily greeted by hungry trout, reds and flounders.

This is a continuing process that gains momentum with each new front. The marsh and bayous are constantly being purged as shrimp, and baitfish continue to pour out into the bay with every one of them. As a result, the mouths of the bayous, shorelines and open bay are all excellent places to locate fish.

Birds working over schools of hungry predator fish will be tell-tale signs that some of the shrimp have indeed decided to relocate from the marsh and set their sights on the big water. Although chasing birds is not the only option when it comes to having success in October, it is by far the most popular.

We have been blessed for many years here on Sabine to be able to fish birds pretty much year-round. January and February have been the only months when we aren’t able to do it. We definitely take advantage of it throughout the rest of the year.

However, the real fronts typically begin to show up some time in October. That tends to raise the bird chasing bar up a few notches. It’s the amount of bait in the bay in October that allows predators such as the Big Three to showcase their dominance in the food chain.

 We do have shrimp and ribbonfish in the lake during the spring and summer months as well as an influx of shad in late summer. However, it pales in comparison with the number of shrimp and baitfish that pour out of the marsh because of the low tides that come with the stronger fronts.

The amount of shrimp in the bay during the fall months is what makes the difference. In the summer there are not nearly as much shrimp concentrated in any particular area. Sometimes we’re lucky to just catch a few out of a school before it’s over.

In the fall it is very common to stay with a school for long periods of time, getting bit on virtually every cast. There are also usually several different groups to choose from, so there is plenty of room for everyone.

Come see us down here on Sabine this fall. Let’s see if we can’t find some of those birds to lead us to the shrimp that will put us on the fish. 

 

 

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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