COASTAL FORECAST: Sabine

COASTAL FORECAST: Galveston
April 25, 2017
THE DEPT. OF CONSERVATION
April 25, 2017

The Magic Month of May

T he magical month of May has arrived and the entire Sabine Ecosystem should begin to open itself up to anglers seeking plenty of rod bending options.

We now find ourselves in a period of transition from the newness of spring to the wide open, full-speed fishing of summer. From the marsh and bayous to Sabine Lake itself and the Gulf of Mexico, the bite is on.

The hard part is trying to figure out where we want to go catch them. Do we want to target flounders and reds in the bayous or would we rather chase trout and reds around the lake? Do we want to troll the eastern bank of the lake, or do we want to give the ship channel and jetties a try?

All of these are viable options this month, and there really is no bad one. Each one of these scenarios should put you on the fish, so it’s just a matter of deciding what you want to do. The allure of the rocks has always been hard for me to resist. This is especially true, when like now, the first good trout bite of the year is taking place. So it’s off to the jetties we go.

During this month anglers ice nice limits of trout and reds on both the Texas and Louisiana Jetties. You’ll want to fish the west (Texas) jetty if the wind is predominantly east. Naturally, if it’s got a lot of west in it, fish the more protected east side.

The channel and Gulf sides are both productive, but the outside usually tends to be a little more consistent. If you go to the east jetty, make sure you have your Louisiana license whether you’re fishing in the channel or the Gulf.

Pick a spot that’s not too crowded and troll down the jetty until you locate the fish. The trout will be scattered along the wall, with more concentrated around the washouts. Most of the reds will be hanging around the rock piles.

Moving water is very important so check the tides and plan accordingly. Incoming and outgoing tides are equally productive. The channel and gulf sides are both good on either tide. Work both sides using soft plastics until you find the fish.

Glow and chartreuse colors work well. Rig them on a ¼-ounce jig head and work it off the bottom. If there’s a strong current, you may want to switch to a 3/8-ounce lead head.

Great bait choices to start with are the durable H&H Cocahoe Minnow or Saltwater Assassins. Tie a D.O.A. Shrimp under a popping cork to fool some nice trout and reds.

Most of the fish should be holding pretty tight to the wall, and deep, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be suspended, or near the surface. Speed up your retrieve or try other baits like Rat-L-Traps and Mirr-O Lures to help locate them. There’s no doubt the fish are there. You’ve just got to figure them out.

 

 

Email Eddie Hernandez at

ContactUs@fishgame.com

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THE BANK BITE

Location: North Revetment (Pleasure Island)

Species: Trout, redfish, flounder

Baits/Lures: Soft plastics, topwaters, mud minnows

Best Times: Moving Tides

 

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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