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COASTAL FORECAST: Sabine

Fish Still Bite Even After Hunting Season Starts

I t’s pre-dawn on a brisk November morning. The cold front that brought a stiff northeast wind two days earlier, seems like ancient history.

I find myself thinking about my friends and everyone else across Texas who are settling into blinds in the woods, marsh, and rice fields. I can relate to their excitement as I pull into the boat ramp.

We’ve still got northeast winds, but it’s dropped about 20 mph since the front blew through. I pour a fresh cup of coffee and step out of the truck while I wait to greet today’s clients.

Light winds and high pressure are in order for the day, and that’s exactly what you hope for on Sabine Lake in November. If you’re lucky enough to take advantage of these conditions, by all means, do so.

On days like this you should have no problem finding flocks of seagulls hovering over large schools of trout and reds. These fish have huge pods of shrimp pushed to the surface. They are gorging on them from below while the gulls are picking them off from above.

If this is your style of fishing, you owe it to yourself to get down here on days like today. The only real dilemma we usually have is deciding which group of birds we want to fish.

Most schools will be loaded with trout, while others will have a mixture of trout and reds. If you hit enough groups you will likely run into a couple that are holding redfish only.

Good bait choices are generally whatever you feel like throwing or what you already have tied on. Soft plastics are typically our baits of choice simply so we don’t have to deal with trebles after every cast. However, if you don’t mind breaking out the pliers on every fish, topwaters, hoginars, rattletraps and Corky’s will all get serious results.

These baits at times produce some of the larger fish of the day. Color doesn’t seem to matter much either, when you’re sitting within casting distance of what seems like an acre of aggressively feeding fish. Glow, red shad and morning glory usually get it done for us.

If flounders are on your menu, some of our best of the year are caught in November. The mouths of East and West Pass traditionally produce some real nice saddle blankets trying to make it to the gulf.

Tip them with fresh shrimp and give them some wobble with a curl tail such as CT Shad by Flounder Pounder. Glow and grape are excellent color choices. I think I’ll just go fishing in these conditions. I can hunt later.

 

THE BANK BITE

Location: North Revetment Road: Pleasure Island

Species: Specks, Reds, Flounders

Baits/Lures: DOA Shrimp under popping cork, topwaters, finger mullet

Best Times: Early and late with moving tide

 

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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