COASTAL FORECAST: Sabine – April

April Brings Consistency to Sabine

W EATHER PATTERNS AND CONDITIONS become slightly more stable and predictable in April, so the translation here on Sabine Lake equals plenty of opportunity.

With the exception of some pretty intense winds (which will occasionally give you a break), and the possibility of a severe storm or two, it marks the beginning of some much-awaited consistency for catching the Big Three. A little consistency and some normalcy will be more than welcome along the coast and the bay systems after taking some hard hits from Harvey as well as a very non-typical winter.

New hatches of baitfish and shrimp will ride the big tides and begin to stack up as they invade the entire system. Your odds of having a successful trip are pretty high from the north end of the lake to south of the Causeway.

You shouldn’t have to work very hard to catch fish. A good starting point is the ship channel at the LNG plant which is just about a mile south of the Causeway. Bumping plastics off the bottom in about three to seven feet usually works well.

Trout, reds and flounders love hanging out on this bank because of the abundance of bait and the makeup of the bottom structure. The best trout bite, however, should be on the reef, just north of the Causeway Bridge. This is where the biggest numbers of specks typically show up first every spring.

This oyster superstructure is like a magnet for baitfish of all kinds. From sand eels to crabs, it provides a safe haven that gives them some comfort as hungry predators are lurking nearby. Let the wind and current determine where you start your drift, and drag soft plastics over the shell. Use ¼ ounce or heavier lead heads, depending on the speed of the drift to ensure your lure gets down to the shell. Eight inch Gillraker worms and other longer baits are very effective as trout rely heavily on sand eels as a major part of their diet. Tomato, Firetiger and Pumpkin/Chartreuse are great color choices.

Other good bait choices are Assassins, Norton, Bull Minnow, Sand Eel Jr and H & H Cocahoe Minnow in Red Shad and Limetreuse.

If you’re looking for some serious redfish action, try the eastern bank from Blue Buck Point to Willow Bayou. Glow, Roach and Limetreuse plastics rigged on ¼ ounce lead heads are hard for these reds to resist. Topwaters like Skitterwalks and She-Dogs are very good locator baits. When you find them, you can work them over by bouncing plastics off the bottom or rigging one under a popping cork.

The best flounder bite should be early on high tides. Work the mouths of the bayous, drains and cuts on the Louisiana shoreline. Drag chartreuse, glow and smoke curl-tail grubs tipped with fresh peeled shrimp. Don’t be scared to get in the bayou and fish the banks, but make sure you have your Louisiana license. Let’s pray this spring brings a little normalcy so we can have a little consistency and catch some fish.