1910October

COASTAL FORECAST: Sabine – October 2019

October Brings Fish Back to School

AFTER WHAT SEEMS LIKE an eternity of waiting as patiently as possible for the arrival of some cool fronts with somewhat of an attitude, I’m happy to announce that October has finally made its way to the Texas Coast.

I’ve said before that I’m not going to complain about the summer heat, so I hope this is not interpreted that way. I would much rather sweat than freeze.

It seems as though the older I get, the more the frigid winter air stings anyway. I will, however, welcome this wonderful month with open arms. I’ll also bid a polite tip of the hat to the sweltering summer temperatures that I will be longing for in a few short months.

The big tides of spring and summer have pushed shrimp deep into the marsh. This gives coastal anglers high hopes for what is gearing up to be another action-packed fall fishing season on Sabine.

The ever-increasing cool fronts will begin to intensify this month. This will slowly start to bring lower than normal tides that will pull water from the back lakes and purge the marsh and bayous of shrimp and baitfish. The bite should blast off from there.

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. 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 telltale 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 for success in October, it is by far the most popular. We are usually blessed here on Sabine to be able to fish birds virtually year-round.

With the exception of January and February, most months are fairly consistent, and we definitely take advantage of it when we can. The real fronts, however, typically begin to show up sometime in October.

That tends to raise the bird-chasing bar up a few notches. It’s the amount of bait in the bay in in October that allows predators such as the Big Three to really showcase their dominance in the food chain.

We have our share of shrimp and ribbon fish 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 with the low tides that come with the stronger fronts.

It’s the amount of shrimp in the bay during the fall months that makes the difference. During the hot summer months not nearly as many shrimp are 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 almost every cast. There are also usually several different groups to choose from, so there is plenty of room for everyone. Come say hi if you make it down to Sabine this fall. We’ll be somewhere in the birds.

 

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THE BANK BITE

Location: Concrete steps at Pleasure Island.

Species: Redfish, speckled trout, flounder, croaker.

Baits/Lures: Fresh dead shrimp, cut bait, mud minnows.

Best Times: All Day.

 

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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Heather Bryan

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Heather Bryan

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