Big Flounder. Big Redfish. Big Speckled Trout.

THOSE ARE THE THREE motivating factors for anglers along the Texas Gulf Coast, and for great action for super-sized specimens of the Big 3—and much more—Port Arthur should be on your radar.

On the shores of Texas’s northernmost bay, Port Arthur’s Sabine Lake offers ample opportunity for anglers in bay boats and kayaks, as well as those who prefer to fish from the bank.

Sabine Lake is where it all starts.

Texas’s smallest major bay system holds the state record flounder caught by Herbert Endicott in 1976.

Few fish records have held that long, showing the magnitude of the catch. Fortunately, the skin mount of Endicott’s fish is on display at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.

Seeing this historical fish is worth the visit, but there is much more there, ranging from natural history to music history.

The Gulf of Mexico out of Sabine Lake gave up the state record redfish, a 59.50-pounder caught by Artie Longron in 2000.

The water body record speckled trout is 11.50 pounds caught by Kelly Rising in 2002.

Not surprisingly, Sabine Lake also holds several saltwater records for typically freshwater species.

That includes Bobby Hutchinson’s 42.78-pound blue catfish, Dale William’s 50.15-pound flathead, and Michael McKinney’s 33.62-pound freshwater drum (gaspergou).

The reason for those huge freshwater fish in the system from time to time is that Sabine Lake is fed by both the Sabine and Neches Rivers, two major systems, and has solid freshwater flow during spring and early summer.

This struggle of fresh and salt is what makes the ecosystem so fertile.

My favorite part of the greater Sabine Lake ecosystem is the marshes along the Louisiana shoreline. The winding canals that feed the rich estuary into the lake provide some of the best flounder and redfish action in the country. I have spent many mornings watching the sunrise over the marsh and sat in wonder at the incredible beauty.

I’ve fished all along the Gulf Coast of Texas, and it is one of the few areas other than Lower Laguna Madre where one can find true solitude. Hit those marshes on a Tuesday morning in the middle of February, and you will probably see no one else out there.

On the opposite side of the lake is Pleasure Island, and it brings anglers some of the best bank fishing and crabbing anywhere.

The Walter Umphrey Pier at the causeway is a popular destination. It is strategically positioned at the juncture of Sabine Lake and Sabine Pass that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. That means outgoing tides bring action from the lakeside, and incoming currents bring in everything from big redfish to sharks from Gulf waters.

The seawall around the Pleasure Island Yacht Basin has another popular pier, but perhaps even more productive is its seawall. Many anglers like to walk the wall with live finger mullet or mud minnows and vertical-fish for flounder. Both the north and south levees on Pleasure Island offer miles of bank fishing opportunity. The revetment areas off both levees offer easy kayak access and can provide some good paddling and fishing opportunities.

Moving south to Sabine Pass, the jetties are the drawing card for anglers and sport fishers. The only jetties in Texas longer than Sabine’s are in Galveston, which means several miles of fishing access into the Gulf of Mexico.

At times, the mid to upper reaches of the Sabine Jetties holds incredible numbers of speckled trout, and the first thing anglers should be mindful of is water clarity.

I have seen pockets of clear water at jetties produce fish when other areas seemed barren of specks. Sandy green water is good. Clear water is excellent, but chocolate-colored water means you need to go somewhere else.

Savvy anglers should look for emerging slicks, the small round spots of fish oil spilled when trout feed on shad and other prey. The smaller the slick, the better because it means the fish are still nearby. Avoid fishing slicks around crab traps. Those usually come from the bait inside.

Shrimp jumping along the surface and birds are a more obvious sign, although, at the jetties, birds usually lead to Spanish mackerel more than trout. Birds on the lake are traditionally trout or reds. Birds at the jetty area could be anything.

Moving toward the bottom layer of the ecosystem, redfish rule.

The boat cuts are an excellent place to start because, during tidal movements, you have a lot of baitfish moving through. The boat cuts in a jetty system have the most intense tidal flow because they are a small opening. You will get lots of shrimp, shad, and crabs pushing through, and the reds will lie in wait.

Another great spot to find bull reds at the jetties any time is the deep holes usually found around the southern tip of the rocks and back about 50 yards. These spots are where the current wraps around the rocks and carves out large holes.

The Sabine Jetties are arguably the greatest spot on the Texas coast to catch a 40-inch plus redfish.

Surf anglers will also find ample opportunities in the area as Sea Rim State Park offers quality access to beach areas managed by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Additionally, there is access a little farther down the road through the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge.

Like the jetties, this area is known for bull redfish but is also an excellent spot to catch big blacktip sharks.

If you want abundant opportunities to catch big fish, give the Port Arthur area a try. There’s plenty of places to fish and plenty of fish to catch.

To request a free Sabine Lake Fishing and Waterways Guide in the mail, check out visitportarthurtx.com.

 

 

—story by CHESTER MOORE

 

 

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