Wish You Were Here

SABINE LAKE & PASS

Reported by CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com

LISTEN: (3 minutes, 23 seconds)

OUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. After months of dealing with strong winds and some cooler than normal days for the most part, the conditions have settled in a big way. Now that we are entering the two hottest months of the year the weather and wind have stabilized significantly and we are getting our wish of fishing on warm (hot), calm days. Most days are so warm and calm that I have to remind myself to be careful what I wish for. I’ve gone from praying that the wind would give us a break, to praying for a little breeze so that it wouldn’t be so miserable.

These slick-offs are normal and should be expected in the hot, summer months, especially from about mid-July through August. During these slick-offs, the wind will die down from about a whopping 6 mph to 1 or 0 mph. The entire lake will become like glass and the best part is they usually occur around mid-day when the temperature is reaching its peak. During these periods, large schools of trout and reds push shrimp to the surface and are easy to locate and stay within the ultra-calm water. It’s nice being able to locate schooling fish easily without any help from birds for limits of trout and reds. You basically just need to look and listen for any surface activity whatsoever, from ladyfish or trout popping, to shrimp skipping for their lives. The north end of Sabine Lake between the north revetment on Pleasure Island and Three Bayou is prime real estate. Come armed with 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 foot medium-light spinning or casting gear rigged with 1/8 to 1/4 oz. lead heads, 10-12 lb. test line, and a variety of soft plastic baits. Some good choices are D.O.A. C.A.L. Series Shad Paddle Tail and Down South Lures. Experiment with different colors to see what they want the most, but usually light colors like glow or anything with a chartreuse tail will get the job done.

Other good bait choices are topwaters like Skitter Walks and She Pups, which usually attract some of the bigger trout. Throwing a soft plastic bait about 24” under a popping cork is also very effective.

There is no shortage of shad in our system during these hot summer months. You should encounter several large clouds of them all over the lake. Fishing the perimeters and a little deeper should yield some nice trout and bruiser reds.

Free-lining or rigging live or dead shad under a popping cork is another great technique for catching solid trout and reds near these pods of shad. The flounder bite is still going strong ahead of their fall migration, and the bayous on the Louisiana side of the lake have been giving up some nice boxes of flatties. Bridge, Willow and Johnson Bayous have been the most consistent lately and it’s only going to get better over the next few months. Live mud minnows and curl tail grubs tipped with fresh shrimp have been the most productive.

If catching fish in excessive heat and basically no wind sounds like fun to you, come join us this summer for some slick action on Sabine.

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The Early Bird Beats the Heat

GALVESTON

Reported by CAPT. DEREK YORK

Email Derek York at spotstalkerfishing@yahoo.com

LISTEN: (3 minutes, 14 seconds)

THE HEAT IS ON THIS TIME OF YEAR and that usually means early mornings for my clients and myself. Most of my days fishing this time of the year start well before the sun comes up to try and enjoy some cooler temperatures. Speckled trout fishing is typically very good this time of the year, especially when targeting deeper oyster reefs in West and East Galveston Bay. These areas offer lots of oyster reef habitat and the deeper water which stays a little cooler during the day. Other areas that are highly productive on Galveston Bay are the numerous oyster reefs along the Houston Ship channel. Drifting these areas with artificials or live bait such as croaker or shrimp can produce some quality fish and good numbers.

My tackle is fairly simple when fishing in the summer, 1/4oz jigheads with your favorite soft plastic or about an 18 inch leader with a kale hook when using croaker or shrimp. The chatter weights are a great product that you can attach to the front of your live bait rig to produce lots of sound and the added weight to keep your bait in the strike zone. Don’t be surprised if you hook into a nice red or flounder also!

This is also a great time to look for some of those fish species that find their way into our nearshore waters and bay systems in warmer months. Sharks, jacks, tripletail and cobia can be targeted here in Galveston when the conditions are right. These fish rarely turn down live bait and can provide some great action when hooked. Cobia and Tripletail are notorious for being around floating structures. Areas to target could be anything from sargassum to trash and even color changes. For cobia, I am typically using 60 pound fluorocarbon leader about 18 inches long with a good circle hook. Live bait is usually my go-to for catching cobia and tripletail. I will use a 25 pound fluorocarbon setup for tripletail with just a small circle hook in a 1/0 or 2/0 size to a small swivel. For sharks, you are typically using some sort of wire leader. This can be a single strand wire, but I prefer using the coated multistrand wire which is much easier to handle and less likely to cut you when you are handling it with a fish on the other end!

Even though most of my fishing is done from a boat, there are numerous opportunities for fishing from the shore or on the beachfront this time of year. The surf fishing for speckled trout can be “speck-tacular”, especially at first light. Pier fishing also provides a great opportunity to fish around the beaches without getting in the water.

So, make sure to get out and get in on some of this great fishing this summer! And remember with our hot Texas summers to keep drinking water and stay protected from the sun as much as possible. See you on the water.

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School’s Out and Surf’s Up

MATAGORDA

Reported by CAPT. MARK TALASEK

Email Mark Talasek at MarkTalasek@sbcglobal.com

LISTEN: (2 minutes, 25 seconds)

SCHOOL HAS LET OUT and the buses have stopped running, except for those who have to attend summer school, and I pity you.

Summertime is in full swing right now. Water temperatures are in the 80’s and the bay is full of life. Cool fronts are staying up north and our prevailing southeast breezes are the norm.

This is when the surf will lay down and let the green water come to the shore. Trout and reds like to come feed on the baitfish in the clear water. The standing joke is anyone can catch fish in the surf.

I personally like to wade the surf. Tie on your favorite top water or plastic and chunk out away from the shore. I’ve had some of my best days fishing in the surf. Look for bait in the vicinity and work that area. Be sure to have a long stringer because sharks will definitely be in the area. I drilled some holes in a five gallon bucket and put a lid on it. Put a round floaty around it and it works great for keeping fish away from the sharks.

For those who want to stay in the boat, trout can be caught on plastics and top water as well. Anchoring on the second sand bar and casting into the first gut usually works best. Live bait is always an alternative. Get ready for some pulls because something is always going to be hungry.

The late great Mr. Eddie Douglas had his favorite lure, the ED special that worked well in the surf. RIP Mr. Eddie. I like to throw a soft plastic or top water. Spoons reflect the sun very well and catch fish. Spanish mackerel like them. They will definitely stretch out your line.

Incoming tide is always the best because it brings in the clean water. I have caught fish on a falling tide but definitely not as well. For those feeling adventurous, a trip to the first oil rigs can be productive for redfish and snapper.

There are so many options this time of the year to catch fish. Enjoy your time out on the water this summer and God bless.