UPPER COAST FOCUS Sabine November/December 2023
UPPER COAST FOCUS Galveston November/December 2023
October 24, 2023
OPEN SEASON by Reavis Z. Wortham
October 24, 2023
SABINE LAKE & PASS
Reported by CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ
Email Eddie Hernandez at ContactUs@fishgame.com
Fishing is Cool Again
LISTEN: (2 Min, 47 Sec)
COOLER WATER FISHING has made its way to Sabine. During the months of November and December we will notice the fronts becoming more intense and frequent. We are making steady progress toward winter and that has us, the baitfish, shrimp and predators all equally excited. Fishing in triple digit temperatures and water temps above 90º seems almost like a dream, even though it was only a couple of months ago. We all just keep getting rejuvenated with each new cold front.
Fall is officially here, and winter starts on December 21st. With the air and water temperatures steadily decreasing, keying on bait will be your ticket to success. Whether it be hyped-up mullet deep in the bayous or the massive hordes of shrimp that will pour into the lake as each new front continues to purge the marsh, if you want to have a successful trip, you’ve got to find the bait. With the gulls giving the shrimp and fish away in the bay as usual, solid stringers shouldn’t be hard to come by as trout and reds will binge and purge all day until they can’t stand it anymore.
It’s not uncommon to encounter birds working into the bayous on good days either. However, at times your best bet will be to locate mullet hanging around small cuts and drains, or to simply fish the shoreline. We rarely fish these areas in the cool water without doing battle with some bruiser reds and an occasional nice flounder or two. As usual, a good moving tide in either direction will help with finding the bait and enticing the fish to bite. Dark plastics on 1/4 or 1/8 oz. lead heads are hard to beat. Work it real slow while casting to the shallow water on the bank. If the big slots are there, it will get their attention and they will strike it more frequently than if it’s moving too fast.
Madame Johnson, Johnson and the mouth of Bridge Bayou are all prime, cool water honey holes on Sabine. If super-fast action is what you’re looking for and you don’t mind a little competition, run the open bay and fish the birds. Some of these schooling trout are on steroids and most of the schools will have some impressive reds mixed in as well. It’s hard to beat soft plastics in virtually any color when fishing schooling fish in the cool water. There are lots of fish to be caught right now on Sabine, so I hope to see you here soon. The best part about it is we are not in triple digits and the water temperature is below 90º.
