SABINE LAKE & PASS

Reported by CAPT. EDDIE HERNANDEZ

Red Hot Summer

 

IF YOU’D LIKE TO EXPERIENCE the best of everything our beautiful bay system has to offer, all you have to do is load up and make a trip down here to Sabine during the super hot months. Despite the triple-digit heat index, the entire system tends to show off a bit during July and August. 

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Neches and Sabine Rivers, and everywhere in between, you can get a taste of what she can deliver given the right conditions. Those conditions should be favorable as we settle into the hottest of hot months and the heat wave begins to kick into high gear. 

I, like many other anglers, am beginning to get spoiled by beautiful summer water, abundant sunshine, temperatures pushing 100 degrees, light winds and salt spray. The pretty water will bring increased salinity levels, and the fish will be pushed deep into the upper end of the lake and rivers. The trout bite should be very consistent in the Neches River. Although catching trout in the river and its tributaries is not that uncommon, as the Entergy Outfall Canal and Bessie Heights Marsh can give up some serious numbers year-round. The saltier the water gets, however, the farther up the river the trout will go. It’s not uncommon for people to catch trout as far north as the Beaumont Yacht Club and beyond when the conditions are right. Sitting just a little south of the Yacht Club is the National Reserve Fleet. This area should be red hot for trout, redfish and some nice flounder. Topwaters and plastics fished on the bottom or rigged under a popping cork are usually our “go to” methods, but live finger mullet and shad can also be real killers for big numbers and some hefty fish. 

Fishing the ledges in three to ten feet of water should keep you in the action. Across the lake on the lower end of the system, one of our favorite things to do for big trout and solid numbers is to throw topwaters in the Sabine Neches Ship Channel. You’ve got about a two hour window at daylight and before sunset when the trout can’t resist the zigzag and sound of a topwater plug. Walking the dog over scattered shell in two to eight feet of water is your ticket to success. 

Fishing pretty water with good tidal movement is essential if you want to have a good story at the end of the day. Concentrating your efforts on areas that are holding bait will also up the odds in your favor. The entire stretch of shoreline from Cheniere (LNG) to the jetties is second to none when it comes to attracting and holding bait and fish. The ever-changing bottom contour with fluctuating depths, coupled with good tides from either direction is what keeps this area so consistent. Throw in green, salty water and favorable winds and you should be exactly where you need to be on hot summer days. The high pitch of MirrOLure’s She Dog or Rapala’s Skitter Walk with its tight, easy to work pattern are popular choices for us when it comes to choosing a topwater plug that the fish can’t ignore.