Early summer fishing for specks, reds and flounders on
Sabine Lake promises to be great this year. We haven't had a lot of rain
so the bay is rich with salt and full of fish. In
fact, we are already so "salty" here on the north end that we're
catching specks and reds schooling in Coffee Ground Cove. The lack of
sweet rain water combined with the big bull tides of spring has
delivered the Gulf of Mexico to our back door!
Clearly the yellow mouth trout have arrived in
numbers. Limits of Texas keepers are fairly consistent. We've been
fishing for trophies early with top waters and then fishing plastics
during the day. So far our biggest trout is over nine pounds. We have
had limits and near limits often. Sabine Lake is widely known as the
hottest speckled trout lake on the coast. Since the removal of the
commercial strike nets some ten years ago speckled trout populations
have skyrocketed! The best areas to catch now will be around the Blue
Buck Point and Garrison’s Ridge region. If you have a Sabine Lake map
draw a line from Blue Buck Point to the Pt. Arthur Yacht Club. Slow
cruise that line looking for any surface activity or working gulls. Best
baits for trout early in the morning would be the She Dog or the Top
Dog. The most consistent soft plastic is the OldBayside 4" Speck Grub.
Our favorite colors are closing night and pogie. Make sure you check the
Coffee Ground Cove area of the bay. Slowly snake cruise the area again
looking for surface activity or diving gulls.
Reds, reds and more reds. Sometimes it just gets
ridiculous. It's like being hooked up to a mini-bus. They are thick in
the marshes already. We are smoking those croakers on steroids on gold
spoons. Summer reds in the bay are bigger and easy to see and catch. Our
best bait in the lake has been chrome Rat-l-traps burned through
surfacing schools early. The trick is to get one hooked up, back the
drag up, put the rod in the holder, shoot another bait out there and get
two at a time. Over the years, Texas Parks & Wildlife has kept up a
healthy stocking program on our bay. The "forgotten bay" is chock full
of redfish! The best area is one half mile due east of the first fishing
pier on the north embankment wall. Be sure to use twenty pound test
line.
The flounder fishing on Sabine has got to be the
best kept secret on the Gulf Coast. Each day we see "fast driving"
anglers going right by the best saddleblanket banks on the bay. Most of
these newcomers are only interested in specks and reds even though
nothing tastes better than fresh flounder. We've had some great catches
already this season. Early summer flatties on the banks in the main bay
are terrific. The best area to work is from the Pines Bayou to Willow
Bayou. There are many points and cuts and bottom changes along this
bank. Throw a quarter ounce lead head with a chartreuse or white
OldBayside Speck Grub. Make sure you tip this bait with a fresh piece of
shrimp. It is amazing how overlooked the Sabine Lake flounder population
is!
