LESS FRESHWATER MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE

“Only in Orange, Texas,” Paul Dufrene declared with a smile as he and his grandson, Ty, assessed the weather while climbing out of their Suburban. “I knew even before leaving the house that we wouldn’t be dressed right, but I’ve got a truck full of extra clothes.”

“You ride over here in shorts and sandals, then you have to bundle up in warmer clothes and two hours later you’re peeling them off again and looking for sunscreen.”That is not unusual around here in April, but this time we had to wade as well in order to launch the boat. At least one of us had to wade!

Paul fished with me seven or eight times a year for twenty years, but hadn’t been back since retiring in 2010.“This high water is compliments of the most recent mini-flood, but we have been fighting high water and too much wind for months. At least this north wind is a little lighter.Maybe we can run further south without getting beat up.”

It was twelve year old Ty’s first trip to Sabine and wouldn’t you know it, the first fish that crushed his chrome Chug Bug was a bass.Paul just looked at me and shook his head. “I told him we were going trout fishing…what is this all about?” “Fresh water,” I replied.

Switching to a Swim Bait yielded two keeper trout and several undersize redfish.I was just happy to be catching any kind of fish at that point. A keeper flounder inhaled the same Swim Bait and, if nothing else, the wind wasn’t howling and we were catching a variety!

The catching then slowed significantly over the next hour for no good reason.More interested in watching Ty fish than fishing himself, Paul was finishing the last of a soggy breakfast burrito when he noticed that the dirty water had cleared up a little.

It was obvious that the outgoing tide was now in full swing as we neared a small cut leading out of the marsh.“I thought I was hung up,” said Ty as a heavier fish slowly peeled drag off his reel. Paul got one swipe with the net before a huge flounder won the battle and her freedom.

Another cast and Ty immediately hooked up with a 16-inch flounder that we put in the boat.Seven more flounder up to four pounds later and fishing was suddenly fun again.Paul and I were fan casting in order to leave the youngster the prime spot when a nice slot red just crushed his five-inch Assassin.

Before I could net his fish, a hungry group of reds blew up on small shad huddled against the shoreline.We were worn out when we left the redfish still feeding an hour later.I have no doubt that the tide and clearer water played a role in our unexpected success, but we were also fishing water that I have not been able to fish for quite a while.

We never found the trout, but never looked for them after stumbling up on the non-stop redfish bite. Having been stymied by daily winds since January that eliminated fishing much of the lake, it is encouraging to know the fish are still around and the fishing pressure has been almost non-existent.

The flounder bite was easily the most surprising and pleasing surprise.That bite may well be in full swing, but it is little more than speculation at this point.Lighter winds and less fresh water will give us a legitimate shot to find out.

Only Mother Nature can do anything about the wind and she can help with the fresh water as well if she so chooses.In the meantime, the SRA has helped by reducing the amount of water exiting Toledo Bend.As ofTuesday, the lake was still about a foot above pool level with both generators running 24/7, but the flow was down to about 24,000 and we can easily handle that.

Thanks to the folks at Bassmaster Elite as well as the planners right here at home, the postponed tournament is now scheduled for the first weekend in June.It will be a little hotter by then, but the benefits far outweigh any discomfort.It will be fun!

Make plans to bring the family to participate in the S.A.L.T. Club’s fishing tournament and north levee road clean up on April 21^st .The north revetment wall is one of the few places that a bank fisherman truly has a shot at hooking a monster trout.For more information call 409-963-9872.

LESS FRESHWATER MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE

“Only in Orange, Texas,” Paul Dufrene declared with a smile as he and his grandson, Ty, assessed the weather while climbing out of their Suburban. “I knew even before leaving the house that we wouldn’t be dressed right, but I’ve got a truck full of extra clothes.”

“You ride over here in shorts and sandals, then you have to bundle up in warmer clothes and two hours later you’re peeling them off again and looking for sunscreen.”That is not unusual around here in April, but this time we had to wade as well in order to launch the boat. At least one of us had to wade!

Paul fished with me seven or eight times a year for twenty years, but hadn’t been back since retiring in 2010.“This high water is compliments of the most recent mini-flood, but we have been fighting high water and too much wind for months. At least this north wind is a little lighter.Maybe we can run further south without getting beat up.”

It was twelve year old Ty’s first trip to Sabine and wouldn’t you know it, the first fish that crushed his chrome Chug Bug was a bass.Paul just looked at me and shook his head. “I told him we were going trout fishing…what is this all about?” “Fresh water,” I replied.

Switching to a Swim Bait yielded two keeper trout and several undersize redfish.I was just happy to be catching any kind of fish at that point. A keeper flounder inhaled the same Swim Bait and, if nothing else, the wind wasn’t howling and we were catching a variety!

The catching then slowed significantly over the next hour for no good reason.More interested in watching Ty fish than fishing himself, Paul was finishing the last of a soggy breakfast burrito when he noticed that the dirty water had cleared up a little.

It was obvious that the outgoing tide was now in full swing as we neared a small cut leading out of the marsh.“I thought I was hung up,” said Ty as a heavier fish slowly peeled drag off his reel. Paul got one swipe with the net before a huge flounder won the battle and her freedom.

Another cast and Ty immediately hooked up with a 16-inch flounder that we put in the boat.Seven more flounder up to four pounds later and fishing was suddenly fun again.Paul and I were fan casting in order to leave the youngster the prime spot when a nice slot red just crushed his five-inch Assassin.

Before I could net his fish, a hungry group of reds blew up on small shad huddled against the shoreline.We were worn out when we left the redfish still feeding an hour later.I have no doubt that the tide and clearer water played a role in our unexpected success, but we were also fishing water that I have not been able to fish for quite a while.

We never found the trout, but never looked for them after stumbling up on the non-stop redfish bite. Having been stymied by daily winds since January that eliminated fishing much of the lake, it is encouraging to know the fish are still around and the fishing pressure has been almost non-existent.

The flounder bite was easily the most surprising and pleasing surprise.That bite may well be in full swing, but it is little more than speculation at this point.Lighter winds and less fresh water will give us a legitimate shot to find out.

Only Mother Nature can do anything about the wind and she can help with the fresh water as well if she so chooses.In the meantime, the SRA has helped by reducing the amount of water exiting Toledo Bend.As ofTuesday, the lake was still about a foot above pool level with both generators running 24/7, but the flow was down to about 24,000 and we can easily handle that.

Thanks to the folks at Bassmaster Elite as well as the planners right here at home, the postponed tournament is now scheduled for the first weekend in June.It will be a little hotter by then, but the benefits far outweigh any discomfort.It will be fun!

Make plans to bring the family to participate in the S.A.L.T. Club’s fishing tournament and north levee road clean up on April 21^st .The north revetment wall is one of the few places that a bank fisherman truly has a shot at hooking a monster trout.For more information call 409-963-9872.

LESS FRESHWATER MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE

“Only in Orange, Texas,” Paul Dufrene declared with a smile as he and his grandson, Ty, assessed the weather while climbing out of their Suburban. “I knew even before leaving the house that we wouldn’t be dressed right, but I’ve got a truck full of extra clothes.”

“You ride over here in shorts and sandals, then you have to bundle up in warmer clothes and two hours later you’re peeling them off again and looking for sunscreen.”That is not unusual around here in April, but this time we had to wade as well in order to launch the boat. At least one of us had to wade!

Paul fished with me seven or eight times a year for twenty years, but hadn’t been back since retiring in 2010.“This high water is compliments of the most recent mini-flood, but we have been fighting high water and too much wind for months. At least this north wind is a little lighter.Maybe we can run further south without getting beat up.”

It was twelve year old Ty’s first trip to Sabine and wouldn’t you know it, the first fish that crushed his chrome Chug Bug was a bass.Paul just looked at me and shook his head. “I told him we were going trout fishing…what is this all about?” “Fresh water,” I replied.

Switching to a Swim Bait yielded two keeper trout and several undersize redfish.I was just happy to be catching any kind of fish at that point. A keeper flounder inhaled the same Swim Bait and, if nothing else, the wind wasn’t howling and we were catching a variety!

The catching then slowed significantly over the next hour for no good reason.More interested in watching Ty fish than fishing himself, Paul was finishing the last of a soggy breakfast burrito when he noticed that the dirty water had cleared up a little.

It was obvious that the outgoing tide was now in full swing as we neared a small cut leading out of the marsh.“I thought I was hung up,” said Ty as a heavier fish slowly peeled drag off his reel. Paul got one swipe with the net before a huge flounder won the battle and her freedom.

Another cast and Ty immediately hooked up with a 16-inch flounder that we put in the boat.Seven more flounder up to four pounds later and fishing was suddenly fun again.Paul and I were fan casting in order to leave the youngster the prime spot when a nice slot red just crushed his five-inch Assassin.

Before I could net his fish, a hungry group of reds blew up on small shad huddled against the shoreline.We were worn out when we left the redfish still feeding an hour later.I have no doubt that the tide and clearer water played a role in our unexpected success, but we were also fishing water that I have not been able to fish for quite a while.

We never found the trout, but never looked for them after stumbling up on the non-stop redfish bite. Having been stymied by daily winds since January that eliminated fishing much of the lake, it is encouraging to know the fish are still around and the fishing pressure has been almost non-existent.

The flounder bite was easily the most surprising and pleasing surprise.That bite may well be in full swing, but it is little more than speculation at this point.Lighter winds and less fresh water will give us a legitimate shot to find out.

Only Mother Nature can do anything about the wind and she can help with the fresh water as well if she so chooses.In the meantime, the SRA has helped by reducing the amount of water exiting Toledo Bend.As ofTuesday, the lake was still about a foot above pool level with both generators running 24/7, but the flow was down to about 24,000 and we can easily handle that.

Thanks to the folks at Bassmaster Elite as well as the planners right here at home, the postponed tournament is now scheduled for the first weekend in June.It will be a little hotter by then, but the benefits far outweigh any discomfort.It will be fun!

Make plans to bring the family to participate in the S.A.L.T. Club’s fishing tournament and north levee road clean up on April 21^st .The north revetment wall is one of the few places that a bank fisherman truly has a shot at hooking a monster trout.For more information call 409-963-9872.

LESS FRESHWATER MAKES BIG DIFFERENCE

“Only in Orange, Texas,” Paul Dufrene declared with a smile as he and his grandson, Ty, assessed the weather while climbing out of their Suburban. “I knew even before leaving the house that we wouldn’t be dressed right, but I’ve got a truck full of extra clothes.”

“You ride over here in shorts and sandals, then you have to bundle up in warmer clothes and two hours later you’re peeling them off again and looking for sunscreen.”That is not unusual around here in April, but this time we had to wade as well in order to launch the boat. At least one of us had to wade!

Paul fished with me seven or eight times a year for twenty years, but hadn’t been back since retiring in 2010.“This high water is compliments of the most recent mini-flood, but we have been fighting high water and too much wind for months. At least this north wind is a little lighter.Maybe we can run further south without getting beat up.”

It was twelve year old Ty’s first trip to Sabine and wouldn’t you know it, the first fish that crushed his chrome Chug Bug was a bass.Paul just looked at me and shook his head. “I told him we were going trout fishing…what is this all about?” “Fresh water,” I replied.

Switching to a Swim Bait yielded two keeper trout and several undersize redfish.I was just happy to be catching any kind of fish at that point. A keeper flounder inhaled the same Swim Bait and, if nothing else, the wind wasn’t howling and we were catching a variety!

The catching then slowed significantly over the next hour for no good reason.More interested in watching Ty fish than fishing himself, Paul was finishing the last of a soggy breakfast burrito when he noticed that the dirty water had cleared up a little.

It was obvious that the outgoing tide was now in full swing as we neared a small cut leading out of the marsh.“I thought I was hung up,” said Ty as a heavier fish slowly peeled drag off his reel. Paul got one swipe with the net before a huge flounder won the battle and her freedom.

Another cast and Ty immediately hooked up with a 16-inch flounder that we put in the boat.Seven more flounder up to four pounds later and fishing was suddenly fun again.Paul and I were fan casting in order to leave the youngster the prime spot when a nice slot red just crushed his five-inch Assassin.

Before I could net his fish, a hungry group of reds blew up on small shad huddled against the shoreline.We were worn out when we left the redfish still feeding an hour later.I have no doubt that the tide and clearer water played a role in our unexpected success, but we were also fishing water that I have not been able to fish for quite a while.

We never found the trout, but never looked for them after stumbling up on the non-stop redfish bite. Having been stymied by daily winds since January that eliminated fishing much of the lake, it is encouraging to know the fish are still around and the fishing pressure has been almost non-existent.

The flounder bite was easily the most surprising and pleasing surprise.That bite may well be in full swing, but it is little more than speculation at this point.Lighter winds and less fresh water will give us a legitimate shot to find out.

Only Mother Nature can do anything about the wind and she can help with the fresh water as well if she so chooses.In the meantime, the SRA has helped by reducing the amount of water exiting Toledo Bend.As ofTuesday, the lake was still about a foot above pool level with both generators running 24/7, but the flow was down to about 24,000 and we can easily handle that.

Thanks to the folks at Bassmaster Elite as well as the planners right here at home, the postponed tournament is now scheduled for the first weekend in June.It will be a little hotter by then, but the benefits far outweigh any discomfort.It will be fun!

Make plans to bring the family to participate in the S.A.L.T. Club’s fishing tournament and north levee road clean up on April 21^st .The north revetment wall is one of the few places that a bank fisherman truly has a shot at hooking a monster trout.For more information call 409-963-9872.