FISH RATHER THAN TURKEY

While fishing with a young couple last week I was explaining the negative effect on the fishing thanks to the two epic rain events that parked over this area in a two year period, when the young father of two cast a “who cares” look in my direction.

“We haven’t fished with you in the past couple of years because we flooded both times,” said Gary Payne.“We had just moved into a new house two weeks before Harvey hit and finally moved back in a month before Imelda.I transferred here because of a really good job, but all our family knows about East Texas is flooding and life in a camper trailer!” If you weren’t one of the unfortunate few that suffered back-to-back hits, it is difficult to relate to the inconvenience and misery that many of them are still experiencing.“Our boys think this is just one big adventure,” said Paige, “but every time it rains I get nervous.” The wind kept us out of the main lake, but we fished drains in the bayous on an outgoing tide and still caught a mixed bag of flounder, redfish and bass.The water has dropped out a little more and cleared up in the process which really expands the playing field for local anglers.

The marshes are exceptionally good right now, but I would encourage you to be both respectful and selective of the areas you choose to fish over the next couple of months.Most of the hunters with leases in this area are very good about sharing their ponds when duck season isn’t in full swing, but now isn’t the time to test them.

They can’t do anything about annual migrations, but they spend a great deal of time and money maintaining their leases the remainder of the year.I am reluctant to even fish the mouths of cuts along the main bayous when I hear shooting or know hunters may be in the area.

Compromise works year round! Water pouring out of a marsh cut is money in the bank this time of the year and an ideal situation for both fishermen and hunters is an outgoing tide in the afternoon hours.We still do not run up in the marshes, but most of the hunters are done by noon and the entire bayou is in play.

We are still finding it difficult to catch quality flounder, but the numbers have been pretty good.

I talked with Ronnie Chaumont last week and he said that the annual flounder run below Cameron has not been that good for him thus far.

I don’t know if it is still a little early or just won’t happen at all, but we have a dependable connection if and when it lights off! When the wind allows, everything in the tackle box will work in the open lake.The majority of the trout we have found under the birds have not been Texas legal, but there are plenty of slot reds running with them as well.Four inch plastic tails and plastic shrimp fished under a cork will keep you in the catch and release mode most of the trip, but our largest trout and the reds have shown a preference for four inch Usual Suspects and topwaters like the She Dog and Spook.

It will still be a matter of locating larger trout, but it is also time to put on the waders and tie on your favorite Corky.Mullet imitations like the Catch 2000 and Mirodine Xl are also good choices along with five inch tails rigged on 1/8^th ounce heads.

If you prefer to fish the bayous or protected shoreline in the river, thanks to the bass, your choice of lures is basically unlimited.I think your best choices for catching anything that swims is a three inch Swim Bait, a quarter ounce single spin spinner bait or a four inch tube bait.

Small crankbaits and a multitude of soft plastics are deadly on both reds and bass.And, while they don’t work well in grass, the Trap and Hoginar are hard to beat as well.When the fish stack up in deeper water on the main points we do as well vertically jigging the Hoginar as we do fishing it on a slow retrieve.

Well, the turkey is ready to fry and the pumpkin pies just went in the oven.Hope you and yours share a great Thanksgiving!