Trout and reds on each end of the spectrum

First of all before we get started on the fish I want to say on behalf of all the concerned outdoor folks “welcome back” to President Donald J. Trump and congratulations on the landslide victory. I found it incredibly interesting, as did many others, that the only states Kamala Harris won were ones that required no voter ID. As we have mentioned in this column many times as a hunter or fishermen you must present ID in order to purchase a license, seems like common sense that you would have to show ID to exercise one of your most important rights which is to be able to vote. I still can’t understand why some people believe that asking for ID is some sort of sin, just hard to imagine the logic. Either way I am personally glad the election is over and all of that campaign madness is now behind us.

Looking forward to more pleasant topics Sabine Lake is in terrific shape right now, the water clarity is fantastic and both shrimp and shad can be found in bunches all over the lake as well as the rivers and marshes. The gulls have been working sporadically over schools of speckled trout that are just a little short and redfish that are way too big. Many of these schools of trout and reds are chasing shad right now so they don’t stay in one spot really long like they do when they are chasing shrimp. Be prepared to stay on your trolling motor if you plan to chase them and find a lure that you can cast for distance in order to reach those fish quicker. Standard soft plastics fished under a cork have been the best bet along with 4 or 5 inch swimbaits. Colors vary from day to day but it’s hard to beat anything light that resembles a shrimp such as glo or bone diamond.

The live bait bite is picking up momentum in the river and ICW for those not interested in chasing birds. I stopped along the river recently and found some absolutely perfect sized shad that were being harassed by some pelicans. One throw with a cast net in the right spot provided more than enough bait for the day. A standard Carolina rig with a ½ or 3/8 ounce sinker, 2 feet of leader, and a live bait or Kahle style hook will put you in business if you choose the live bait program. Still others will drift those same shad under a popping cork and catch their fair share of good fish as well. The only downside lately with the using the cork and live shad is working your way through the gafftop. Those pesky, slimy, hard pulling rascals will get in the way of a good bite at exactly the most inopportune time and will more than make a mess if you put them in your boat so take caution.    

I still believe we need another really good cold front to get the bite in the lake going like it should be this time of year. Last week we had some ridiculously high tides associated with the storm in the gulf and those levels are still above normal as we head for the full moon later this week. That big push of water has held the shrimp back in the marshes and bayous which is where they will stay until a big north wind rolls in and dumps everything. Many local folks have retreated to those areas and are doing well on trout and redfish along with some bonus flounder. With just a small bit of cooperation from the weather man the fishing should really take off, until that time the bite we have going on now should be enough to satisfy most folks for the time being.