William Robinson of Orange caught this 36″ Red from the bank of the Sabine River in downtown Orange on a frozen shrimp.
This week’s fishing report from TPWD.
SALTWATER
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 74 degrees. Cold fronts continue to push more bait out the marsh. Limits of speckled trout and redfish in the rocks and flats in the ICW with live shrimp under a popping corks or ⅛ ounce five inch artificials with a glo chartreuse tail. Trout are biting from Pleasure Island point to Stoots Island drifting with ⅛ ounce five inch artificials with a glo chartreuse tail and jerkbaits, or with topwaters early in the morning. North Levee is producing limits of trout in the second pike. Neches River is holding limits of redfish with some trout mixed in the cuts and points north of the fleet using half ounce gold spoons. Bull redfish are in the flats in 20-30 feet of water using gold and silver spoons. Trout are in the buoys on the east side of the river biting shrimp under a popping cork. Turnarounds holding lots of smaller speckled trout. Limits of sheepshead, drum, and redfish in the canals leading into Bessie Heights marsh using live shrimp under a popping cork. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. 75 degrees. Now that we are in fall and water temperatures have started to decline look for fish to hold in deeper water. Remember flounder season at a pause until December 14. The small jetty by the ferry is holding some flounder on mullet or shrimp. Fish the cuts through the intercoastal waterway from Goat Island to Rollover Flats for redfish with a popping cork with live shrimp. Report provided by Captain Raymond Wheatley, Tail Spotter Guide Service LLC.
FRESHWATER
Sam Rayburn
FAIR. Water stained; 65 degrees; 6.24 feet low. Bass are biting crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs on shallow points and backs of creeks, ledges Carolina and cranks. Crappie are migrating from brush to the creeks and in 12-14 feet of water hanging on brush and timber in 27 feet of water. Catfish 12-22 feet of water off points and creek channels chasing bait cut bait and liver perch. White bass are in the creeks and river biting small crankbaits and silver spoons. Look for this bite to improve. Continue to keep a watchful eye for floating timber. Report by Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
Toledo Bend
GOOD. Water stained; 62-68 degrees; 4.80 feet low. The water level is 167.2 with no generators running. Water temperature at the Dam is 62 degrees with surface temperature around 68. The back feeder creeks are stained and clearing in spots, and the main lake remains clear. The back feeder creeks have a lot of fallen leaves on the surface. This can be a good sign if you are learning to read the water in the creek. When the leaves are moving fast on one side of the creek and slower on the other side, fish the side with the faster moving current. The bass will be setting up behind the structure waiting to dart out to ambush prey. The night air and water temperatures are starting to cool down and some reports are coming in that fish have been biting better in the evenings. For the shallow bite use topwater baits, such as spooks, buzz baits and pop-r’s. Spinnerbaits will also work in 1/4 ounce and 3/8 ounce white, chartreuse, and black in color. Try something different, go back to the old single spin with a Colorado blade in silver for clear water and gold for muddy water. Out to eight feet of water cast flat sided or squarebill crankbaits, and smaller rattletraps in shad and perch imitation colors, and don’t forget that Rayburn red craw colored traps. For deeper bass, use a jigging spoon 1/2 to 3/4 ounce in silver with a white or yellow accent tail feather, or a deep diving crankbaits in citrus shad and Tennessee shad colors. The jig bite has been strong this week with the night temperatures dropping into the 40s. Cast your jig to long tapering points that drop off into deep water, the best colors are black and blue, PB&J football jigs 3/8 – 3/4 ounce with a 3-inch matching color craw trailer, and a green pumpkin jig with the chunk style trailer dipped in chartreuse color. Crappie bite has been picking up in 10-20 feet of water using 1/16 or 3/32-ounce Wager Baits, #46 Bluegrass, #3 Monkey Milk and small minnows, depending on the cloud cover and cooling night temperatures. Bluegills are still mixed in with Crappie in the brush piles and some are now being caught under boathouses and docks. Catfish are holding in 10-20 feet of water and have also been caught migrating up into the feeder creeks. Another bass pattern is using a 5-8 WT fly rod, use a topwater foam white or black wiggle fish and sometimes cast a Dahlberg Diver in yellow/black color with a floating line; strip slowly and stop, pause, strip again or you can cast a crease fly shad color imitation; strip, strip, pause. The cadence can change daily with the cooler temperatures. Some days they want the fly fast across the surface like chasing down a shad and other days they want it dead, motionless on the surface. After the colder nights have passed, you might want to try a Clouser minnow and sub-surface streamer fly like a Black Wooly Booger or a Death to Crappie beaded chartreuse head with black deer hair body. Now that the lake is at a Winter drawdown, it’s prime time to go out scouting for new areas for Springtime fishing. Look for areas like feeder creeks, ditches, man-made structures, creek bends and undercuts, etc. Always leave the area better than you found it, discarding trash, and picking up what you can. Good luck and tight lines! Report from Master Captain Steve (Scooby) Stubbe, Mudfish Adventures LLC, Orvis Endorsed Fishing Guide, Mudfish Rod Shop, Kayak Sales, and Rod Repair.
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