The Sabine NR fishing from a boat is now closed for the winter. Fishing in Sabine NR is allowed year round from the fishing piers.
Bank fishing and crabbing are open year round from legal sunrise until legal sunset at North line, Hog Island Gully, Blue Crab, and West Cove Recreation Areas.
The marsh area behind Grand Bayou weir is the East Cove Unit of Cameron Prairie NWE which is not part of Sabine NR.
East Cove Unit of Cameron Prairie NWR
The East Cove Unit consists of 14,927 acres of intermediate and brackish marshes. It is bordered on the west by Calcasieu Lake and on the north, south and east by privately owned marshes. It is part of a 64,000 acre marsh restoration program known as the Cameron Creole Watershed Project. Five water control structures and a protection levee improve marsh conditions and stop marsh erosion by controlling salt water intrusion.
Closed Areas:
Areas designated by No Fishing or Area Closed signs are closed for safety or management purposes.
Season:
Public access into East Cove Unit is open year round, except during the Louisiana west zone waterfowl hunting season or when Grand Bayou boat bay is closed.
When Grand Bayou boat bay is closed, the East Cove Unit is closed to ALL public use.
Hours:
Boat admittance into the refuge is permitted from one hour before legal sunrise until one hour after legal sunset; however, recreational fishing, crabbing, and cast netting activities are prohibited until legal sunrise and after legal sunset.
Access
All State boating regulations must be followed. Outboard motors and go-devil type or air cooled motors may be operated in refuge canals, bayous and lakes. Trolling motors may be operated in refuge marshes. There are no horsepower restrictions on boat motors; however, the Grand Bayou boat bay passage into the Unit is only 10 feet wide. Boat passage through Grand Bayou water control structure is permitted only when the boat bay is completely open. Public use within this unit is restricted to boat use only. Walking, wading, and/or climbing in or on the marsh, levees, or structures is prohibited.
Permitted Activities, Gear, and Possession Limits
Fishing:
Fishing is permitted with rod and reel or pole and line only. The use or possession of any other type of fishing gear including: limb, trot, or jug lines and gill, trammel, or hoop nets is prohibited in all refuge waters. The daily fish limits are the same as Louisiana’s Sport Fishing limits.