Newbie lookin' for a little help

[elaw62]

Brand new here and looking forward to reading much in days to come. I'm a bass fisherman that has very little experience in saltwater and need a little help from you guys that fish sabine lake. I work in orange so I'm maybe 15 min. from Cow Bayou ramp and plan on launching there. I have caught some trout while wade fishing the surf near north jetty on Boliver peninsula. I have a few walking type topwater (spooks, jumping minnow, & top dog jr.'s) plus a few bass assassin type soft plastics. What are some good areas to fish on north end and what do I key in on in terms of structure & water? Are there any good places in Intercoastal besides the dupont outfall and burton's ditch? I'm not trying to key in on any one's honey hole just some good general areas and techniques. Most guys at work fish live bait and I'm more interested in artificial as a personal preference. all help appreciated. even if you don't fish sabine all advice welcome on lure selection and presentation. Thanks.

[elaw62]

not looking for specific spots just generalities & techniques. anyone's help would be appreciated.

[yak'em-n-stack'em]

a lot of people dont fish sabine on here, some of the texas guys do though

as for baits, W will tell you sand eel jr. glow and chartreuse (which is a good bait imo)

check for calm mornings and throw some topwater and just work the birds.

[Salty]

Originally Posted by elaw62

not looking for specific spots just generalities & techniques. anyone's help would be appreciated.

Getcha some sand eels, man, and you cannot fail.

[Ray]

On the La. side, fish the mouths of Black and Johnson Bayous and the banks all the way south of the Hwy 82 bridge. Then head to the jetties. They usually produce.
There are a few platforms offshore. I worked at Sabine Block 10/40 for a few years. We caught trout there while at work.

[LaAngler]

a couple of our members here fish sabine pretty often...

as far as structure to focus on, try to fish oyster reefs, jettys, rocks, cuts with moving water....

in the winter try mud flats, coves, scattered shell, points

use a norton sand eel or a heddon super spook to locate trout, a lot of us also use sparkle beetles by H & H, corkys, rapalas, bombers, mirrolures, etc.

for reds and flounder, gulp all the way

[yak'em-n-stack'em]

Gold spoon. That's the secret

[Gerald]

I use to fish Sabine whenever Big Lake water would get messed up with too much rain.

I would come down the Sabine river to get there. I did fairly good fishing the area between the north shore and the oil platforms.

One time I went, there were some people that were fishing from the bank of that small island where the river connects to the lake. They were fishing on the north [point] shore and casting to the east.....not out into the main river. This was on an incoming tide, using live bait that they were catching there. In talking to them it sounded like they had done well. I saw them catch one nice trout, just as the tide was about to stop moving.

I caught some trout out in the lake under the birds and just making a drift. I learned that I needed a bigger trolling motor to keep up with the moving birds. I never did learn where any reef were located. I fished the northeast part of the lake some......without success. Never did go south....I would have needed to bring extra gas to go that far.

[elaw62]

thanks for the replies. when fishing the surf I would work the bass assassins with a fairly fast retrieve. do you work the sand eels the same way or slow down let it go to the bottom & hop it along.

[Gerald]

Working it slow is usually the best.

If the trout are busting the bait.......a faster action, may be better.

[elaw62]

thank you Gerald. Do you use a leader? I generally fish with 15lb. test & have heard tying a foot long piece of 30 lb. fluorocarbon on the end is a good idea.

[jpeff31787]

always found that a charteuse sparkle beetle under a good popping cork will find some kind of fish.. but definitely try some sand eel jrs.. my pref is the lsu colored ones.

[elaw62]

so if I'm understanding correctly, topwater early & late. soft plastics & spoons when the sun gets high. alot of drift fishing during the day over flats & reefs. very similiar to summertime patterns on largemouth. now if I can just find some productive water. I'm trying to fish with my wife & daughter some & bass fishing with all the pressure becomes very difficult at best. And heaven forbid I actually like to eat some fish after dropping $50 to $100 bucks on gas & food. I'll keep on reading this site for info and thanks once again.

[yak'em-n-stack'em]

not to high jack, but ive started putting 1 foot of 60 lb flourocarbon leaders on almost all my baits, it makes switching them so much easier

[Ray]

There are a few platforms in the Sabine Lake. I would try them too.
There is an old one to the north and a few new ones on the Texas side just north of the yacht club.

[Gerald]

I use 12# mono.......no need for a leader.