Hotspots Focus: Upper Coast
by Capt. Eddie Hernandez
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F HOSTING A FISH FRY IS ON YOUR agenda in the near future, I have good news. We are entering into one of the best, if not the best, month for consistently catching big numbers of quality fish. Though the dog days of summer are behind us now, the heat is on when it comes to fishing on Texas’s coastal bays and estuaries. It doesn’t get much better, or easier for that matter, when it comes to putting food on the table than it does in October. The cold fronts will begin to purge the marsh and bayous of shrimp and baitfish and that will trigger a feeding frenzy that
“ Cold fronts will purge the marsh and bayous of bait and trigger a feeding frenzy.
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Fast and Furious on Sabine
will last well into December. Terns and gulls feasting on large pods of shrimp will be dead giveaways to the coordinates of huge schools of trout and reds attacking from the depths. If fast and furious action is what you’re seeking, fishing the birds is the easiest way
to fill a fish box quickly. Shut the big motor down well ahead of the fish and troll or drift until you can reach them with a long cast. Keeping the wind to your back will definitely help in making the long casts needed to get your lure to the fish. I’m convinced that there aren’t any baits you could tie on that won’t produce strikes when the fish are schooling under the birds. Soft plastics, topwaters, Rat-L-Traps, spoons, jerk baits, and swim baits will all get the job done. I prefer soft plastics on 1/4 oz. lead heads so I can get good distance on my casts and not have to deal with trebles every time we catch a fish. Flounder Pounder’s C.T. Shad, Bass Assassin and H&H Cocahoe Minnow in glow, chartreuse and morning glory always work well. October is also a great time to get into some serious redfish action at the jetties. Dark colored plastics and Hoginars fished deep should provide you with lots of action on slot fish as well as a few oversized ones. Fish the deep holes and washouts for best results. If you want to experience Sabine’s version of running with the bulls, break out the big rods and fish these areas or the surf. Put whole or cut mullet or croaker on the hook and make sure your drag is set. These big bulls don’t mess around once they realize they are hooked and there’s no better time to do battle with them than October.
THE BANK BITE LOCATION: Keith Lake HOTSPOT: Keith Lake Fish Pass SPECIES: Flounder, Reds, Trout BAITS/LURES: Live Mud Minnows, Soft Plastics BEST TIMES: High Tide
Contact Eddie Hernandez at EHernandez@fishgame.com 74 |
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