Hell I do not even know where to start. I have not been on the water since Grand Isle and have not fished Sabine in probably 2 months. I have came up with every excuse in the world of why I should not go, been to hot, been busy, but they were all justifiable right?
Last weekend I had spent my Saturday in Fulshear, Tx working a Kayak Demo Day for Fishing Tackle Unlimited. This was my first time to work an event like this but it was such a good time! Everyone from the area came out to get on a kayak and paddle around for a while. Some came to just bring their family to paddle and others were in the market to purchase one. Regardless of who was there, I thoroughly enjoyed putting people in a kayak and watching them mosey around the pond. Some were more experienced than others but was entertaining needless to say. We got rained on which helped to cool us off during the day and can not complain about that. Lately it has been pretty warm, the “Dog days of Summer” this year have been no joke. Not long though all of this is going to change.
This past weekend was the opening season for Teal. It has still been hot but who cares, duck season is finally here! I have seen a few birds hanging out here in the rice fields but they were not in abundance. I still had planned on hunting some public land around Sabine Pass. The hunting is not the greatest, but the fishing on the way out is worth it! Nothing better than a cast and blast, you get the best of both worlds. Friday morning I anxiously wake up to head to the marsh for some scouting of the pond I wanted to hunt and do a little fishing while I was there. I met Colt just before daylight at the launch and before I knew it we were sitting in our pond. I had seen a few groups of Teal, just not as many as I was expecting. After an hour or two we decide to start fishing. As soon as we rig up, a few water droplets start to land on us. They are soon followed by bigger and more droplets and before we know it, we both are soaked. The good thing is there was not any lightning in the area and it is not like the fish could get any wetter.
Colt quickly hangs into a few reds just around the bend of the bayou. Most of them were solid fish but with the rain I could not get a picture. He caught all of his on a Crawfish (Red and Black) Crankbait that dives 2′-4′. Finally the rain had stopped and he caught a nice red that I could get a picture of.
Not long after this I see a flounder jump out of the water busting bait. So I throw my Sand Eel and as soon as it hits the water my line starts cutting across the water. She put up a good fight, got a quick picture, and released her for another day.
Made it further into the marsh and caught a few more fish. All of the reds were 22″-24″ and made for a fun trip.
As you can see, I caught all of my fish on Ol’ Faithful, a black and green Norton Sand Eel.
Made it home and started gathering my things for opening day in the morning. I gathered my camo, decoys, and shotgun and was prepared for the next day. Morning came early but nothing a 24 oz. coffee can not fix. The boat ramp was covered with boats but surprisingly there was only one other guy with a kayak there. We split ways and head to our pond. Quickly set up decoys and now we just wait. It is an overcast day with a 20 MPH North wind, ideal for duck hunting. To top it all off if was probably 65 degrees outside and it felt amazing! Me personally, I wish it was about 40 degrees, that is duck hunting weather! After a little while we have a group of 4 birds come into our spread and well the excitement got us. I can not speak for Colt, but for myself, I shot all 3 of my shells as fast as I could pump them out. Im pretty sure I did not even aim. I tend to do that on the first flock of the year. Other groups of birds are flying around us but they are not to interested in coming our way. We hear very few shots in the area so that tells me it is not just us that are not having the greatest luck. Late that morning we decide to pick up our decoys and call it a day. It was to windy to fish on the way back but we made up for it the day before.
I had planned on fishing the Neches River on Sunday morning but I woke up and decided to mow my yard and do some things around the house. The nicest day we have had since April. I, for one, took full advantage of it. I never made it to the water but I was outside for the most part of it. I ended up hanging out with my family and friends in the back yard, sitting in the sun, and watching football through the open windows. My Sunday was filled with plenty of food, cold beer, football, friends and family, and to top it all off perfect weather! Summer is on the down slope and will be ending before we know it. Cooler temperatures coming in the near future will get everything active, including the fish. That time is coming soon!
Enjoy Life