Colburn's Sabine Connection

Redfish bite is just stupid good!

We spent the latter part of the week dodging thunderstorms, but the river continued to provide a solid bite when we could not get out in the lake.  The redfish were still the stars of the show, but we are starting to see some large trout take up residence in the deeper water as well.

We got in some good licks in the lake a little while Saturday evening, but spent most of Friday pinned down in the river.  We limited pretty easily on reds, but did poorly on the trout.  That is not to say that some good trout are not there as we have been catching and releasing one or two 25-inch plus fish on most days.  The smaller trout have been there in big numbers for a while.

Vernon was obviously proud of his first redfish and the largest fish that he had ever caught!

Eli Patterson and his father-in-law, Vernon LeJeune, fished with me Friday and Vernon caught a 27-inch red that was the biggest fish of his life.  I am not sure who caught who as it was a no holds barred fight on 8 pound test line at close quarters.  It was fun!

I talked with a lot of folks that did well Saturday.  Most of them caught redfish, but there were two very decent trout reports off the south end.  The best one took place on trout up to 24-inches chasing ribbonfish under the birds.  They didn't limit, but they kept 16 trout and five reds and turned loose several over sized redfish.

Dean Burnett caught a 43-inch jack in Middle Pass Friday evening so that should answer any questions regarding the salinity level following the recent rains.  A few small sharks were also back on the scene!

Redfish continue to steal the show

I haven't been much on posting over the past few days, but it has nothing to do with the fishing so I hope that you did not read something into this and postpone a trip .  The trout bite got a little tough towards the middle of last week, so we went back to chasing redfish and they were there.

When the wind would allow, the bite was on again on the Louisiana side of the lake.  Topwaters, spinnerbaits, Gulp, and spoons were all good choices.  The best choice really depended on whether you were fishing the shoreline, rocks, or submerged grass out in the lake.  For some reason, the redfish decided pink was a good color in a topwater and it was more than just a confidence factor.

I don't know that it makes much difference from a color standpoint, but our strike-to-catch ratio is much higher when we use a BLURP Sea Shad body on our spinnerbaits.  It is a scented plastic so you have a couple of things going for you in a single bait.

When the wind blew, and it did that three days in a row, we ran back into the bayous and the river and relocated those redfish we had abandoned.  It was basically a live bait bite that worked best in 18 to 27 feet of water.  Even in the bayous the bite was in the deepest available water.

The Bessell's worked on the redfish between thunder storms!

Dr. Bessell brought his middle son, David, over for the first time and we did well after enduring a good soaking in a fast moving storm.  Gary Barth brought all three sons for a return trip the following day.  Gary's wife sprung for the trip for his birthday present, but the boys forgot that it was Dad's party and they did most of the catching....especially Andy!

We stuck with live bait and finished with a solid mixed bag that included reds, trout, and five nice flounder also caught in very deep water.  The following day we caught fewer flounder, but caught more trout by adding the Hoginar to our arsenal.

I got a great email from Jennifer Racy last week.  As most of you know, she and Joe endured a parent's worst nightmare losing one daughter and very nearly another in a car wreck.  It has been a tough day by day grind, but she said that even though Brandy's recovery has a long way to go, she continues to improve every day.

Jennifer was also pleased to add that they have discovered a way to occasionally enjoy their favorite diversion.  "We bought a light and try to squeeze in a little night fishing down at Rollover every chance we get."  She included a picture of a 27 1/2-inch trout( personal best) that she caught so they apparently have that program figured out.  Keep Brandy, Jennifer, and Joe in your prayers and hug your kids everyday!  

Dodging thunderstorms, but still catching fish!

I have been guilty of trying to fish every program at the same time the past two days and while both days were good, neither was as good as it could have been.  Part of the reason is that the trout are starting to do their thing again and I passed on an easy redfish bite both mornings.

We had two trout in the 4 to 5 pound class day before yesterday that ate She Dogs and we missed several more very nice fish right at daylight.  The big blowups kept us in the area a little too long and while we caught more smaller fish, we were a little late hustling reds in the grass.  We did catch a couple of nice slot reds and missed a good fish on a spinnerbait, but I got us there late nonetheless.

We also spent a significant portion of the morning trying to out maneuver some big thunderstorms.  Kirk McBride called Monday evening and said that he really wanted to get on the water with his son if there was any way to get it done at the last minute. That was a request we all had prayed for!     

Even chemotherapy can't keep Kirk off the water.  He caught this nice trout fishing a Sea Shad under a Kwik Cork!

Matt McBride drove his dad over yesterday and we caught fish until the morning heat started getting the best of Kirk.  Just the fact that he was on the water was something to brag about.  I asked that you pray for him after fishing with him earlier in the year.  He was about to start treatment for a brain tumor at that time and is currently in the middle of chemotherapy right now.  He said that he is taking it one day at a time, the tumor has not grown, and he appreciates your prayers.

We caught our fish on soft plastics fished under a Kwik Cork.  We kept it simple, stayed in one area, and probably caught more fish thanI would have by trying to fish all over the lake.  The birds worked really hard for the first hour.  Once they quit, we drifted in 3 to 5 feet of water and continued to catch fish.     

Trout bite may be on again!

I am taking a day off today.  Something doesn't sound quite right about taking a day off from fishing does it?  I have a lot to catch up on in one day and unfortunately, it all starts with the funeral of a friend's Dad.  Never take a day above ground for granted.

We had a sure enough good trip yesterday.  Glen and Keith arrived early and we passed on the easy redfish bite hoping to locate some trout on a good outgoing tide.  It was a gamble they were willing to take and it paid off.  We had to work a little for our redfish later in the day, but we finished with a very good box of trout up to six pounds!

We found them chasing shad in 3 to 6 feet of water and we easily missed as many as we boated for a solid hour.  We wound up with all of the paint knocked off of a pearl chartreuse She Dog and a chrome Super Spook.  I also caught three nice fish on a chrome-green MirrOdine XL. The easy bite on the north end slowed a little, but the middle of the lake continues to get better each day.

We had two redfish on the line when Tib and Coach Andy started waving us over about mid-morning.  A trout had buried a treble hook in Tib's hand and he was firmly attached to his Skitterwalk.  I finally got it pushed through and clipped off the barb while Tib tried to think of more pleasant things under a broiling sun.

I had already started the day with a Gafftop puncture wound that really knocked me down for an hour or so.  Well after the stick occurred, I started sweating like I had something to hide and got crazy dizzy.  Maybe I am just getting old, but I can never recall those dreaded sticks not hurting at least a little over the years.

I am assuming that the salinity level is slowly creeping back up as I had another shark bite a trout in half this week and Johnny told me that he caught a pretty good sized jack in Coffee Ground last week. With the bite already this consistent, we should be looking at some incredible fall fishing once shrimp are added to the buffet menu!  

It is going on!

We have really had a run and it has only gotten better the past few days.  Ideal weather conditions and good tide changes have opened up the entire lake and folks aren't beating up on the same fish every day.

And the winner was from California!

The west wind was a little bit of a problem Monday, but we still managed to workon the slot redfish.  Mike Vento and Steve brought their brother-in-law from California with them and he put it on them.  He caught the first red, the largest red, and the most reds and reminded them of it on a regular basis.

We did catch a few under the birds once the wind settled, but most of our fish hit spinnerbiats and spoons in the grass.  We also had one very good flounder that didn't know that it wasn't supposed to eat a weedless spoon.

You can only catch your first red one time in your life!

Yesterday, Gene and Judette Crisman brought their nine-year old grandson, Jack Kirksey, and we had a ball.  It took a little while for Jack to get hisguide all trained up, but once he did, we caught fish non-stop and easily limited.  Jack caught his first redfish ever and finished the day with a 29-inch fish that he was not overly excited about releasing. 

He agreed to try my7-foot Castaway with a 230SX reel and he mastered it in about three casts.  His grandmother, Judette, chose spinning tackle as well and hung right in there with the men folk.  Our grass program got blown out so we switched to traps, tails, and Swim Baits and headed for the middle of the lake.

The gulls were everywhere, some on fish  and some not, but when you found the right group you were in business.  Some pretty solid trout are finally starting to show up as well.  Today the keeper trout ate topwaters and swim baits better than anything else.

Jack let his Grandma and Grandpa catch a few fish too!

Gene and Judette now live in Beaumont , but were originally from New Iberia and it turned out that we knew a lot of the same folks from years ago.  We visited and netted fish for Jack all morning and it was a treat for me.  Both of my kids were born in Louisiana and we still have kin folks in Jennings. Karen and I spent some of the most enjoyable years of our lives in Crowley and always look forward to visiting with old friends from Lake Charles to Houma. They do not waste their allotment of days on this earth sweating the small stuff that they cannot control!

It is a good thing when the folks fishing the south end don't want you to tell the folks on the north end what is going on and the folks on the north end are telling you the same thing.  The water is in good shape and the bite is obviously on all over the lake. 

The redfish have lost their collective minds!

You would draw far more attention right now if you showed up at the landing with a limit of solid trout than you can with a limit of redfish.  I am not complaining, but the redfish continue to just wear us out while quality trout have been difficult to find.  I know that I am not going to find them throwing spinnerbaits and crankbaits against the bank, but we have spent our fair share of time in the open water as well.

Colby and Jordan got in their licks on the redfish prior to starting two-a-days!

I fished with Mike Mckinney's son, Colby and his friend, Jordan, on Friday and they just wore the reds out.  They caught a few solid trout up to 18-inches, but they showed the reds no mercy.  Both youngsters were staring at the beginning of two-a-days in the very near future so this was a good last minute fling.  I still have nightmares about two-a-days and they were no easier in college than they were in high school.  Water breaks were not a part of the agenda back then!

The Trouts took advantage of the reds.

Nelson Trout invited his Dad for a first time shot at catching redfish on Saturday and they both did very well. Nelson said they fight a little harder than black drum.  Even though we were fishing shorelines, we still had multiple fish on at the same time.  It was easy.  I know this all has to end at some point, but if you like to catch redfish on spinnerbaits and topwaters I would load up the boat and make a trip on Sabine as soon as possible.

Fortune Ford asked me to remind folks in this area that Orange now has a CCA Chapter and they are already making plans for their Banquet in September.  You can join or find out more about the banquet by e-mailing Fortune at [email protected]. 

Wind blew the wrong direction today!

A wind that blew in the wrong direction slowed the bite down today, but it could straighten back out over night with a wind shift.  It was difficult to locate ladyfish working on the surface and the La. bank was getting beat up pretty good.

Calem Atkins brought his Dad, Bob, over yesterday and we went through a lot of very nice redfish under perfect conditions.  We found a few solid trout mixed in with the reds, but we never found a bunch of good trout in one spot.  Everywhere we fished we found reds and we fished all the way from Green's Bayou back to the river.

Calem and Bob caught em early.......

I don't think that Calem ever took a Super Spook off ( he did lose two or three to big reds that broke him off) and he probably went through more quality fish than anyone else.  Bob caught the largest of the day right off the bat and they elected to tag it as you never know if you'll catch another.  As it turned out, we either caught or lost nine very good fish on that initial stop.

........and caught em late as well!

Bob switched over to the Kwik Cork just before noon and it was a strike darn near every cast for two hours.  He caught a lot of small trout, but once he switched to a 5-inch Assassin under the cork he caught some nice reds as well.  Bone diamond was a very good color for us!

I have caught two bass at a time on a topwater before, but I caught a trout and a red on the same She Dog yesterday for the first time.  I may need to fish with longer baits with more hooks!

There was no one spot that was better than another for us yesterday or for that matter any lure either.  I like the topwater bite, but they hit tails, spinnerbaits, and Traps for most of the folks I talked with at the end of the day.  That crankbait-spinnerbait bite is a lot of fun and very akin to fishing the shallow grass for bass.

Maybe the wind won't be a factor tomorrow and we can chase them all over the lake!

A very good bite is getting even better!

The wind was a problem across the weekend, but there were still plenty of fish caught.  Brian Little won the redfish tournament held out of Port Neches Park with four fish that topped the 28 pound mark over a two day period.  The OCARC tournament was also held Saturday and it took four ice chests to hold all the slot reds that were brought to the scales.

There were a lot of nice trout brought to the scales Saturday!

The reds were not the only fish biting.  I checked out both the trout box and flounder box and they were full of very respectable fish, especially the trout.  It took a 6.42-pound trout to win the event.  David Thibodaux and Jim Shanley fished the redfish tournament and caught more trout than redfish.  They weren't complaining as they had one fish over 8 and another over 7!

David called today, but we were already done as Jim stayed another day to enjoy the bite.  They were catching trout and reds on topwaters.  We caught our reds and trout on Hoginars and Gulp.  It is really going on right now all over the lake!

The bite slowed a little on the La. bank as the water was slightly dirtier, but there were gulls working in small groups all over the south end of the lake.  The water on that end is just beautiful right now.  The water is significantly dirtier in both the Neches and Sabine than it was, but it hasn't slowed the bite in the Sabine.

I am a little surprised at the number of trout are still full of eggs this late in the year.  Tib said their big fish was over 28-inches and just bulging with roe.  The STAR tournament may not be in the bag yet for the upper coast trout leader, but I would still like to be in that position.