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A Different Kind of Pull in a Different Kind of Place
Almost every time I launch my boat with a new customer or friend not familiar with this region I get the same reaction, "This looks like we should be chasing bass instead of saltwater fish."
Actually, their reaction is not far-fetched. The cypress trees and dark water look tailor made for chasing freshwater fish and there are few places along the gulf coast that can boast such a diverse variety of habitat and fish as the Sabine country can. One species that has developed a growing legion of fans on this border body of water is the striped bass. For many years anglers who braved the coldest and nastiest days in search of redfish or speckled trout would occasionally do battle with one of these line stretching bullies only to chalk up the encounter as time lost searching for "better fish". There was a day when encounters were few, but over the past ten years the striper population has grown. In what seems a weird twist of fate the stripers have become more prevalent since Texas Parks and Wildlife discontinued their stocking program.
For several years TPWD stocked stripers in the Sabine River above Toledo Bend. These stocked fish wore a wire implant in their head that is detectable when x-rayed so that TPWD could determine if the fish was stocked or native. In the past several years they have found a decent population of native fish to go along with those that were stocked.
Several theories exist about how the stripers got there in the first place. The most widely accepted is that these fish came down the Sabine River from Toledo Bend and have made the deep water around this area their home. Because stripers can survive in both fresh and salt environments, the river and Sabine Lake certainly qualify as good habitat. And, if the numbers of stripers caught in the last several years are any indicator, it would sure seem that these fish are doing better than anyone thought they would.
Stripers are often caught by anglers seeking redfish and live bait as well as artificials are effective. The striper's main forage is shad and they like mullet too. Live crawfish is also an offering they take readily. Of the three, mullet are probably the best bet because they are much easier to find in the winter months.
If have written in the past that stripers love deep water in winter and I am a big fan of probing the drop-offs and breaks in the Sabine River and Intracoastal Canal. These areas probably offer the greatest potential for catching stripers during the winter and early spring. As productive as this method can be, your average wade and flats fishermen are very quick to shun it. Riding the trolling motor with your eyes glued to the depth finder to get the boat positioned in a sweet spot just isn't part of their world.
I've said a thousand times, anybody with common sense can catch fish when they are holding or working near the surface and, lucky for us, schooling stripers sometimes do this. Bait and lure selection when they're high in the water column is your basic "no brainer" as they'll accept about anything you throw at them. You pick it - soft plastics, topwaters, crankbaits when stripers are on the surface and competing for food they'll hit whatever you throw.
When the stripers are holding deep is when you have to dig into your bag of tricks. One of my favorite tricks is the Hoginar and, unless you have used one, you're probably saying, "Huh?" The Hoginar is very versatile and it can fished in any number of ways. The reason it resides in my bag of tricks is because it works exceptionally well for deep pattern stripers here on Sabine.
The Hogie's Lure Company describes the Hoginar as a blade bait. To me it looks like a cross between Bill Lewis' Rat-L-Trap and a Johnson Sprite spoon. It has a basic baitfish silhouette and incorporates molded lead that extends from the mouth through the throat region and this is the key to the Hoginar's action.
If you are into crankbaits, the Hoginar can be fished similarly. Another style of presentation that works well is vertical jigging. The depth finder comes in handy here, especially when the stripers are suspended. Suspended winter fish are much easier to catch when you keep your lure fluttering in the strike zone. A common modification is the elimination of the front treble and replacement of the rear treble with a single hook. The single is much easier to remove when taken deep and less likely to injure fish you will be releasing. The Hoginar comes in twenty-three colors and the bright numbers seem to work best. White and chartreuse are dynamite, silver and gold are hard to beat. The sonic waves it gives off as it vibrates through the water is the key to its effectiveness.
Like most gamefish stripers are suckers for soft plastics, especially shad imitators and tube jigs. If you prefer live bait, and there are days when it's tough to get bit on lures, mullet and shad would be my top picks. My personal favorite is catching them on the fly anytime they are working near the surface. Like trout and redfish, stripers are drawn to marsh drains on falling tides and probably the best year 'round place they can be taken on the fly. Pretty near any baitfish pattern will fool them, my favorites patterns are large, bright deceivers and clousers. Stripers get husky in these shad-rich waters, we've seen a few that pushed forty pounds. Eight and nine weight gear with plenty of backing is a good idea.
The striped bass is a mainstay along the east coast and in many reservoirs. Having these incredible fish in the Sabine area to go along with the all the other options is almost an embarrassment of riches. To be able to retreat to the protected waters of the Sabine River and chase double-digit, drag-peeling fish when the open lake is off limits due to wind is an awful nice option to have. If you are looking for something different this time of year, stripers could be just what the doctor ordered. I am certainly a fan of these fish; I am sure once you catch one, you will be too.
Actually, their reaction is not far-fetched. The cypress trees and dark water look tailor made for chasing freshwater fish and there are few places along the gulf coast that can boast such a diverse variety of habitat and fish as the Sabine country can. One species that has developed a growing legion of fans on this border body of water is the striped bass. For many years anglers who braved the coldest and nastiest days in search of redfish or speckled trout would occasionally do battle with one of these line stretching bullies only to chalk up the encounter as time lost searching for "better fish". There was a day when encounters were few, but over the past ten years the striper population has grown. In what seems a weird twist of fate the stripers have become more prevalent since Texas Parks and Wildlife discontinued their stocking program.
For several years TPWD stocked stripers in the Sabine River above Toledo Bend. These stocked fish wore a wire implant in their head that is detectable when x-rayed so that TPWD could determine if the fish was stocked or native. In the past several years they have found a decent population of native fish to go along with those that were stocked.
Several theories exist about how the stripers got there in the first place. The most widely accepted is that these fish came down the Sabine River from Toledo Bend and have made the deep water around this area their home. Because stripers can survive in both fresh and salt environments, the river and Sabine Lake certainly qualify as good habitat. And, if the numbers of stripers caught in the last several years are any indicator, it would sure seem that these fish are doing better than anyone thought they would.
Stripers are often caught by anglers seeking redfish and live bait as well as artificials are effective. The striper's main forage is shad and they like mullet too. Live crawfish is also an offering they take readily. Of the three, mullet are probably the best bet because they are much easier to find in the winter months.
If have written in the past that stripers love deep water in winter and I am a big fan of probing the drop-offs and breaks in the Sabine River and Intracoastal Canal. These areas probably offer the greatest potential for catching stripers during the winter and early spring. As productive as this method can be, your average wade and flats fishermen are very quick to shun it. Riding the trolling motor with your eyes glued to the depth finder to get the boat positioned in a sweet spot just isn't part of their world.
I've said a thousand times, anybody with common sense can catch fish when they are holding or working near the surface and, lucky for us, schooling stripers sometimes do this. Bait and lure selection when they're high in the water column is your basic "no brainer" as they'll accept about anything you throw at them. You pick it - soft plastics, topwaters, crankbaits when stripers are on the surface and competing for food they'll hit whatever you throw.
When the stripers are holding deep is when you have to dig into your bag of tricks. One of my favorite tricks is the Hoginar and, unless you have used one, you're probably saying, "Huh?" The Hoginar is very versatile and it can fished in any number of ways. The reason it resides in my bag of tricks is because it works exceptionally well for deep pattern stripers here on Sabine.
The Hogie's Lure Company describes the Hoginar as a blade bait. To me it looks like a cross between Bill Lewis' Rat-L-Trap and a Johnson Sprite spoon. It has a basic baitfish silhouette and incorporates molded lead that extends from the mouth through the throat region and this is the key to the Hoginar's action.
If you are into crankbaits, the Hoginar can be fished similarly. Another style of presentation that works well is vertical jigging. The depth finder comes in handy here, especially when the stripers are suspended. Suspended winter fish are much easier to catch when you keep your lure fluttering in the strike zone. A common modification is the elimination of the front treble and replacement of the rear treble with a single hook. The single is much easier to remove when taken deep and less likely to injure fish you will be releasing. The Hoginar comes in twenty-three colors and the bright numbers seem to work best. White and chartreuse are dynamite, silver and gold are hard to beat. The sonic waves it gives off as it vibrates through the water is the key to its effectiveness.
Like most gamefish stripers are suckers for soft plastics, especially shad imitators and tube jigs. If you prefer live bait, and there are days when it's tough to get bit on lures, mullet and shad would be my top picks. My personal favorite is catching them on the fly anytime they are working near the surface. Like trout and redfish, stripers are drawn to marsh drains on falling tides and probably the best year 'round place they can be taken on the fly. Pretty near any baitfish pattern will fool them, my favorites patterns are large, bright deceivers and clousers. Stripers get husky in these shad-rich waters, we've seen a few that pushed forty pounds. Eight and nine weight gear with plenty of backing is a good idea.
The striped bass is a mainstay along the east coast and in many reservoirs. Having these incredible fish in the Sabine area to go along with the all the other options is almost an embarrassment of riches. To be able to retreat to the protected waters of the Sabine River and chase double-digit, drag-peeling fish when the open lake is off limits due to wind is an awful nice option to have. If you are looking for something different this time of year, stripers could be just what the doctor ordered. I am certainly a fan of these fish; I am sure once you catch one, you will be too.