If you are still wanting to fish, but tired of this darn heat, please raise your hand. At least August is bringing us one month closer to hopefully what will be the start of a few cool fronts here and there in September.
We have lost a lot of land on the islands on the north end of Sabine Lake, but that is still some of my favorite fishing territory during the dog days of summer, particularly at night.
Most anglers think about fishing under lights when you mention night fishing, which is of course a good option and a fun time. When I am talking about night fishing, it is normally wade fishing for speckled trout. The only light I will have with me is a headlamp that I utilize for unhooking fish, changing lures or tying knots. I wade utilizing the moonlight, the sound of a trout slurping down my topwater and the feel of the braided line going through my Sarge Custom rod.
Leave the light on
I anchor my boat much closer to land when night fishing and make sure to leave the light on just in case there are any other boaters out late at night or in the very early morning hours. A must is making sure I am doused with mosquito spray prior to slipping over the side of the boat to enter the water for a wade.
Forgetting the mosquito spray can definitely make for an unforgettable trip in the worst ways. The majority of the time I will start my wade with a topwater, normally a Super Spook. I may downsize to the Spook Jr. or something like a She Dog or Skitterwalk if the trout are taking a smaller topwater a little better.
Other than just being an absolute blast to catch trout on topwater, the lure itself is really a great locator lure in my opinion. It gives the angler the ability to cover a lot of water rather quickly and an opportunity to audibly detect a strike even if the fish misses.
Make a change
If you are getting a lot of misses, I would recommend either changing to a different size topwater, changing colors, altering your retrieve or switching to a subsurface lure. At night I find myself throwing a solid black topwater most frequently.
I like the islands on the north end of Sabine Lake especially due to the fact that the deep water of the intracoastal waterway borders them. Trout will come from the deeper and cooler water of the ICW to the shallow flats to feed on shrimp and baitfish during the night.
I would encourage you not to fish alone at night just in case something happens. If you must fish alone make sure someone knows exactly where you are going and what time you expect to be back. Also, make sure your boat is anchored very well! Be safe, have fun and beat the heat by fishing at night.
Capt. Adam Jaynes can be reached at (409) 988-3901 and on Facebook at Just Fish Guide Service.
