It’s time to get salty

Growing up in East Texas, saltwater fishing did not occur that often.

Nearly every summer our family would make a trip to the Bolivar/Crystal Beach area. Getting the saltwater bite solved did not take long but catching the target species took a little more time.

By the time I was a teenager, we were making a couple of summer trips and one or two more in the fall. The fall trips were the “cast and blast” style. We could hunt ducks in the mornings in the marsh and catch flounder in the afternoons. The summer trips were all about trout and redfish with an occasional shark or mystery fish that would wreck our tackle.

Fun times and fond memories and not difficult to do even on a budget.

If you have never tried saltwater fishing, plan a trip as soon as possible. A boat is not necessary nor is specialized heavy duty fishing gear. Medium duty spinning gear or bass fishing gear is perfect.

You will need to wash and rinse everything once you finish but this is not complicated. This wash and rinse goes for boats as well and running fresh water through your outboard is also recommended. The salt will find and begin corrosion almost immediately on anything not properly cleaned. This goes for baits, electronics, and basically anything metal.

If it goes below Interstate 10, wash it and rinse it asap.

For the non boaters, Southeast Texas is a target rich environment. Sabine Lake is just north of the Gulf of America and is loaded with access. Port Arthur is located on the lower part of the lake. Take the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Bridge (Hwy 82) over the ship channel.

You can head north to the Pleasure Island Park to access the South Levee Road. This road borders the lake for nearly six miles of excellent fishing areas. South Levee road ends at Hwy 82, turn left and you will arrive at Mesquite Point and the foot of the Hwy 82 Causeway. Here you can find the Walter Umphrey Park. This park is a showplace and also provides access to excellent fishing. A little further south the town of Sabine Pass has the Dick Dowling Boat Ramp and park.

Picnic areas, fish cleaning station and historical civil war monuments, along with fishing opportunities.

The great thing about saltwater fishing is something is always biting. Hardhead catfish will not let you or your bait wait very long. Hardheads are not desirable for the table but they do fight. A short list of keepers would include, Sheepshead, Spotted Sea Trout, Redfish and Flounder.

Some folks curse sheepshead, while others love croakers. There are those that say croakers are only meant for bait but they love to eat sand trout.

Gaftopsail catfish are acceptable to some but I have never heard of anyone approving of Hardheads for the table.

Shrimp, live, fresh or frozen is an excellent bait choice as are Mud Minnows. Pieces of blue crab are also on the menu as well as mullet (cut, or live).

Get your saltwater endorsements and bring along some raw chicken and a dip net to catch a mess of blue crabs!

Contact Chris Smith: cksoutdoors@aol.com