OCTOBER BIRD HUNTING
It is one of the easiest ways to find and catch more specks and reds
Story and Photography By Robert Sloan
It was a Tuesday morning and we had put in at the Stingaree Marina, crossed the Intercostal Waterway and heading into East Galveston Bay. Three of us were there for one reason – October bird hunting.
It didn’t take long to find what we were after – big flocks of gulls dipping and diving over a school of speckled trout. We were on point and within a few minutes it was a triple hook up. But we had one little problem – almost all of the trout were right at 13 to 14 3/4 inches long.
Usually that is not a big deal. I learned a long time ago that fishing deep under a school of “throwback” trout was the way to catch heavier fish feeding on or near bottom. I tied on a half-ounce jig head an attached to it a chartreuse/woodpecker colored Assassin, made a cast, let the shrimp imitation lure fall to bottom and on the first twitch of the rod tip was hooked up to what turned out to be a solid 2 1/2 pound trout.
I’ve been fishing on East Galveston Bay for over 30 years and during that time I’ve figured out that fishing the birds on that water during October can be spectacular and a whole lot more enjoyable on a weekday. This is a very popular bay and gets a ton of fishing traffic from Houston. But during the early week, like on a Monday or Tuesday, the number of anglers running and gunning for trout under the birds is not nearly as crazy as what you’ll find on Friday through Sunday.
Another very good option for catching reds and trout under the birds is on Sabine Lake, about an hour east of East Bay. If I had to pick between the two it’s going to be Sabine. This is where you have a lot fewer fishermen and some really nice trout and reds. In fact, when it comes to catching both trout and reds under the birds I don’t think you can beat Sabine Lake.
