The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

In all my years on the water I can't remember ever having this much wind for this long during the month of April. It has just absolutely howled for nearly a month straight and according to the forecast it doesn't look like it plans to let up any time soon. For obvious reasons the folks wanting to get out on Sabine Lake or Calcasieu has been pinned down to very small areas that offer the most

protection. These spots tend to get crowded in a hurry which only adds more misery to the equation. For a few anglers these poor conditions have been just what the doctor ordered to force them to spend some time fishing water they normally wouldn't look at.

For plenty of local anglers the wind has completely shut them out and forced them into doing yard work or picking up the golf clubs. Those that just have to fish have been probing the river and surrounding bayous and finding some really good fish, especially largemouth bass. There have always been a few dedicated anglers who never left the protection of the river for the wide open spaces of the lake. These guys are the ones you never really pay attention to as you run by them and they like it that way. These guys never leave the river and there is a good reason for that, they are catching good fish and don't really feel like sharing that with the rest of the world.

Now anyone who has done much fishing locally has run into a few bass here and there but that's not the case right now. I have seen a couple of local 5 fish stringers in the past two weeks that would lead you to believe they came from Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn, I'm talking about 20 pounds plus! These fish are typical river and bayou fish that relate to all kinds of structure. Boat docks, brush piles, and just about anything else you could imagine are holding fish in good numbers and size. A couple of guys I know well have a very defined route in which they fish both natural and man made structure as of late. Small spinner baits, crank baits, and wacky worms have been the best producers day in and day out with a few good fish coming on small top water plugs as well. Easily the biggest key is to find some structure and have a decent tide change working in your favor. Those two elements are a must if you want to catch some of these better fish.

Easily the best bass I have personally seen caught this spring in local waters have been full of shad so it's not hard to figure out what to key on. The huge schools of small shad have lead many anglers to productive areas that they normally don't fish; they have just been following the bait and fishing these areas thoroughly. I'm sure they will keep hustling these good fish as long as the wind keeps them pinned down and the fish continue to cooperate.

The combination of good fish close to home is a tough pattern to top.