The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

For a long time I always equated the best time of the year with the full moon in October, which coincidentally happens next week on the 28th. For all intents and purposes summer is now in the rear-view window and those nasty 90-degree days should be nothing but a memory. Occasionally we get a reminder from Mother Nature that we are never far from crazy weather but judging from the forecast I’d have to say we may be safe for a few days so get ready to enjoy everything associated with this time of the year. Both fishermen and hunters alike are ready to get things going and I can’t blame them one bit, it’s time.

Local fishermen are intently eyeing the water temps as the approach the magical number to kick off the fall flounder run. As water temps drop a few more degrees coupled with the coming full moon and the flounder will begin their migration to the gulf through all the major passes. Anglers all along Sabine and Calcasieu will stack up along the shorelines and intercept huge numbers of quality fish as the flounder pass through these areas in great numbers. The highly anticipated flounder run draws tons of anglers because of both the numbers of fish and how fantastic they are as table fare. Texas and Louisiana both have enacted special seasons on flounder so be sure you consult regulations before you head for the water or get ready to pay a hefty fine. 

The recent cool front really kicked Sabine Lake and Calcasieu into high gear as lots of schooling trout are being caught under the birds, unfortunately very few are large enough to keep. The high volume of small fish will certainly bode well for both bodies of water if we don’t suffer another big freeze. All these small fish will make an appearance in the spring and hopefully they spawn successfully so Sabine can continue to rebound. According to many meteorologists we are due to have another major winter event this year, only earlier than that big one from last year. Personally, I hope the winter weather doesn’t get as bad as it did when we had all the major fish kills all along the Texas coast, but I would certainly welcome some legitimate cold weather during hunting season.

Speaking of hunting season, you can certainly tell we are closing in on the general hunting season opener as places like sporting goods stores and gun ranges are busy and full. The general opener is as close to an unofficial holiday in Texas as any day during the year gets, it’s a huge tradition and thousands of Texas hunters will converge on all parts of the state in just a few days. Local deer hunters are enjoying good conditions over most of the state as consistent rains helped most parts of the state stay green. A few areas to the extreme north in the panhandle are pretty dry but overall things look good for the opener. Waterfowl hunters are also in the good shape as local marshes look good. Early reports from the northern end of the central flyway have been promising, lots of birds near the Canadian border. The Dakota’s, North and South, are extremely dry and it appears many birds are continuing to fly south in search of both water and food. If early teal season is an indicator, we may see more birds than previously forecasted, but that remains to be seen. Until then we can all enjoy the first true dose of fall weather and look forward to more of it on the horizon.