With the early teal season kicking off in just a few weeks, local hunters were getting worried with the dry conditions we had.

The key word now is “had” because formerly dry prairie and marsh has water on it now and that should help us hold some teal.

“We went out scouting Wednesday and saw some birds starting to come in. The rains came just in time,” said Shane Chesson with Drake Plantation Outfitters.

Chesson noted that teal are fast migrators and if they don’t have good conditions they will move through in a hurry.

“They migrate on a whim and if they have a lack of food and water they won’t hang around long. Hopefully we’ll have the right balance and won’t have too much or too little water by the time the season rolls around,” he added.

Teal are starting to show up in small numbers as observed by Chesson, biologists with the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area and myself. I saw a few birds in Orange County last week and on Pleasure Island.

That is good news for waterfowlers who crave the excitement of the early teal season.

Now onto the report...

North Sabine/Neches River — Capt. Eddie Hernandez reports fair to good action for flounder on glow and white colored plastics on the Louisiana shoreline. The flounder were biting heavily during the rains as they tend to do in the late summer/early fall period. The intake side of the Entergy Canal has been good for redfish and trout in the evenings on live bait and glow-colored soft plastics. Anglers have also been catching small mangrove snapper in that area which are legal to harvest.

South Sabine — Capt. Phillip Samuels reports before the rain action remained fair for trout on live shad and glow colored plastics under the birds. Reds are fair along the south levee on cut bait. Very few reports of flounder.

Sabine Pass — Redfish are good in Keith Lake on live mullet and crab. Very few reports from the jetties and offshore.

Sabine River — Very few reports from the river this week

Calcasieu (Big Lake) — The Hackberry Rod and Gun Club reports anglers are catching steady limits of reds along the shorelines on white and glow-colored soft plastics. Trout have been fair on live bait and drifting plastics over shell. Very few reports of flounder.

Rayburn Lake — Guide Roger Bacon reports largemouths are good on watermelon colored worms and flukes fished along the edges of grass and on main lake points. Crappie are fair to good on shiners fished over brush piles on the main lake. Very few reports of catfish.

Toledo Bend — Holly Park Marina reports before the rain anglers were catching bass to four pounds on rootbeer/green salty sinkers. White bass have been good on spoons fished on the main lake in the north and central areas of the lake. Crappie are slow. Blue cats to 15 pounds are fair on trotlines baited with cut bait.