Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) coastal fisheries officials will host a public hearing 6 p.m. Tues. Nov. 11 at the Port Arthur Public Library.

The subject will be the Texas flounder fishery and what needs to be done to correct recent declines along the coast.

TWPD outreach specialist Tonya Riley said the public’s input from this and other meetings will be utilized in preparation of the statewide hunting and fishing regulation to be proposed at the TPWD Commission meeting in January 2009.

Now onto the report…

North Sabine---Trout action on the north end has been good on live bait and glow and chartreuse flake colored plastics fished under a popping cork and on 1?4-ounce jigheads. The intake side of the Entergy Canal has been good for trout with some anglers catching fish from the bank on Gulp shrimp. Reds are mixed with the trout with some action in the marsh. Flounder are fair to good on soft plastic shad fished along the Louisiana shoreline.

South Sabine---Capt. Phillip Samuels reports good action for trout and redfish drifting the main lake fishing with glow, chartreuse and electric chicken colored plastics. Redfish are mixed with the trout and are good in the marsh on the Louisiana side of the lake. Flounder are fair to good around the causeway and in the marsh on live bait.

Sabine Pass---Bull redfish are very good at the jetties on cut bait and crab. Trout are fair in Keith Lake on topwaters and silver spoons. Flounder are fair to good at Keith Lake Cut on live bait.

Sabine River---Redfish are good from the Dupont Outfall Canal to Middle Pass on live mullet. Very few reports of bass.

Calcasieu (Big Lake)---Very few reports.

Rayburn Lake---Guide Roger Bacon reports good action for bass on surface plugs like Ribbitts fished early and late. He said anglers should keep an eye out for schoolies on the main lake and over deeper creeks. Most of the time these are smaller bass but there are some big ones down deep. Senkos and weighted super flukes in natural shad colors allowed to fall slowly through the school are producing some bigger fish. Crappie are fair to good on main lake brush on live shiners in 15 to 20 feet of water. No reports of catfish.

Toledo Bend---DW’s Guide Service reports good action on Stanley Ribbit’s and pumpkin seed/chartreuse wedgetails fished over grass. Crappie are good in 15 to 25 feet of water on 1/16-ounce jigs. Catfish are good in 18 to 25 feet of water on Catfish Charlie.

Lake Livingston---Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials report largemouths are good on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on pet spoons, Charlie slabs, and trolling tubes. Crappie are very good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad. Yellow catfish are slow.

Hunting---State waterfowl officials report the cool front last week encouraged a few groups of specklebellies to head to Texas. Pintail, shoveler, wigeon and teal have been showing in the marsh and around water left over from teal season. Conditions are dry along the coast, but rains this week helped things a bit. Most of the water left from teal season has dried up, which has not given migrating birds many places to water.

Don’t expect waterfowl managers to begin pumping again for another few weeks, especially since diesel costs are so high and evaporation rates are even higher.

LAKE LEVELS