3/28/10 - Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River

[CityByTheSeaCitizen]

Lake Tawakoni is what I like to refer to as a headwater lake, as it has no major river feeding it. It needs consistent rainfall in it’s watershed to keep the water at pool level. The monsoon of 2009 hasn’t halted in 2010, so I figured there would be no better time to float a major tributary than now. I chose the Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River, and reports of the White Bass run catches had been good for the last week.

We launched around 11:30 at the 69 bridge after doing the truck hop scotch with the Cedar Creek Launch, planning to be our take out. I had never done this float, I didn’t know what to expect, and the two guys who went with me, NTXAg and Kim Chi Bomb hadn’t floated it before either.



After paddling through a few polite and kayak-shocked bank fisherman, we started fishing and success quickly followed. I hooked up with a couple in the first deep hole I marked, and Kim Chi Bomb hooked up quickly also. We caught 4 or 5 out of that hole, all huge females. This trend never faded.





A picture of the first island.



We slowly floated and methodically fished the first mile. I was using an orange roostertail head with a 2” white gulp grub. NTXAg and KCB, both had success on small white flashy lures, but definitely the softer baits were more successful.



I remember two boats passing us going upriver, and we passed maybe 6 other bank fisherman. We never had to portage, but there was enough debris in the river to keep the boats from running wide open. As we made it closer to the lake, the flow was considerably less. The river varied from about 5 feet deep at the mouth to almost 20 feet deep, which surprised me. I think this would be kayak navigable even at 3 or 4 feet below Tawakoni pool level.

I also remember seeing one navigable creek, but I didn’t pursue it.

I caught most of my fish, casting perpendicular to the river. This was a trick for fishing current areas that my grandpa taught me. Feeding fish face upriver, so I cast from a variety of perpendicular to 45 degrees upriver.

I also noticed that I would get into hot spots when the river would go from shallow do deep. I would mark fish at every spot like that.



As we reached the mouth of the cowleech fork, we were greeted by about 8 large white birds. I would have guessed Ibis, but I am not a good at bird ID.



It was a beautiful day, and we caught about 40-50 fish cummulatively, none smaller than 12". The redbuds and the dogwoods were still in bloom. The weather was nice and the wind was absent, well the wind was absent until we reached Pawnee Inlet. The wind slapped us back in to reality, and we had to paddle dead into the wind for about 3/4 mile. I am not sure of the wind speeds, but I would guess catagory 2.

NTXAg and KCB, I had a great time. Let's do it again sometime.

Fish fry is postponed, my wife is not feeling good.

[CityByTheSeaCitizen]

I also caught this WB, and I thought it might have been a hybrid. On one side, the horizontal lines at the top are definately broken, on the other side, they were straight. I will use high res pictures to try to show it.

[fishingcowboy]

great report and thank you for posting it

[Kim Chi Bomb]

Citizen- Had a great time getting my kayak slimed for the first time. It'll take a while for me to top that trip.
FYI Looked like all of my fish were pre-spawn.

Definitely let me know when you want to go fishin' again.

Hope your wife feels better soon.

[Skwid]

great report! That looks like a beautiful area.

[CityByTheSeaCitizen]

I kept mine on ice and cleaned them last night. They were all full of eggs.



I remember it being 57 degree water temp at launch and 62 at the mouth of the river. I figured some of them would have already spawned.