Well, Sabine River 2024 is in the books. It was one of the warmest and coldest trips I've ever been on in the last 17 years of making the trip. Started out in shorts and t-shirts on Mon/Tues and finished up with a bone chilling cold Wed/Thu. Fortunately the white bas didn't care what day or temperature it was. Stayed in a wonderful Airbnb in Joaquin since our favorite River Ridge Campground closed down last season. It was convenient to ramps in Joaquin or Logansport, and not too far from McFadden or Yellow Dog. It was just me and 2 of my old Navy buddies Ron and Don. The new boat performed flawlessly. Already have my reservations for next February.

Fishing conditions were as follows:

Day 1 water temp was 63 air temp was 84 caught fish in creeks and the main river.
Day 2 water temp was 63 air temp was 87 and we stayed on them in the main river
Day 3 water was 62 and the air temp fell from 65 into the 40's again in the main river and we crushed them.
Day 4, we fished a mystery location, but I ain't sharing that one. It was freaking awesome, though.

40 years of friendships. The sea stories never get old.

Freaky big whitebass in the Sabine

what a cool trip with good friends and good fishing and a new boat

Solid post and fish. Good job and good times.

Great job

Thanks for the report!!

Looks like you guys had a fantastic week...

Awesome post
Headed there tomorrow is the plan

Great to see some Old Salts getting together on the water once again.It's about time for me and my old Shipmates to get together again.

USN 80-89 MA1

Cool to add my report from yesterday to your post? Figure it could be a Sabine thread?

Love hearing about the Sabine. Be my guest, sir!

My Sabine run
Early 8am we launched on 79 bridge
Worked both upstream and downstream several miles of the launch just for a few to show for it
Pulled boat and went 2nd shift launched at McFadden
Last 2 hours GAME ON! Huge white bass all over 2# some felt close to 4#
We were using 1/8oz rr with 2” chartreuse grub on panfish poles 2-6# test really had fun
A couple of those biggest ones really ran me down and I was convinced I had possibly had a hybrid but I was using 2 pound test and a panfish pole my reel only pulled in 5-6 inches of line per turn such a challenge
Also included pics of our ride
Scotts hells bay is all tricked out. I had a blast driving through the river avoiding log jams etc Although there are dangerous shallow places for the most part it was a lot deeper than I thought it would be. Every time I have been before I was with guides from River Ridge and they did not have fishfinders buy knew the spots so we just fished and always caught
Water temps 60-62
Saw 2 bald eagles and a beaver which appeared to have just woke up
A great day with a great friend we had a blast!

Chris, that's a nice rig to fish from, and surprisingly adept at fishing the Sabine, I bet. Looks like y'all figured out where to go. That McFadden ramp is one you really have to want to get to. I bet those big girls were a hoot on that light tackle.

Went again today and it did not disappoint
Bite completely different took 30 minutes to figure out but when we did BOOM!

Great trip Chris, and I agree, that is a sharp ride.