It’s crabbing time

By Robert Sloan

For Lone Star outdoor newS

They may not look glamorous, but the blue crabs are back in numbers after the cold winter months, and they are tasty. And unlike going after trout and reds, you don’t need too much tackle. They are easy to cook and a crab boil is fun for the whole family.

One of the best crabbing places along the Texas coast is about 10 miles south of Sabine Pass. Toward the end of the road you’ll find Sea Rim State Park. Keep going about a half mile past the park and you’ll come to the entrance of McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. This place covers miles and miles of backwater estuary lakes. The refuge opens at daylight and closes at dusk, seven days a week.

“We’ve been coming here for years,” said Bill Cummins, who is from Louisiana but comes to Texas in late spring and summer to visit relatives in Beaumont. “When we’re in Texas we try to at least come to the refuge at least a few times. It’s a good way to get outdoors with the family, and there is no fee to access the refuge.”

Once you go through the front gate, you come up on the first of many estuary lakes. There are small boat launches for aluminum boats. Or you have the option of crabbing off one of the many fishing piers that can be found along the shorelines of the lakes.

“We like to set up on one of the piers and toss out some crab lines baited with chicken necks or wings, and then fish fresh dead mullet on bottom for redfish,” Cummins said. “The kids love it. If one spot doesn’t produce anything within an hour or so we move to another location.”

Another option is to launch a boat on Keith Lake, located a few miles north of the small town of Sabine. There are two boat ramps right off the highway. You can put in at one of the ramps and head south to one of the many estuary lakes with miles of water that is loaded with crabs.

The late Junior Hanson liked fishing so much on Keith Lake that he bought a small piece of land, then built a house and boat ramp. He died several years back, but the ramp is still there, right off Hwy. 87. That’s a good and safe place to launch a boat and not have to worry about your tow vehicle.

If you launch a boat at McFaddin NWR you can access Salt Lake and Fence Lake. They offer some excellent places to go