The Great Sand Bass Round Up...

We called it the Great Sand Bass Round Up because after all shouldn't we use social media to make life grander than it is? You don't have to answer that question but in the words of one of the fishing guides based out of River Ridge Campground and Guide Service after viewing our catch "that's nine more than you had." 

Matt was the big winner with six fish, Cathy had two and you see the photo of my one. The sandbar at for bank fishing at River Ridge is kind of a feast or famine type spot. They will be there or not. Boat fisherman are reporting 25 fish limits for every person in the boat chasing up and down the river and when I ask the guide if his clients were catching them well he said, "oh yeah." 

Cathy holds up a big sand bass. Using light tackle and roadrunner jigs it's fun fishing. All but two fish we caught were spawning females full of eggs. 

The san bar is a good place to set up a lawn chair and sit was the river flows past. Being this is a privately owned guide operation, campground and boat launch there is what they call a day camper fee which increased from $10 to $15 (I don't think you can blame this on Joe Biden) since our last visit. Ice is still $2 if you need it and while the guides were hanging around this day it's an honor system for payments. Fill out your permit, get ice from the freezer, drop your money through a slot in the office door. There is a fish cleaning station available, bathrooms, cabins for rent and a few trailer hook ups 

I think it's worth it. The only other bank fisherman showed up as we were leaving, there were maybe a dozen boat launchers and we saw only occasional traffic on the river and the area is clean and trash free. The guides reported that there were 47 cars at a nearby public fishing access point.  

The river is low, which is generally good for the sand bass run but with the currents it's an ever changing environment of sand as the Sabine flows to Toledo Bend Reservoir. This is the sand piles that are cleared to keep the boat ramp open. 

If you operate a private boat ramp on the Sabine River I think you should consider investing in a dragline.  

We fried a few fillets but the highlight of the evening meal was fillets on the grill topped with Cajun Power Spaghetti Sauce, a few popcorn shrimp, diced Zummo's sausage, lime, Cajun seasoning and butter. I served mine on a bed of seasoned home fries.  

A guide trip out of River Ridge will run $350 for two people. Of course that's limits of fish. White bass of which I have eaten plenty of is kind of a course fish when compared to catfish or crappie but tasty when well seasoned and grilled or blackened and depending on the body of water may have a consumption advisory I don't really need a freezer full of these things. Nothing screams fish like frozen sand bass you caught in March thawed out for a July 4th fish fry which of course, I have done just trying to make life grander than it is.