TEXAS COAST SPOTS · SABINE — PORT ARTHUR
Sabine — Port Arthur fishing spots
10 verified locations · tide station Sabine Pass North (8770570) · library verified 2026-08-14
10 source-verified places to fish around Sabine — 3 offshore, 2 piers, 2 boat ramps, 1 surf. The bite here is led by Speckled Trout, Red Drum, Southern Flounder and Black Drum, and every entry below carries its access rules, best conditions, and the sources it was verified against.
Live bite scores for Sabine → · What's in season →
Pleasure Island Fishing Pier
Pier · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Incoming tide with light wind on Sabine Lake; spring and fall for trout and reds, summer mornings for croaker and drum.
Access: 3974 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Port Arthur, next to the Pleasure Island Marina complex on the Sabine Lake shoreline; 409-982-4675. 275-ft public pier, open year-round, no admission fee published. Unlit - plan for daylight fishing.
- Fresh dead shrimp on a bottom rig covers almost everything here.
- No lights - leave by dusk and bring your own cart or chair.
- Busy with walkers on weekends; fish early for elbow room.
⚠ Open, unshaded deck - heat and lightning exposure in summer; no lighting after dark.
Walter Umphrey State Park Fishing Pier
Pier · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Moving tide in the Sabine-Neches channel; night fishing under the pier lights in summer, and strong fall flounder runs near the pass.
Access: 3897 Martin Luther King Jr Dr (TX-82) at Mesquite Point, south end of Pleasure Island, Port Arthur. County-operated (Jefferson County, 409-736-2851) despite the name. Lighted fishing pier beside the TX-82 causeway, plus boat launch, RV park and restrooms; no published entrance fee. Original pier destroyed by Hurricane Ike (2008), rebuilt. Texas fishing license IS required - the state-park shore exemption does not apply at this county-run park.
- Fish the light lines after dark with live shrimp or glow soft plastics for trout.
- Causeway Bait, Tackle and Grill across the road sells live bait.
- Bring a long-handled net - the deck sits well above the water.
⚠ Ship-channel location: tanker wakes and strong current. Keep kids off the rails and mind gear when wakes hit.
Sea Rim State Park
Surf · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Light southeast wind with green, clear surf (May-September); first two guts on an incoming tide at dawn.
Access: 19335 S. Gulfway Dr (TX-87), Sabine Pass, 409-971-2559. TPWD park open daily 6am-10pm; $4/adult, 12 and under free. Gulf surf fishing along the beach unit plus marsh fishing; Marsh Unit boat ramp; free loaner fishing and crabbing gear at HQ. No license needed fishing from shore inside the state park.
- Wade the first gut with soft plastics or fish dead shrimp on a fish-finder rig in the second gut.
- Beach parking is soft sand in spots - air down or use the day-use lot.
- Borrow the park's free loaner rods and crab lines if traveling light.
⚠ Rip currents and stingrays (shuffle your feet); alligators on the marsh side - never wade or clean fish in the Marsh Unit. Serious summer heat and mosquitoes.
Sources: [1]
Sabine Nearshore Reef (HI-20)
Nearshore · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Light SE breeze under 10-15 kt with 2 ft or less seas; summer green-to-blue water pushes snapper, kings and cobia shallow. Fall brings bull red schools over the structure.
Access: TPWD 160-acre artificial reef site in High Island Block 20, about 8.4 miles from the Sabine Pass jetties in 38 ft of water — a short run inside Texas state waters, so red snapper can be kept year-round under state rules. Charters out of Sabine Pass/Port Arthur use it for half-day snapper and nearshore-slam trips; TPWD began deployments in 2021 with a 120-ft barge, granite blocks and concrete.
- State-water red snapper is open year-round here — a fallback when the federal season is closed.
- The reef is scattered piles across 160 acres; idle the site with sonar and mark individual barge and granite piles rather than anchoring on the center coordinate.
- Free-line live croaker or drop 2-4 oz jigs; water is only 38 ft so light tackle works.
⚠ Shallow open Gulf near the Sabine ship channel — watch for heavy tanker/LNG traffic entering the pass and steep chop when wind opposes the outgoing tide at the jetties.
Basco's Reef (HI-117)
Offshore · MAP ↗
When it fishes: June-August federal snapper season on light-wind days; the extra depth over the neighboring site holds fish better when a fresh-water plume from the Sabine River dirties shallower water.
Access: TPWD 40-acre reef site in High Island Block 117, about 21 miles off Sabine Pass in 50 ft of water — the slightly deeper twin to the HI-117 Sabine site 2 miles west. Reefed platform jackets and structure make it a reliable snapper stop on full-day charters out of Sabine Pass; federal seasons apply.
- Deepest of the Sabine-area TPWD sites at 50 ft — first stop when nearshore water is muddy.
- Butterfly jigs and double-drop rigs with squid produce mixed snapper, triggerfish and vermilion.
- Slow-troll live bait around the perimeter for kings while bottom fishing the middle.
⚠ Same exposure as the rest of the HI block field — open federal waters, commercial platform and shrimp-boat traffic, and no safe harbor short of the Sabine jetties.
HI-117 Sabine Reef
Offshore · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Summer flat-calm windows with blue-green water; snapper stack over the structure June-August, kings and cobia patrol it spring through fall.
Access: TPWD 40-acre artificial reef in High Island Block 117, roughly 21 miles off Sabine Pass in 43 ft of water. Built from reefed oil-and-gas platform material in the heart of the High Island block field that Sabine and Port Arthur charters have fished for decades; federal reef-fish regulations apply.
- Work both HI-117 sites in one stop — Basco's Reef sits about 2 miles east in the same block.
- Bigger sows hold slightly off the structure; make long drifts with cut bait past the edges of the 40-acre footprint.
- Venting tools or descending devices are required gear for reef fish in Gulf federal waters.
⚠ 20-plus-mile open-Gulf run — check the offshore forecast, fuel reserve and bar conditions at the Sabine jetties before committing; afternoon summer squalls build fast.
S.A.L.T. Reef (HI-85)
Offshore · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Late spring through early fall on multi-day calm stretches; clearer offshore water than the beachfront sites, best on a slack-to-moderate current for holding over the low-relief material.
Access: TPWD 40-acre rigs-to-reef site in High Island Block 85, about 17.5 miles off Sabine Pass in 43 ft of water — a mid-length federal-waters run named for the Sabine Area Liberating Texans anglers group. A staple stop for Sabine charters working the old High Island rig field corridor; federal red snapper season rules apply.
- Fish it during the federal red snapper season or target kings, cobia and sharks the rest of the year.
- Reefed platform material lies low across 40 acres — drift-drop with heavy jigs or bottom rigs instead of anchoring.
- Pair it with the HI-117 sites another 4 miles out for a full-day rig-field milk run.
⚠ Federal waters run with no protection — file a float plan, carry EPIRB/VHF, and mind active oil-and-gas platforms and workboat traffic in the High Island blocks.
Pleasure Island Marina
Marina · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Protected water - fishable when wind blows out the open lake; flounder stack around bulkheads and launch basins in October-November.
Access: Pleasure Pier Blvd, north end of Pleasure Island, Port Arthur; 409-982-4675. City-run marina (2011): 300 slips, mostly floating docks; published monthly rates from $280 (30 ft). Public boat launch adjacent (Miracle Beach launch); shore fishing along the bulkhead and nearby pier. Day-use launch fees not published.
- Work the rocks, pilings and bulkhead seams with a jig for sheepshead and flounder.
- A good winter option when north winds muddy Sabine Lake.
- Launching here puts you minutes from the causeway reefs and the ship channel.
⚠ Active ramp traffic - keep lines clear of the lanes; slick launch aprons after rain.
Sources: [1]
Keith Lake Fish Pass (TX-87)
Boat ramp · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Strong moving tide funneling bait through the narrow pass - outgoing is the classic bite; fall flounder and bull red runs are the peak.
Access: On TX-87 between Port Arthur and Sabine Pass, at the Keith Lake fish pass. Jefferson County site with a rebuilt ramp and roadside parking; no fees published. Bank fishing around the pass is a long-standing local pattern; the ramp opens small-boat and kayak access to the Salt Bayou marsh lakes. Texas license required.
- Fish the current seams on either side of the cut with live shrimp under a popping cork or a jig on bottom.
- Crowded on weekend tide changes - arrive early for parking along TX-87.
- Kayakers: the pass current is strong; time paddles to slack tide.
⚠ Very strong current in the pass - dangerous wading at peak flow; fast highway traffic near parking; alligators in the adjacent marsh.
Sources: [1]
Sabine Pass Battleground SHS
Boat ramp · MAP ↗
When it fishes: Moving tide along the pass; fall (Sep-Nov) flounder and bull redfish runs are the highlight; the lit boardwalk fishes well on calm summer nights for campers.
Access: 6100 Dick Dowling Rd, Sabine Pass; 979-325-1582. Texas Historical Commission site, free self-guided day use with restrooms, covered picnic areas and parking. Fishing along the Sabine Pass channel shoreline; lighted boat ramp and boardwalk (after-hours use reserved for the 5 first-come RV sites, $40/night). License and regulations apply.
- Free bank access with real parking and restrooms - one of the easiest family spots on the pass.
- Finger mullet or Gulp tight to the boardwalk and riprap for fall flounder.
- Camp a night in the fall to fish the lighted ramp after hours.
⚠ Deep, fast water at the channel edge with heavy ship traffic and wakes - keep back from the edge. Remote; spotty cell coverage; no swimming.
Sources: [1]
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