Anglers are ready to take the stage for bass-fishing drama at the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River in Orange, Texas, May 15-18.

Photo by Andy Crawford/B.A.S.S.

May 7, 2025

Vast Sabine River fishery sets stage for Bassmaster Elite Series drama

ORANGE, Texas — Long runs and low weights may sound like a bummer, but those who’ve fished the Sabine River know this is one of the most engaging and potentially dramatic of Southern fisheries. If past tournaments provide any indication, the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River should offer another highly entertaining event.

Competition days will be May 15-18 with daily takeoffs from City of Orange Boat Ramp, at 6:30 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day back at the boat ramp at 2:30 p.m.

While the Sabine’s relatively modest fish size pales in comparison to the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series’ previous stop at the Texas monster factory Lake Fork, the Sabine still has plenty of bass. According to Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., the challenge will be weeding through quantity in hopes of finding quality.

“The goal is to find those 2 1/2- to 3-pound bass,” Sumrall said. “Every spring, a 7- to 9-pounder comes out of there. But if you catch a 5 or a 6, you have a fish that you can ride for a couple days. That’s a really big fish for (May).

“I think a lot of people will have limits; there’s no shortage of 12-inch bass, but it’s a matter of who’s gonna break over that 8- to 10-pound a day mark to have a good check. The guy that catches 11 1/2 to 12 pounds a day will probably win it.”

With tournament water comprising the Sabine River and multiple tributaries spanning seven Texas counties, anglers have a vast playing field at their disposal. As Sumrall explained, most anglers will fish what’s considered the main waterways.

“You have the Sabine River, the Trinity River, the Neches River, Taylor Slough and Cow Bayou, and each one has its own features,” Sumrall said. “You go into Cow Bayou and there’s cypress trees, cypress stumps and marsh grass.

“Taylor is predominantly marsh grass, then the Neches starts off with marsh and turns into cypress tree cover and the Sabine does the same. It could be a little bit of everything.”

When the Elites competed at the Sabine in 2021, intrepid anglers pushed opposite ends of tournament boundaries, with Jason Christie ultimately winning in a small creek off the Sabine located just below the Toledo Bend Dam. That event’s first three days saw second-place finisher Brock Mosley running 110 miles west to fish Clear Creek on the east side of metro Houston.

Notably, the next time the Bassmaster Elite Series visited the Sabine in 2023, Mosley split his first three days between an industrial waterway encompassing Orange Harbor Island a couple miles downriver from the takeoff site and Taylor Slough, about 45 minutes south. He spent his entire final day in that industrial area and won the event.

While this year’s event will likely see most of the eastern tournament waters in play, Sumrall believes the potential for quality fish in less-pressured western areas does not merit the considerable loss of fishing time.

“It’s a hard commitment to make,” he said. “Houston is a big gamble, and it hardly ever lasts four days unless it’s the spawn.”

Sumrall said recent local and upstream rains will likely have the water level a little higher and possibly muddier in certain areas. Closer to the Gulf, tides clean the waters quickly, but farther inland, turbidity lingers longer.

“It’s going to be full summer patterns,” Sumrall said. “You’re going to see people fishing a little dirtier water, but finding moving water, oxygenated water — that’s the stuff most people will be looking for.”

The Sabine’s diverse natural and man-made habitat features lend themselves to a variety of power fishing techniques, such as flipping jigs and Texas-rigged plastics or throwing reaction baits such as ChatterBaits, crankbaits and topwaters.

Finesse fishing could play a role, especially when the midday slump invokes lethargy. During that 2021 event, Japanese pro Taku Ito fished wacky-rigged plastics under a bridge near takeoff and tempted key fish, while others struggled to trigger reaction bites.

Ultimately, Sumrall believes victory will require a few key catches that allow an angler to break away from the pack. Strategy will play a big role, as competitors must know when to leave a population of smaller fish in hopes of finding one big bass.

“A lot of guys will come in with 7 to 8 pounds a day, but catching a 3-plus-pounder every day will be the biggest challenge,” Sumrall said. “It’s about getting a couple better-than-average quality bites every day.”

Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River will be available on Bassmaster.com on Days 1 and 2 starting at 8 a.m. ET and ending at 3 p.m. Roku will have coverage on Days 1 and 2 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. FS1 will carry the morning action on Days 3 and 4 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.