Fishing in Bessie Heights Marsh

lonestranger · Post by **lonestranger** » Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:06 pm

I am going to meet GL Saturday morning and we are going to explore Bessie Heights Marsh. Found out that the Nelda Starks WMA gives you access from the Orangefield side. Permit for a year is $12.00 if you already have the $48.00 permit it is valid too. This access is only open from March 1 till Duck Season begins. If anybody else wants to try it with us just reply and we will try to meet.

Danny

bing · Post by **bing** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 6:03 pm

can you elaborate on this permit and the location (access/fish)?
thanks

lonestranger · Post by **lonestranger** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:20 pm

Bing, you can get the permit any place that sells fishing/hunting license. It is the "Type II" hunting or Limited Use permit from TPWD. The Nelda Starks WMA is located at the end of Bessie Heights Rd off of 1442 in Orange County, just out of Orangefield. Here are some links to maps to the area.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=15&n= ... atum=nad83

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T ... Y=2076&W=3

http://maps.google.com/?ll=30.045024,-9 ... 0.1157&t=h

One thing that we learned the day we went was that the tides are almost 9 hours behind the Sabine Pass times. check it out it is a really beautiful area to fish.

Danny

FishingSETX · Post by **FishingSETX** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 6:25 pm

Hey LoneStranger, is there easy access to the water out there? My wife likes to go, but she isn't mush for carrying her yak, or wading through the mud. Im glad you posted this, Ive been wanting to fish bessie heights from a yak, but never knew any way to get out there(short of paddling across the ship channel).

BTW

Im from Silsbee too (Ive lived in beaumont for about 5 years)

lonestranger · Post by **lonestranger** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:21 pm

Hey SETEX, the only problem with access from this location is that you have to walk a ways (150 yrds?)from the parking area to the culvert where you can launch, but that is down a rock road. I built a set of wheels to attach to my kayak so that I could pull it and not have to carry it. 10" pneumatic wheels on sale at Harbor Freight for $5 each. The only problem is making sure that you have the tide figured correctly. I am still exploring this access and I think there is a place to launch even at low tide. I will post information as I get to know the area better. Good Luck.

Big Irish · Post by **Big Irish** » Thu May 25, 2006 2:05 pm

Any concerns with vehicle security? I scouted out this parking area and surprised some suspicious looking characters who sped away when I showed up. Also, the TPW people said sometimes the gate off Bessie Heights road is locked due to vandalism and littering. Lastly, is the water salt this far north on the WMA?

lonestranger · Post by **lonestranger** » Fri May 26, 2006 9:51 am

I am not sure about the security issue, but I do understand that the Game Warden patrols this area pretty often, I would lock all my stuff up out of sight. As far as I know the salinity of the water is sufficient for all the saltwater species. In fact there was a Jack Cravelle caught in the river just a couple of weeks ago, the story was in the PA News. Pay attention to the tides that is the biggest issue from this location. Hope you get a chance to try it out.

Danny

Big Irish · Post by **Big Irish** » Fri May 26, 2006 10:55 am

Lonestranger: The reason I asked is that when I look at Google Earth, that end (north) of the Bessie Heights is the farthest from the Neches River access and with rainfall I wondered if it was still brackish. Stubb claims the Heights to be the best but he accesses it from the south by crossing the river from the park.

Big Irish · Post by **Big Irish** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:47 pm

Any updates on the Nelda Stark put in to Bessie Heights?

acm2117 · Post by **acm2117** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:31 am

just a little tidbit: i did see a tailing red out there while duck hunting this winter so the marsh should be brackish (more like waiting cuz none were there, but that's another story)

FishingSETX · Post by **FishingSETX** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:13 pm

Doesn't matter if its brackish or fresh, Ive caught small reds at colliers ferry in beaumont. they can and will follow bait upstream quite a ways. they just cant breed in fresh water.

acm2117 · Post by **acm2117** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:02 pm

i've caught them there too!! there is a reason the salt barrier is right below the confluence with Pine island bayou, and that's cuz the salt can creep all the way up there during low flow periods.

FishingSETX · Post by **FishingSETX** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:55 am

yep. its there to protect the freshwater canals that feed the rice fields, the refineries, and beaumont drinking water. They used it to replace the one on pine island bayou that kept breaking, but the redfish can and will feed in fresh water. They even stock them in freshwater lakes like texoma. Its funny when you are fishing around colliers ferry or ten-mile and catching reds, largemouth, crappie, and galfstop all from the same hole!

Piscator · Post by **Piscator** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:31 pm

Back in the 60's we would ride our bikes down to Colliers ferry area in the summer and go crabbing. Then our housekeeper/sitter would make us gumbo for lunch. Those were the carefree days of my youth.