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how to locate speckled trout

Speckled trout might not have the best game reputation amongst Gulf Coast saltwater fish. It’s so easy that it almost feels like cheating. Don’t let the proximity to shore fool you, many large trout feed in the mangroves. There is pretty much only one type of live bait that you fishermen use to catch speckled trout. Just cast it out, pop it a few times, and wait. In years past I’ve caught them at the first and second islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) in 20 feet of water, but that would be the farthest from shore you’re ever likely to find them in our area. One more thing, trout normally congregate in the area where the light meets the darkness. If we’re lucky enough to locate a school of trout, and the fish are taking that live bait as fast as we can get the bait in the water, then we’ll usually fish using Boat Monkey popping corks. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. You have entered an incorrect email address! This is your best place to start looking for summertime trout. Gulp! Speckled Trout, Spotted Sea Trout, Gator Trout, Specks, and Trout are just a few of the many names that anglers call Sea Trout. 3” curly tail grubs work surprisingly well for catching trout, which is great because they’re very affordable and super easy to use. A Carolina rig or popper works great. You can rig these in a few ways. I prefer the 3” shrimp in white, but the color is not really that important. These oils will float to the top of the water, creating a noticeable slick film. If you live in an area with small speckled trout (South Florida), then you won’t have much luck using live fish to catch speckled trout. The light from the pier will attract bait. Most trout will hit during the pause. Areas where two creeks converge, or a marsh edge that has a creek flowing out of it are good examples of places where there are current seams. You're signed out. “Slicks” are formed on the top of the water when trout are feeding. Many anglers have started using live fish to combat that problem. The biggest mistake that beginners make when going for speckled trout is setting the hook way too hard. You can even use a 2/0 if you’re using a small fish as bait. As for the pound test, 10 pound mono works fine. They aren’t really hard to use. Learn how your comment data is processed. They aren’t the strongest fighters nor are they a particularly large fish. Tide Matters for Seatrout Fishing. Share 0. As the day heats up and the sun gets more direct, speckled trout will slide off the shallow areas into deeper adjacent waters. With that in mind, you should fish near mangroves or structures protected from the wind on windy or rough days. Sure, you can use live minnows with some success, but the vast majority of trout fishermen will use live shrimp when going for trout. Some fishermen even use small pinfish as trout bait. Sea gulls and other birds will circle above the frenzy and dive into the water to attack the bait fish from above giving a signal to anglers that can be seen from great distances. On cloudy days or more moderate temperatures, speckled trout may remain in the rich shallower waters for extended periods. Sea trout like to wait in the slacker water as the current sweeps through the cut or over the point. Target deep cuts, drop offs to the bay along grassy shorelines and channels near flats or oyster reefs. Winter Pattern. Speckled trout almost always hit on the pause. Speckled trout are found “inside” during the winter and “outside” during the summer. Learn how to locate speckled trout and redfish and make them bite like a tournament pro. Simply cast the shrimp in an area you think has trout, leave the bail open, place your finger on the line, and wait for the line to start moving before setting the hook. It’s not difficult. Speckled trout really like calm, clear water. Popping corks are mostly used with soft plastic shrimp or curly tail grubs. It is absolutely mind boggling to me the amount of information available to inshore anglers these days. During colder months, especially following a significant drop in temperatures due to a cold front, speckled trout will move into deep holes such as harbors, channels and estuarial rivers or out to the Gulf of Mexico to help regulate their body temperature. Especially when other fish just won’t bite. 0 comments. I actually find surface walkers pretty fun to use on the flats. I’ll put it this way, if the trout doesn’t take any line when it takes your bait, then you have the drag set too tight. The largest speckled trout are females, as anglers who spend serious time pursuing them know, often calling them sows. Capt. One other thing, live fish are great for catching gator trout (big speckled trout) that are usually found in Texas and Louisiana. As mentioned earlier, live shrimp are the best live bait for trout. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Mangroves offer plenty of protection for many types of bait, which naturally attracts predators. Look for deep holes close to these spots or try the shade of the local bridges. Understanding Hydrocoast Maps To Locate Speckled Trout. That’s about everything you need to know about catching speckled trout. Wherever there are two different speeds of water, you’re likely to find trout patrolling the area, looking for an easy meal to get swept by. The Slick takes advantage of this preference. It’s just much more difficult. Trout are usually lurking in the distance waiting for their opportunity to strike. It has enough length to offer good casting. That just doesn’t work. From September the number of speckled trout begins to dwindle as the winter season approaches. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Keep in mind that this method works best if you have access to the dock itself. Keys To Catching Fish. For the sake of this article, we will stick with calling this inshore gamefish Spotted, or Speckled, Sea Trout. Remember, trout are an ambush predator. Locating speckled trout in the bays of the Texas Coastal Bend is relatively easy. Obviously, use a smaller size reel if you use a light or ultralight rod. You can use a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader, but you are more likely to fail at hooking the fish. Let the bait sit for 5 seconds or so before popping it again. You can use a light action or medium-light rod if you don’t plan on catching gator trout or other large fish. Anyway, speckled trout are one of those fish that you catch for the challenge and taste more than the actual fight. Trout are much more active in colder water than warmer water. Why? As long as the temperature’s cool, the speckled trout and the redfish prefer to hold in deep holes from 8-to-22 feet deep, especially in the mornings.” Jarreau searches for deep holes close to shallow-water flats, because if the day warms up in cold weather, like it often does, the fish will move out of those deep holes and feed out on the flats. Personally, I find it overkill unless you’re going for massive speckled trout. In fact, you will probably find more trout near the mangroves than you will on other parts of the flats. Fishing off the Rocks (land-based) in the Bay of Islands: New Zealand. On the flip side, they have a very shallow minimum depth. Speckled trout are aggressively feeding at these times and good size catches are common. Trout are attracted to the smell and that you have the proper motion on your retrieve. It might sound odd, but it actually makes sense because trout enjoy cooler water much more than most of the other Gulf Coast fish. You can hook the shrimp through the tail or the head. This pattern runs from about December to March. I recommend using mono for trout. Of course, you can use ultralight tackle if you want a challenging fight. Speckled Seatrout range map covers northern Atlantic coast around New York, down to Florida’s east coast, around to the west coast and panhandle, across the southern states and down into Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The best speckled trout fishing can be had over oyster beds, but do you know how to find them? And a green bait light seems to attract the most fish for some reason. A good example of this is the shell pads under old gas wells in Corpus Christi Bay and the open water oyster reefs of Aransas Bay. Devin Denman Field Reports, Speckled Trout. I recommend using these artificials on topwater in the early morning, late evening, or at night. Personally, I only go to the oyster bar if I don’t see any activity at the other locations. Repeat this process until something hits or you reel the line in. Grass beds, oyster bars, creek mouths, stump fields, and drop-offs, generally in less than 10 feet of water, are common places to fish for them. My biggest piece of advice for catching speckled trout? So it doesn’t matter if you have the world’s most awesome oyster reef ever, if it’s not near where they are spawning then it’s not surprising that they wouldn’t be there. Find ribbonfish scurrying to the surface in panic and you will find BIG trout. 90% of the trout are in 10% of the water (or even less). While Georgia’s speckled trout grow nowhere near as large as they do in other states, if I were targeting nothing but trophy trout, I would use live bait such as 3- to 4-inch finger mullet, river pogies or small pinfish. I recommend a ¼ oz jighead for speckled trout if you plan on using the 3” soft plastics. Pursuing Outdoors LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. And that’s shrimp. As for size, 2500 or 3000 size reel will work fine if you use a medium action rod. The two top choices are small croakers and finger mullet. You will not usually find them in 100% light at night. Here are some general tips for catching speckled trout. It might not be a speckled trout since just about every inshore fish will eat a shrimp. A 6 to 7.5 foot medium action rod is your best bet when going for normal-sized speckled trout. I like to use curly tail grubs on the surface at night when pier fishing. The real challenge is identifying the habitat and finding populations of the size of speckled trout that you want and using the correct bait and location for that size fish during that season. Covering water FAST to locate good speckled trout action. These invertebrates attract small baitfish, which then attract the attention of the predator fish that you want to catch. Consult all regulations before fishing in a canal. Spotted sea trout do have teeth that can rip your line to shreds. I use Google satellite imagery to locate structure. It’s not legal in all jurisdictions. It will include the best lures, hooks, popping corks, and leaders for speckled trout. I like to use a popping cork on the flats. Photo courtesy of Josh Lowery Specks are usually found in relatively shallow water. Popping corks work surprisingly well when going for speckled trout. Speckled trout simply don’t get very big nor are they hard fighters, so you won’t need heavy tackle when fishing for them. If nothing hits after 10 seconds, then pop the cork a few more times. An experienced Coastal Bend angler can not only see the slicks, they can actually smell when trout are around! These fish have very soft, delicate lips. They are widely distributed throughout the bay systems and tend to be aggressive feeders. During an excited state, such as a feeding frenzy, speckled trout will often regurgitate, spilling partially digested fish and oils into the water. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to catch speckled trout in whitecaps. Just don’t puncture the shrimp’s brain or you’ll kill it. In large open water systems, speckled trout will gather around whatever structure is offered. Trout are one of those predators that cruise mangroves hunting for shrimp and other bait. Speckled trout are an inshore fish. It is still a good option despite being the last resort for many fishermen. How to locate and fish oyster beds in Louisiana. Share 0. Within the trough, try to locate a point jutting out from the beach or a cut in the sandbar and fish these areas when the tide is moving. You are pretty much guaranteed to catch a speckled trout with that. But formally they are known as Spotted Sea Trout or Cynoscion Nebulosus. You have two choices when using live shrimp for speckled trout: Personally, I prefer to freeline my shrimp when going for trout near structure, at night, or in very flat water. The Top Dog is 4.75” and weighs ¾ oz. Slick water indicates that speckled trout are feeding in the area. Using a circle hook makes fishing for speckled trout, and other fish, much easier. I will reel for a second or two, stop for a few seconds, and continue my retrieve. Seabirds and speckled trout have one thing in common: they love to gorge on baitfish. Many fishermen go for trout in the winter when most of the other inshore fish stop biting as frequently. Seriously, some fishermen set the hook on a speckled trout the same way they set it on a freshwater bass or shark. This also begs the question, what type of bait should be in the water? Shallow bays, coves, wrecks, rockpiles and grass beds are great places to hunt. We like this style of popping corks because they’re heavily weighted and easy to cast. The type of hook you use depends on the type of live bait you plan on fishing. Use live shrimp, or soft plastics that mimic shrimp, under a green dock light. If you use a live fish as bait, then a 3/0 or 4/0 circle hook will work. Pin 0. I don’t recommend using a rod that has a heavy action because trout have a very soft lip, which means you can easily rip the lip right off when setting the hook. I just recommend using a surface walker, menhaden, or small finger mullet to prevent catching junk fish. Sure, it might be the right habitat, but if there isn’t any bait in the water, then you won’t find trout. They will often stack up on the sand to ambush any shrimp coming off the grass flats. At a distance ribbbonfish can be spotted by their silver flashes as they breach. You will literally rip the lip off if you set the hook with a powerful motion. Tweet 0. Simply put, you won’t have much luck catching speckled trout in the surf or in wavy water. Speckled trout need at least 15-17ppt salt to spawn, and those bodies of water you mentioned are right on the fringe of it. In my experience, trout are rarely in water more than 20 or 30 feet deep. Note: Check all regulations before using a bait light to fish. I recommend a 10 to 14 pound monofilament leader when going for trout. It will also work if you have a kayak as a boat will often spook the fish. Rig up for trolling by attaching a crane swivel to the main braid line with a Palomar knot. That said, I have freelined shrimp and used soft plastics without any leader in the past and not had any issue with the line breaking. This allows for “one stop shops”, meaning anglers fill their coolers with a quick and easy limit in one spot. A recent tagging study by Jody Lynn Callahan of Louisiana State University shows some interesting correlations between heavy rain and inflow periods called “freshets” and female trout movement on the Louisiana coast. You will often catch pinfish, catfish, mangrove snapper, and other fish you probably don’t want to catch while using live shrimp. It’s not always possible to see shrimp from the surface, though. You will have a pretty good fight with small trout and ladyfish if you use an ultralight rod. I know, this might sound obvious, but many fishermen simply fish docks because that is prime trout habitat. My personal rule is if there are whitecaps, then it’s not a good spot for speckled trout. The vast majority of trout fishermen use live shrimp when going for speckled trout. Some anglers use 15 or 20 pound mono when going for trout in those areas. Trout are typically found along the edges of cuts and potholes, but oyster beds and grassy patches can also produce both large-sized and large quantities of trout. You want to use a “walking the dog” motion on your retrieve for maximum efficiency. However, I’ve caught so many trout under green dock lights that I have to share it. Additionally, the oils from the bait will float to the surface, which will create an oil slick. While you're searching the skies for birds, also keep an eye on the surface of the water for shiny... 3. They are also one of the better tasting fish you will catch. Nature also gives us a couple of signs that trout are actively feeding. Anyway, I will cover everything you need to know about catching speckled trout in this article. Large speckled trout primarily feed on fish, so if you find baitfish, you often find trout. And you will most likely catch something if there are fish in the area. You still might rip the trout’s lip off if using a lighter action because trout have such soft lips. Since shrimp are traveling in large masses it's a matter of time before a school of speckled trout locates them. Target deep cuts, drop offs to the bay along grassy shorelines and channels near flats or oyster reefs. Fishing for Redfish in the Texas Coastal Bend, Fishing for Speckled Trout in the Texas Coastal Bend, Catching Speckled Trout with Artificial Baits, Fishing for Flounder In The Texas Coastal Bend, Fishing For Black Drum In The Texas Coastal Bend. Therefore, many of these fall speckled trout fishing tips will apply between the … In fishing for Speckled Trout (Spotted Sea Trout - Cynoscion nebulosus), the hardest endeavor is finding schools of feeding Specks. You simply won’t find them very far from the shore. Freeline near structure or in very calm water. Period. And yes, you can use braided line if you really want to use it. If you plan on going for gator trout, then you will definitely want a medium action rod. My biggest tip for setting the hook on a speckled trout is to use a loose drag. How to Find Oyster Beds in Louisiana Bill Murray playing Captain Devin in “Nutria Day”. In Club Texas you will get Mastery Level video training for speckled trout, redfish, and flounder with new training videos weekly. This begs the question, how do you set the hook on a speckled trout? A surface walker like the Mirrolure Top Dog or Top Dog Jr is the choice for you. You can go a little bigger, but I find that ¼ oz works great for most scenarios. However, there is one downside to live shrimp: It attracts a lot of junk fish. All in all, circle hooks and loose drag will dramatically increase the amount of speckled trout that you land. Note: People may not appreciate you fishing near their dock at night. My other big tip for catching speckled trout is to look for bait in the water. We use about 2 feet of monofilament leader coming off the cork. Look for nervous baitfish, such as rafted mullet or flipping pogies. First of all, you should use a circle hook to minimize this lip-ripping problem. Anglers going for speckled trout have caught redfish, snook, pompano, jack (very hard fighters), and even tarpon. During the daytime, you will want to bounce the soft plastics off the bottom on your retrieve. Shallow to me is two to seven feet or so, but can vary depending on where you are targeting these fish. All the previous soft plastics are mostly meant for catching smaller speckled trout. In my experience, trout are rarely in water more than 20 or 30 feet deep. Share 0. Tweet 0. Also, you won’t usually see much activity on the surface at an oyster bar, but the trout are most likely there. Most times of the year, anglers can locate schools of actively feeding speckled trout in a wide range of locations. Also, fluorocarbon line sinks, which makes it terrible to use with topwater rigs. Here are some good habitats that you will usually find trout in: You simply won’t find them very far from the shore. Also, expect to catch lots of ladyfish if you use a curly tail grub to go for trout. Both Maryland and Virginia have perfect speckled trout habitat. Spot Slicks. These fish are a little more particular than other fish, so you don’t want to skip this section. However, if you see baitfish shining or moving towards the surface, then that’s a good indicator that there are shrimp in the water. Follow the Birds. Some fishermen will even freeline live fish, but I find this very annoying near structure or on the flats. This isn’t exactly a habitat. Look for speckled trout along the edges of the marsh at this time. If you’re fishing for trout at night, then purchasing a bait light is a good investment. Having knowledge of their diet is a key component of knowing how to catch speckled trout, and biologists with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission report that though smaller trout prefer shrimp as their primary food, the larger fish much prefer finfish. The technique you use to target them will vary by how you are pursuing them, Fishing Techniques You Can Use to Catch Speckled Trout However, redfish are different in that they do not reach sexual maturity until the upper end of their slot length at 27 inches. Some days I wonder if I am Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Use a popping cork on the flats when the water is a little rougher. In essence, try to find areas where speckled trout frequent between the months of May and September. Finding structure is key for fishing speckled sea trout. But what if you want to catch gator trout?

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