How to Fish for Speckled Trout in Gulf Coast Bays
Put it to a vote. The majority of inshore and near-shore fishermen would elect the Speckled Trout as the most popular fish on the Gulf Coast. It is tricky when hooked, as it tends to dart in many directions and is often lost. It was almost commercially fished to extinction because of its popularity as table fare.
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Things You'll Need
- Silver spoon
- Popping cork
- Ultra-light spinning rig
- Live shrimp, croakers or finger mullet
- 10 pound test line
Instructions
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Identify Speckled Trout (Spotted Sea Trout) by their silver sides covered with irregular black spots. They are common to about 4 pounds, with trophy trout in excess of 15 pounds. They often school when feeding and are highly prized for their flavor and ease of cleaning.
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Search for Speckled Trout in the shallow areas in morning and evening twilight and in the deeper parts of South Laguna Madre after the sun is well up. Use an ultra-light spinning rig with 10 pound test line and a silver spoon to make fishing more of a challenge. Live shrimp, croakers or finger mullet, particularly with a popping cork, make it more of a sure thing. The trout grow longer than 25 inches, but the size you usually catch run about 15 to 20 inches.
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Watch for gulls and terns working the water. They will track game fish for a long time even when the fish aren't finding bait. Keep in mind the birds are after the bait the trout scare up. If the birds are hovering over very shallow water inter-spaced with weeds, you might want to switch to a top water lure. Give it short but frequent jerks.
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Fish the deeper areas in the winter months. Speckled Trout prefer water temperatures between 58 and 81 degrees. They are more sluggish when the water is cold so fish slower and deeper. Once hooked they warm up pretty quickly. The deeper water of canals is often excellent, particularly when they have a lot of underwater "green lights."
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Tips & Warnings
Watch for sting rays if you are wade fishing. Always shuffle your feet on the bottom. They will get out of your way if you don't step on one.
