With the weather in full Winter mode in my neck of the woods, I thought it would be nice to imagine myself saltwater fishing. To help those of you with the same yearning for warmer weather, today we’ll take a look at one of the most popular inshore species: sea trout. Spotted seatrout, also known as speckled trout or specks, are among the most abundant inshore fish along the coast of the southeastern U.S. They also happen to be easy to catch and delicious, and today we’ll take a look at some fishing tips to help you fill your cooler with specks if you’re fortunate enough find yourself down South this winter.
It’s common to find large trout found in shallow water, such as three feet and less. In fact, sometimes you can catch them in water that’s barely ankle deep. They frequent such areas as they follow schools of mullet whose “mudding” pushes prey items out of the grass and right into the mouths of waiting trout.
Though big seatrout can be commonly found in shallow waters, this also means they’re extremely wary. For this reason, a silent approach is crucial. Often, the best way to get into range is to get out of the boat and wade. Move slowly so as not to stir up the bottom, which spooks fish and reduces your sight-fishing visibility.
When the weather is a little cooler, you can also find schools of big trout around cover near the shore. Places like boat wrecks and rock piles sometimes hold large schools of trout, usually at depths around eight to ten feet.
Mature seatrout feed mostly on baitfish, so keep this in mind when you’re selecting a lure to cast. However, in colder times of the year, baitfish aren’t as prevalent, which means trout will revert to shrimp. Walking the dog with topwater lures like the Bass Pro Shops XPS Walker, Heddon’s Super Spook, and the 7 M Mirrolure, are solid options for big specks. Also, soft plastic jerkbaits rigged weedless can work well, particularly where grass makes it tough to cast a lure with treble hooks. In shallow, clear water, low impact lures such like the DOA Shrimp are ideal when fish are easily spooked.
If you’re enduring a cold, snowy winter right now and ice fishing isn’t your thing, hopefully imagining yourself fishing for trout in shallow saltwater will help. Heck, it may even inspire you to plan a fishing trip to the South to get away from the cold for a bit. Either way, keep the tips outlined above in mind and you’ll have a cooler filled with speckled trout the next time you head down South.
