“Hook a Big Trout”
By Terry Lacoss
Late April and the entire month of May offers some of the best sea trout fishing of the year, especially for sea trout weighing over the five-pound mark. Large sea trout are often referred to as “Gator Trout”. Here large female sea trout will be preparing to spawn while aggressively feeding on shrimp and baitfish before spawning.
My personal preference in catching big Spring sea trout includes working a slow sinking, or shallow running minnow type plug where shallow shorelines drop off into a nearby deep channel. Obviously one of the better places to hook up to giant Spring trout is the Amelia River where numerous deep channels run close to dock pilings, oysterbars and rough shorelines.
Both the Rayonier and Rock Ten paper mills offer ideal habitat for catching large specks where a deep channel runs close to rock and dock laden shorelines. Here speck fishermen will position their saltwater skiff just offshore of the shallow water drop while working hard plastic plugs, live shrimp, finger mullet or large bullhead minnows. Key to catching a sea trout of a lifetime is to work the plug, or live bait slowly from the shallow edge of the structure out into the nearby deep channel.
Look for areas where numerous schools of mullet are working the shallow edges of the deep drop. Successfully working suspending hard baits in the chartreuse color pattern from the shallow edge of the creek into the deep channel is a deadly speck fishing tactic.
Live baits include finger mullet, or live shrimp barbed to a ¼ ounce led head jig is also a deadly deep creek speck fishing tactic. Live finger mullet are barbed right through the bottom of the mouth and out through the top of the head, while live shrimp are barbed just in front of the tail and out through the top of tail. Live baits are also cast to the shallow edge of the deep creek and worked slowly into the deeper portion of the tidal creek.
Key fishing gear includes a six and a half foot spinning rod with a light tip action and a medium butt action. The light tip action affords for long casts, also when fighting a large sea trout, the light rod tip helps hold the hooks in the soft mouth of a large sea trout. The spinning reel should be filled with 15-pound braided fishing line with a three-foot section of 10-pound fluorocarbon shock leader. I recommend a very light drag so that your hooked sea trout will be able to make short runs without the hook, or hooks ripping free from their soft mouth.
If you plan on releasing your sea trout, the best method is to use a landing net, wet your hands take a photo and release your big speck. Avoid putting your fingers in the gills of the sea trout!
Current Florida sea trout regulations allow fishermen to keep five sea trout per day measuring at least fifteen-inches with one of their bag limits measuring 20-inches or more. For more information please visit www.myfwc.com.
