Fishing for Speckled Trout can be an absolute ball, especially when you run across a large school of Speckled Trout busting lures out of the water.
How To Catch Speckled Trout
Speckled Trout is often caught casting artificial lures over shallow water structures including, oyster bars, mangroves, and seagrass beds. The most productive lure retrieval cadence for Speckled Trout is a “tap, tap, pause .”
Speckled Trouts are unique inshore fish to target because they can be fished using various fishing techniques. The three most popular ways to target Speckled Trout include fishing with soft plastics, topwater and live bait.
Soft plastics are the most common lures used when fishing for Speckled Trout and are typically the most productive. The soft plastics are generally small in profile, often featuring scent dispersion technology which assists the Speckled Trout in locating your lure.
The second most common lure is topwater. Topwater lures have an added advantage over plastics in that they are typically heavier in overall weight and size, increasing the angler’s casting distance dramatically. Casting distance is crucial when fishing for Speckled Trout, especially if you are targeting the big ones. Speckled Trout are skittish fish, so keeping a reasonable distance from your fishing spot is crucial for success.
Last but not least is fishing with live bait. Live bait is a great way to fish for speckled Trout, especially if you are looking for a passive way to get some large fish in the boat. Though speckled Trout are known to prey on a list of inshore fish, small baitfish or shrimp seem to be the most productive.
Top Speckled Trout Fishing Tips
- Find the oil slick: Speckled Trout are famous for making slicks because of the ravenous nature in which they feed on small baitfish and shrimp. When Speckled Trout are feeding, they often gulp down water at the same time. Because of this, the Trout regurgitate water and oil from their recently consumed meal. The oil quickly floats to the surface creating a “slick’ which looks like an oily/shiny patch of water. When you locate an inshore slick, there is a good chance there are Trout in the area. Try casting just up current from the slick, and there is a good chance you will find a school of Trout.
- Make the long cast: Trout are hyper-skittish fish, so it is essential to be quiet and keep your distance when targeting larger speckled Trout. The large ones didn’t get that big by being stupid.
- Fish the shallows: Trophy Trout called “gators” are often caught fishing in shallow waters with topwater lures.
- Follow the birds: When you are traveling the waters of the back bay, keep your eyes peeled for diving birds or preying herons in the water. Birds are often synonymous with baitfish. Where there is baitfish, there is almost always Trout!
- Fish the full moon: Tidal movement is directly correlated to the current phase of the moon. During a full moon, you will typically have the strongest and most dramatic changes in tide level. The more tidal movement you have, the better the fishing. There is a multifaceted reason behind this, but the main thing to know is that strong tides bring in the baitfish.
- Use your longer rod: Trout fishing is casting intensive. Using a taller rod around 7’ +/- will help you cover more water and increase your overall casting distance.
Let’s take a deeper look into how to catch Speckled Trout by learning more about the species as a whole.
What Are Speckled Trout?
Cynoscion nebulosus, the Speckled Trout, are frequently called various names, including Seatrout, Spotted Weakfish, Spotted Seatrout, Weakfish, or Spec. These fish are characterized by their dark greenbacks and beautiful spots that stop just past their lateral line, which is midway down the fish. It is at the lateral line where the color quickly shifts from dark greens to silvery-white. Speckled trouts are slimy fish with small scales giving them a smooth appearance and feel when handled. Upon opening the Trout’s mouth, you will typically find two large canine teeth on top with smaller lined teeth on the bottom. Juvenile sea trout have a crustacean diet and begin to introduce larger shrimp and baitfish as they grow.
Where Can You Find Speckled Trout?
Speckled Trout inhabit the Intracoastal waters in the spring and summer months, frequently feeding in schools on seagrass beds. As the water temperatures begin to decrease, trout move out into deeper waters ranging from 15 to 30 feet. Speckled Trout are caught worldwide but are frequently targeted in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana & Texas. Speckled Trout are known to congregate in large schools around grass beds with deep pockets and troughs. When you hook up to one trout, have other anglers cast in that general direction. Usually, this technique can be a profitable method of landing your bag limit. Speckled Trout are always following the bait so keep your eyes peeled for baitfish on the top of the water. Bait Fish are always searching for high water quality and protection from predators. . Because of this, baitfish often congregate in areas with grass beds and moving water. Most anglers will agree that if you can find the baitfish inshore, you will typically find the Trout. Though Speckled Trout are constantly chasing bait, they are known to be hyper-local fish, rarely traveling more than 5 miles from where they were born.
Best Time Of Year To Fish For Speckled Trout
The Best time to target Speckled Trout is in the spring and summer months when the Trout congregate in the Intracoastal waters. Though Trout are feeding all day, the bite is typically strongest first thing in the morning and around sunset. Low tides will further congregate these guys in the deeper seagrass beds. It is also essential to plan your fishing times around the tidal movements. Trout love to feed in moving currents allowing them to stay stationary in the grass while crustaceans and baitfish drift by. In the cooler months trout head out to deeper water whether that is deeper pockets in the back bay or out into the ocean.
Speckled Trout Natural Diet:
- Small Crustaceans
- Shrimp
- Croakers
- Threadfins
- Sardines
What Are The Best Baits/Lures To Catch Speckled Trout?
- Johnson Silver Minnow Spoon: Spoons are a metal fishing lure that is time and tested for many fish in the backwater, including Trout. Spoons come in all colors and sizes but are most popular in silver and gold. Fish are often attracted to the wobbling motion and shining character that resembles a wounded baitfish. Because of their weight, spoons are a great lure option to cover a lot of ground as you are searching for schools of Trout. Many spoons are sold with a weed guard assisting with weed control as you are casting in and out of the grass beds. The Johnson Silver Minnow Spoon is 1 ¾” in length with a weight of ⅛ ounce.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Smooth Retrival/2-3 MPH |
| Casting Distance | 200’+/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack, occasional shark |
| Cost | $10+/- |
| Pros | Great casting distance, simple retrieval |
| Cons | The weight of the spoon makes it difficult to fish in shallow water |
- New Penny Gulp (Shrimp): Berkley’s Gulp artificial baits have been crushing the fishing world since their debut back in 2003. Gulp baits advertise they have 400 times the scent as other plastic baits on the market. Our favorite gulp plastic is 3” Gulp! Alive! Shrimp! This miracle lure can be worked in almost any fashion, making it a great bait for beginners and professional anglers alike. We have had our best luck tipping these with a ¼ to ⅜ ounce bass assassin jig head. (Heavy ribbing on a jig is essential to keep gulps firmly attached to the jig head.)
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | “Tap, tap, pause”/1-4 mph |
| Casting Distance | 100’+/- (dependant on jig head weight) |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $7+/- (4 Pack) |
| Pros | The scent attracts fish, durable plastic |
| Cons | The scent is foul & lure can harden on the hook |
- Plastic Jerk Baits: Jerk baits are a great bait to add to your trout arsenal, especially in shallow grass beds. Jerk baits can be easily rigged to be weedless and fished with a jighead or EWG worm hooks. When fishing with an EWG you can either fish weighted or nonweighted depending on your desired retrieval. When the water is clear, we use lighter plastics, think whites, and opaque pinks. When the water becomes murky, switching over to darker plastics has proved very beneficial.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Jigging/1-3 mph |
| Casting Distance | 100’+/- (dependant on jig head weight) |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $6+/- (5 Pack) |
| Pros | Weedless, not expensive |
| Cons | Pinfish/blowfish often bite off tails during retrieval |
- Heddon Zara Spook: Heddon Zara Spook has been a staple throughout the years since its introduction in 1939. The spook is a phenomenal lure when targeting larger sea trout. The spook Is infamous for its left to right rhythmic retrieval, often called by anglers as “walking the dog”. The spook’s rhythmic body movement resembles a wounded baitfish on the top of the water attempting to escape its predator. Large sea trout often can’t resist the temptation to strike and come violently, striking the spook out of the water.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Moderate jigging/1-2 mph |
| Casting Distance | 200’+/- (dependant on size) |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $15+/- (3 Pack) |
| Pros | Attracts large predator fish |
| Cons | Less frequent juvenile bites |
- Redfish Magic: The redfish magic is a perfect distance casting lure great for covering large amounts of water. The combination of the shining spoon and waddling paddle tail makes this lure hard to resist. We have had great success fishing all the colors, but the pearl white and electric chicken have been a staple.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Smooth retrieval /1-3 mph |
| Casting Distance | 200’+/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $4+/- (1 pack) |
| Pros | Easy retrieval & good casting distance |
| Cons | Pinfish/blowfish often bite off tails during retrieval |
- DOA Shrimp: The DOA Shrimp is a phenomenal lure to include on your trout lure list. One deadly combination is a popping cork tipped with a DOA Shrimp. The cork creates an aggressive pop drawing fish attention towards the bait. The DOA has a slow drop rate giving the Trout ample time to jump on this lure as it slowly sinks back into the grass beds.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | “Tap, tap, pause” / 1-2 mph |
| Casting Distance | 150’+/- (Increased when fished with cork) |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $8+/- (pack of 3 ) |
| Pros | Great for beginner anglers |
| Cons | Minimal casting distance when rigged without cork |
- Bass Assassin Sea Shad: The Bass Assassin Sea Shad is one of the most popular inshore artificial baits of all time. This simple lure is great for all inshore predators especially speckled sea trout. The Bass assassin can be retrieved at varying speeds and techniques, but we have found that the twitch, twitch pause has been extremely successful in getting the Trout to bite.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Smooth or “Tap, tap, pause” / 2-3 mph |
| Casting Distance | 150’+/- (Increased when fished with cork) |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $13+/- (pack of 10 ) |
| Pros | Great for all inshore predators |
| Cons | Minimal casting distance |
- Rapala X-Rap Xtreme Action SlashBait: The Rapala X-Rap is a great lure to use when fishing deep grass beds. The Rapala is a mid-diving slash bait allowing the bait to dive 4 to 6 feet in depth (depending on retrieval speed). The Rapala X-Rap casts like a bullet allowing you to cover large amounts of water in a short time frame.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Smooth or erratic / 2-3 mph |
| Casting Distance | 200’ +/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $12.99 |
| Pros | Good casting distance |
| Cons | Hard to fish shallow waters |
- MirrOlure MirrOdine: The Mirrodine lure is a suspended twitch bait that works great for fishing trout in all inshore applications. The Mirrodine has a slow sink that makes it perfect for an erratic twitch bait. The jerk, jerk, pause retrieval has been successful in getting the Trout to bite.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Erratic tap / 1-3 mph |
| Casting Distance | 200’ +/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $8+/- |
| Pros | Good casting distance |
| Cons | None |
- Rapala Skitter Prop: Large spotted sea trout are infamous for violently attacking topwater baits. This is especially true first thing in the morning and right before sunset. The Rapala Skitter Prop is outfitted with a stainless steel prop that creates the perfect amount of buzz and noise upon retrieval. This bait can be worked slowly while still creating enough topwater action to attract Trout.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Erratic tap & smooth retrieval / 1-2mph |
| Casting Distance | 200’ +/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $9+/- |
| Pros | Good casting distance |
| Cons | None |
- 52 M Series MirrOlure: The 52 M Series Mirrolure has been a highly productive trout lure. This lure has a slightly larger profile than its close relative to the Mirrodine. This is a great lure to use when trying to cover a lot of ground, especially in deeper grass flats. This bait is outfitted with three treble hooks giving the Trout almost no way of missing the hooks after a violent strike. When fishing clear to moderately clear water, we have had success fishing the redhead and white body. When water conditions get murky, it seems the dark green back and white belly fish best.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Erratic tap & smooth retrieval / 1-2mph |
| Casting Distance | 200’+/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $9.49+/- |
| Pros | Great in shallow waters |
| Cons | Less frequent juvenile bites |
- Last Cast Chrome Diamond Jig: The Last Cast Chrome Diamond Jig is a simple favorite for deeper jetty or flat grass fishing. The Diamond jig is extremely aerodynamic, allowing you to cover a lot of water with one cast. The Last Cast sinks fast, making this a great lure to pitch into areas with fast-moving current.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Smooth retrieval / 3-5mph |
| Casting Distance | 250’+/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | 17$+/- ( 2 pack) |
| Pros | Great casting distance |
| Cons | Not suitable for shallow waters |
- SPRO Bucktail Jig: SPRO Bucktail Jigs come in varying sizes and colors and have been a staple for years for saltwater anglers. The SPRO jig works best with moderate to fast jigging motions causing the lure to flutter in the water resembling an escaping baitfish. The SPRO is a fast sinking jig making it an excellent option for deeper fishing spots.
| Retrieval Method/Speed: | Smooth or erratic retrieval / 3-6mph |
| Casting Distance | 175’+/- |
| Target Species | Trout, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Jack |
| Cost | $2.79+/- (1 Pack) |
| Pros | Great for both inshore and nearshore |
| Cons | Not suitable for shallow waters |
Do Speckled Trout Have Worms?
On average, Speckled Trout are host to spaghetti worms typically found in the middle of the fish just below the dorsal fin. The worms are a tapeworm variant but are not harmful to humans. The worms can be consumed without adverse effects, but many anglers remove them for aesthetic purposes.
Do Speckled Trout Have Teeth?
Speckled Trout have prominent canine teeth on their top jaw measuring up to 1” in larger fish, and their bottom jaw has a row of over 30 canonical teeth.
Are Speckled Trout And River Trout Related?
Speckled Trout is not in the trout family as the name suggests but instead in the drum family. Speckled Trout are in the Sciaenidae family, where is the river trout are in the Salmonidae family.
When Do Speckeled Trout Spawn?
Speckled Trout are known to spawn at night between early March and the end of September.
Is Speckled Trout Good To Eat?
Speckled Trout are great to eat. Their meat is soft and flaky with a mild flavor profile. Speckled Trout are often cooked fried or broiled.
Is Speckled Trout High In Mercury?
According to the EPA, Speckled Trout has low mercury levels, making for a great fish for moderate consumption. Speckled Trouts PPM comes in at .223, almost a third of some Tuna varieties that are often consumed.
Are Speckled Trout Safe To Eat?
Though Speckled Trout have worms found in their flesh, they are safe to consume.
Do Speckled Trout Have Scales?
Speckled Trout have tiny scales that start from the gill plate and stop at the base of the tail.
Trout Size And Bag Limit
Trout size and bag limit vary depending on where you are targeting the fish. In Florida, the size limit is 15” to 19” and a bag limit ranging from 2 to 5 fish per angler.
Best Fishing Tackle For Speckled Trout
Fishing Rod
A 7’+ medium-lightweight fast action rod is a great rod size for Speckled Trout. Having a rod that is at least 7’ in length is essential for making long casts.
Best Fishing Reels For Targeting Speckled Trout
When fishing for Speckled Trout, a 3000 sized reel with a high gear ratio close to 7:1 is ideal for assisting in fast retrieval.
Good: Penn Battle 3000
Better: Shimano Stradic FL Spinning Reel 3000
Best: Shimano Stella SW Spinning Reel 3000
Best Fishing Line For Speckled Trout.
Fishing for Speckled Trout is casting intensive. Using a braided line specifically designed for optimal casting distance is always a good idea. We highly recommend PowerPro Spectra Fiber in the 20lb test.
Best Leader For Speckled Trout
A 3-foot section of 15lb to 20lb fluorocarbon leader is optimal when fishing for Speckled Trout.
Best Hooks For Speckled Trout
A 1/0 circle hook is the best size when targeting Speckled Trout with live bait. The 1/0 is small enough to allow your bait to swim naturally.