Both grunts, also known as pig fish, and croaker are extremely effective baits for spotted sea trout. This is the sound of the dinner bell ringing for spotted sea trout! In deeper water in channels a little weight can be added to get them to the bottom. Like most aspects of saltwater fishing, tides are very important when it comes to targeting spotted sea trout.
Live shrimp or finger mullet can be floated under a cork and floated over grass flats or oyster beds. We have our seven weight rod, intermediate sink tip line, 9 foot tapered leader, and a #1 white and chartreuse Clouser tied on the end. We have practiced casting and can throw 40 feet to 50 feet of line. The best place to to catch fish on the fly for the novice angler are the deep grass flats.
This jigging imitates a shrimp escaping backward, which is what they do when they need to escape a predator. A conventional bottom rig may be used when trout are found to be feeding near the bottom. Artificial baits are effective for catching trout the year round. Although many types and styles of artificial Fishing Boat Charters Bradenton Florida baits exist, generally they can be classified in three ways; jigs, spoons and fishlike lures. It is surprising to some that Sea Trout feed during such low temperatures. Anglers should be looking looking at 6 to 10 feet of water, where that water temperature is closer to 47 to 48 degrees.
Meaning, if you can find a shallow ledge, and then something on top of that shallow ledge, you’ll typically find some trout there if not too far offshore. With Inshore Fishing, you’ll need to toss your lines in a number of different depths to find out where they are because they will stay at a certain depth to thermoregulate. Once you find them, you’ll probably catch your limit of them because they seem to always be hungry for small baitfish or shrimp of any size. Some trout winter in the ocean and some go to the brackish creeks that empty into the western side of the sounds of the Outer Banks. In early spring these fish disperse throughout the sound and get ready to breed. Look for speckled trout along the edges of the marsh at this time.
When throwing topwaters, I like MirrOlure She-Dogs for speckled trout lures. The majority of seatrout I’ve caught over 8 pounds are in 6 inches or less of water and have been hooked on days more suitable for duck hunting. In the throes of winter on the Gulf Coast, the only food source available for gator trout is mullet. In an all-out effort to survive, mullet must seek shallow, muddy waters because these areas are the fastest to warm from chilly overnight conditions.