Secret to catching Speckled trout

[ronaultmtd]

Catchy title huh? Walleye Pete and some of the So. Maryland guides would get pissed if I actually finished this with a listing- anyway there is no "secret" to catching speckled trout- finding where they are is the secret. I have been having a pretty good year (for an old fart) catching keepers this year- haven't made any real dramatic changes to my boat or tackle setups, just fished every now and then- my best luck has been with a slower presentation under schoolie rockfish feeding on silverside minnows- using 1/4 oz. flat head jigs with 4 inch Sea Assassin in salt and pepper color. Specks love em. Same lure will catch everything else, so you never know until the fish is boat side what is on the line. The sea assassin looks like a silverside minnow- match the hatch, guys- for the big "gator" trout I have upsized to 3/8 oz. flathead jig with the five inch sea assassin. That has caught the majority of my keeper reds as well. I have used many different off brands (cheaper) that mimic the sea assassin brand and they work just fine, too. The clear body with little black flecks and a bright colored flat swim tail are the keys- the manufacturer name really doesn't matter. Texas Baits have been my most reliable imitator. $3.49 a pack...oh, by the way, Grey Trout (weakfish) are mixed in with specks now- MD regs- only one allowed- main difference is no spots but dappled lines vertically- and a mature Grey Trout will grow to much larger size than Speckled Trout and catching one doesn't count against your speckled trout creel limit- In their heydays back in the 1990's I caught hundreds of 12 (+) lbs. Grey Trout at the CBBT in Tidewater, VA- Tidewater Anglers Club used to have big money trout tournaments every year and a 12 pounder wouldn't come in the money- and back then there was a glut of monster Bluefish- they were an absolute pest fish- hard not to catch a 10-15 pound blue no matter what lure you had on your line-

[J.A. Veil]

Ron -

Your title got me to click and read. I completely agree with your simple premise -- throw lures that resemble trout food items in places where the trout are and you will catch them. That is pretty much the key to successful fishing for most species. You are fortunate to have a good trout and redfish in your local waters this year. Keep catching them and send a few northward.

I also agree with using 3" or 4" paddle tail minnows/swimbaits. I caught some stripers on 4" BAs but have thrown mostly 12 Fathoms 3" Fat Sam mullets this year (a guide in Florida gave me a bunch of these in assorted colors to try out in Maryland). When in Tampa, I caught over 50 trout on that type of plastic lure, and have caught several hundred rockfish using those in the mid-bay here, so have had little incentive to switch to other brands.

[charlieru]

Thanks for the information. I found it very interesting. I didn't know specks would make it this far up the Chesapeake. I guess I'll have to take a trip to MD to hunt me some.

[jet]

good info, thanks. ive had some great, quick, runs in areas where trout have been caught in numbers, but keep loosing them pretty quickly. ive wondered if the lure is just ripping out of their mouth or if i just didnt gotten a solid hook up. eitherway, who knows what i had since i didnt land them, but i'm sure they were all state records