St. Jeromes, slow but.....

[Big Mike]

Ron Ault, myself and Gary hit St J this morning. There was an outgoing tide with a moderate SW wind. If you've fished there you know how difficult this makes it to fish the flats at the mouth. Love my PA but it is a major workout in these conditions.

To say fishing was slow would be an understatement, but some fish were caught. Gary started with a 15" trout and then Ron put this gator in the boat.


I'll let him give you measurement but at least a 5 pound fish. He managed 4 trout out of a small hole he found but you had to work like the dickens to stay on it. I was exhausted and left so he may have caught more. You'll note I'm not mentioning any fish for me. If not for a schoolie going back to the launch it would have been PePe time.


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[ronaultmtd]

I kept 3 Speckled Trout today a 15, 18 1/2 and a 24 1/2 inch...all on 1/4 oz jighead and Sea Shad Bass Assassin...

[J.A. Veil]

Nice job on the trout. That 24.5" must have been a thrill.

[ronaultmtd]

I caught it on a 2500 CI-4+ Stradic with 10# braid 7' light action St. Croix Mojo Inshore, John- it took drag like a freight train...and I forgot my net...I had just foul hooked a crabpot on the bottom and broke off- re-rigged and this was the first cast...I lost another Speck of about the same size boat side when the hook pulled...if I had my net I would have landed that one...but such is fishing- it was bumpy today and the current was running so holding position was tough...I had several school stripers and four nice speckled trout to the boat- not a bad day...

[J.A. Veil]

I have caught 20"-22" specks in Tampa on rods and reels of similar size. They definitely pull harder than the little specks and give a great drag pulling fight. My kayak guide there never uses a net, nor do I. He taught me to grab the leader and slide your hand down to grab the lure. Then place your other hand under the fish's belly and lift/slide it into the kayak while pulling up on the lure. That technique has worked well for me on large specks, snook, and redfish. I rarely lose one anymore.

My only fishing during the past two weeks was a bottom fishing trip out of Dunbar, Scotland last Sat. I caught three new species -- cod, ling, and Atlantic mackerel. After being away from home for an extended period, I am eager to get back to Chesapeake fishing.

[Slobber Bob]

Gorgeous speck!

I'm with John, nets are just one more thing to bring and get in the way. Kayak Kevin leg-swoop. Unlike a net, I never forget to bring my legs with me

[Mark]

Ron,

Beautiful fish. My avatar is 21 inch Tampa speck. I've caught a couple in that range but none near 24 inches. And I've never caught a sizable one in MD. The thing that gets me about specks is that they can be subtle biters. We cast for them in Tampa with jigs and soft plastics. Some hit hard while others require finesse. They'll nibble a little, drop the bait and then come back to it. The key is to not give up on them and to keep working the lure back to the boat. Sometimes they'll finally take it on a very short line.

[AmberjackYakin]

I kept 3 Speckled Trout today a 15, 18 1/2 and a 24 1/2 inch...all on 1/4 oz jighead and Sea Shad Bass Assassin...

Nice Speck!

[ronaultmtd]

We had speckled trout and redfish on our radar screens so we were definitely targeting those two species- still haven't found my redfish yet, but they are here...I put away the XRap pretty early after seeing the conditions and catching tiny dink stripers and switched tactics...the commercial watermen had loaded the area with crab pots making fishing very difficult- I hung up three times even though I knew exactly where the pots were...the current was very strong and drifts were at 3-5 knots...it would have been a good day to have a Revolution 11 or 13, but the Outback was doable...just required extra effort...the fish were scattered but laying in depressions in the flats- having fished this area for several years I knew where the depressions were and concentrated on fishing the shallow water and casting across the depressions- trying to maintain your position in current running 3-5 knots with boats coming in and out of the inlet, winds, grass, etc. is a constant battle, but that is why I have a mirage drive...next to impossible in a paddle yak...I worked the lure in a hopping motion- reel, pause, hop, hop, hop, reel...maintaining as much contact with the bottom as conditions would allow- Specks like slower moving baits and are finicky about presentation...and then there are weeds and grass- constantly cleaning grass off the lure...

[Mark]

...I worked the lure in a hopping motion- reel, pause, hop, hop, hop, reel...maintaining as much contact with the bottom as conditions would allow- Specks like slower moving baits and are finicky about presentation...

Yep. I can relate to that approach. Those behaviors must run in the speckled trout family regardless of where they live. I've mentioned to some that it's not unlike trying to finesse a largemouth bass with a plastic worm. A little faster lure movement for the trout perhaps and certainly on a longer line. But staying in touch with your lure and letting the fish take it without pulling it away is a big part of the strategy. Additionally, I believe braided line helps to telegraph what the trout are doing.

Specks are extremely attractive fish, agreeable to being caught, good fighters and very tasty. I wish more of them would move north in the Bay from the Lower Slower. You folks are fortunate to have them there.

[rugbyfish]

Do you guys find them to be leader shy? I normally tie directly to braid, but I think for my spec trip I might use a flouro leader.

[Mark]

Frankly, I think the only fish that are leader shy are rising freshwater trout. And in their case, I think it's not that they see a leader or tippet but a poorly executed drift that causes the fly to drag on the surface. That's not an issue with saltwater game fish. I think they're fixated on the lure, not the line that's attached to it.

[rugbyfish]

Good to hear, I certainly haven't seen any tangible difference when striper fishing.

[ronaultmtd]

I broke off twice yesterday, Joe- the 24 (+) and the 18 1/2 inch speck hit the lure tied directly to white 10# braid....

[rugbyfish]

Thanks Ron! I'm headed to Crisfield this weekend to fish for specks and stripers, so I'll stick with tying directly to braid. I'm hoping to make it down to St. Mary's County next Saturday as well.