To me, fishing for trout is kind of easy. I have been fishing for them with my dad and brother since I was very young. It's not the fish that I would normally fish for, but when nothing else is biting I have no trouble turning my attention to them. Also it's a great fish for people who are just learning to fish, because if you know how to fish for them, you will catch them. Their first fish may not be a big gator trout, and you may not catch so many that your boat sinks, but you will catch some.
Here are a few pointers for catching Spotted Sea Trout:
Environment
Sea trout tend to stay around the flats areas; grass beds are a favorite for them; they can also be found in channels, where they travel looking for baitfish coming off the flats. You will tend to find trout in the flats more in the spring and summer and in deeper water in the fall and winter as water temperatures change.
Research the area that you will be going to fish. Learn where the grass flats and oyster beds are. You will also need to know where the channels are, and I don't mean just the ones with markers! There are small channels and holes in the flats where trout like to hang out at, waiting for their next meal. Trout are also found in back waters in small bays and around mangroves. As with many fish species, don't get in the habit of looking in only one place for them.
A good thing to remember is that if you see bait, like mullet, green backs and other baitfish, there is a good chance there may be some trout there, along with some other very fun things to catch!
Something to note as well is that if you can see the fish, he can see you. So try to wear clothing that does not look like a neon sign. Colors like light blue and other earth colors work well.
Live Bait
Live bait such as shrimp, greenbacks, or pinfish work well. Try using a popper cork with them, as this will help in attracting the fish when you give little pops with the cork. If the area that you are fishing allows for it, try to give yourself a 2-foot leader between the popper cork and the bait. This helps to keep from spooking the fish. Adjust this with water depth. Also try free lining a shrimp or pinfish, which works well in a light current. Cast up current and let your bait drift back to you, keeping the slack out of the line.
Often I will drift across flats throwing a top water plug, looking for signs of trout like a shrimp or baitfish jumping on top of the water. I don't mean a school of bait breaking the water - just one or two; these are little hints that a trout could be feeding. However, if you do see a school of baitfish breaking and you don't go to check it out, then its time to put the boat back on the trailer and go home!
Lures/Plugs
I personally love to use lures, so I use a variety of things when I go out fishing. One of the first lures I got hooked on as a kid is the Love's lure. These lures work great on trout; work them along the bottom. Make long casts and retrieve by pulling your pole a few feet and then reel in the slack line and repeat. This gives the effect of your bait bouncing off the bottom like a live shrimp would. Try all the colors; you will find that different colors can give more hits and even bigger fish. D.O.A shrimp also work very well. I use them in the same manner as the Love's lures. I tend to catch the bigger trout using D.O.A shrimp, but I catch a larger amount of trout using Love's lures, so it's your preference.
Keep in mind that different times of year and different types of bottom will make the real shrimp be different colors; also shrimp coming out of freshwater rivers into saltwater tend to be lighter colored or even white. Do a little research on the waters that you're going to fish. It's easiest to just ask a local fisherman or bait shop.
Drifting the flats with top water plugs is by far my favorite way to fish for trout. This is mainly because of the hit; I love to see a fish come to the top and smash a plug. It gets your blood working really fast! Cast everywhere when using top water plug because you never know where they may be hiding. You can cover a lot of ground in a short time this way. When you do catch a fish, try to remember where the hit was; very often you will find that there are more fish still lying there. My preference of top water lures is the Super Spook and Super Spook Jr. I like these lures because their larger size helps me to catch larger trout.
Small trout eat crustaceans, shrimp, crabs and so on. Medium size trout like shrimp and small fish like small pinfish, but large trout feed almost exclusively on fish. Small mullet, large pinfish, and about anything they can get in their mouth. So it goes without saying that you should use lures that match what they would naturally be eating. If the water is deep enough, you should even try some suspended lures.
Don't forget that these big trout (also called gator trout) did not get that large by being stupid! These are smart fish, and that's why they have lived this long. So a good thing to remember is to try to be quiet and make really long casts; the further the cast the better the odds are that they will not associate the lure/bait with you.
The main thing is to go out and try new things and if you're not sure, ask someone. If you're new to the area, try a guide. Most of these guys grew up on the waters where you are fishing and have no problem with showing you how to catch fish there. Just remember to tip them. These guys work their butts off so people can have a great fishing experience.
Here are a few pointers for catching Spotted Sea Trout:
Environment
Sea trout tend to stay around the flats areas; grass beds are a favorite for them; they can also be found in channels, where they travel looking for baitfish coming off the flats. You will tend to find trout in the flats more in the spring and summer and in deeper water in the fall and winter as water temperatures change.
Research the area that you will be going to fish. Learn where the grass flats and oyster beds are. You will also need to know where the channels are, and I don't mean just the ones with markers! There are small channels and holes in the flats where trout like to hang out at, waiting for their next meal. Trout are also found in back waters in small bays and around mangroves. As with many fish species, don't get in the habit of looking in only one place for them.
A good thing to remember is that if you see bait, like mullet, green backs and other baitfish, there is a good chance there may be some trout there, along with some other very fun things to catch!
Something to note as well is that if you can see the fish, he can see you. So try to wear clothing that does not look like a neon sign. Colors like light blue and other earth colors work well.
Live Bait
Live bait such as shrimp, greenbacks, or pinfish work well. Try using a popper cork with them, as this will help in attracting the fish when you give little pops with the cork. If the area that you are fishing allows for it, try to give yourself a 2-foot leader between the popper cork and the bait. This helps to keep from spooking the fish. Adjust this with water depth. Also try free lining a shrimp or pinfish, which works well in a light current. Cast up current and let your bait drift back to you, keeping the slack out of the line.
Often I will drift across flats throwing a top water plug, looking for signs of trout like a shrimp or baitfish jumping on top of the water. I don't mean a school of bait breaking the water - just one or two; these are little hints that a trout could be feeding. However, if you do see a school of baitfish breaking and you don't go to check it out, then its time to put the boat back on the trailer and go home!
Lures/Plugs
I personally love to use lures, so I use a variety of things when I go out fishing. One of the first lures I got hooked on as a kid is the Love's lure. These lures work great on trout; work them along the bottom. Make long casts and retrieve by pulling your pole a few feet and then reel in the slack line and repeat. This gives the effect of your bait bouncing off the bottom like a live shrimp would. Try all the colors; you will find that different colors can give more hits and even bigger fish. D.O.A shrimp also work very well. I use them in the same manner as the Love's lures. I tend to catch the bigger trout using D.O.A shrimp, but I catch a larger amount of trout using Love's lures, so it's your preference.
Keep in mind that different times of year and different types of bottom will make the real shrimp be different colors; also shrimp coming out of freshwater rivers into saltwater tend to be lighter colored or even white. Do a little research on the waters that you're going to fish. It's easiest to just ask a local fisherman or bait shop.
Drifting the flats with top water plugs is by far my favorite way to fish for trout. This is mainly because of the hit; I love to see a fish come to the top and smash a plug. It gets your blood working really fast! Cast everywhere when using top water plug because you never know where they may be hiding. You can cover a lot of ground in a short time this way. When you do catch a fish, try to remember where the hit was; very often you will find that there are more fish still lying there. My preference of top water lures is the Super Spook and Super Spook Jr. I like these lures because their larger size helps me to catch larger trout.
Small trout eat crustaceans, shrimp, crabs and so on. Medium size trout like shrimp and small fish like small pinfish, but large trout feed almost exclusively on fish. Small mullet, large pinfish, and about anything they can get in their mouth. So it goes without saying that you should use lures that match what they would naturally be eating. If the water is deep enough, you should even try some suspended lures.
Don't forget that these big trout (also called gator trout) did not get that large by being stupid! These are smart fish, and that's why they have lived this long. So a good thing to remember is to try to be quiet and make really long casts; the further the cast the better the odds are that they will not associate the lure/bait with you.
The main thing is to go out and try new things and if you're not sure, ask someone. If you're new to the area, try a guide. Most of these guys grew up on the waters where you are fishing and have no problem with showing you how to catch fish there. Just remember to tip them. These guys work their butts off so people can have a great fishing experience.
Randy Laukshtein is an avid Snook fisherman and co-creator of the Florida Fresh & Saltwater Fishing site. Check it out at: http://www.FLFreshAndSaltwaterFishing.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randy_Laukshtein
How to Catch Spotted Sea Trout
