The Speckled Trout bite has been on fire these past few weeks inshore fishing Amelia Island backwaters. It has not been uncommon to catch 50 to 60 speckled trout per inshore charter trip.
Clients are catching their fishing limit with no problem, which is six trout per person. The slot is 15-inches to 20-inches, with one of the six being over 20-inches. We are catching plenty in the slot range, and quite a few over the 20-inch mark.
Most of the speckled trout fish have been coming on a live shrimp being fished under a cork. The key is to have that shrimp float with the tide flow over oyster mounds or along the grass line.
Live Shrimp Make A Difference
Fishing a live shrimp makes it really easy for the beginner angler to catch speckled fish.
Also try putting an artificial bait on the hook instead of a live shrimp.
One of the many tactics we use is to place a Gulp Mantis shrimp on the hook and drift the bait like you would a shrimp. We have been using a 3-inch white shrimp with a chartreuse tail.
Another good bait is the DOA shrimp in a clear speckled color.
Artificial Fish Bait for Speckled Trout this Time of the Year
Artificial baits are great this time of year. Top water baits have been producing good early in the morning or towards the evening.
The Zara spook and the smaller skitter walk have done well. Silver has been a good color along with a white and red combination.
The soft plastics are another great bait to catch these speckled trout on. Use a ¼ ounce jig head tied with a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader.
Now I will use about a 2-foot leader tied to 10-pound braided line. I like throwing a curly tail grub in a white with a red tail has worked well, also try using a green chartreuse with a red tail.
How to Fish this Time of the Year
The key to fishing these baits this time of year is to fish it really slow, by bouncing off the bottom. A lot of times these fish are hitting the bait has it is falling.
Now once you find these speckled trout fish, they will be stacked up pretty good. Catch some on the live bait and then switch to artificial baits.
This is a great time of year to learn how to use these baits. Don’t be afraid to try out different colors or techniques.
The weather can be a little chilly on the water but get out there and get in on the fantastic action that’s available.
These speckled trout are a great table fare.
Hope to see you all on the water soon so make sure to book your next Inshore Charter Fishing Amelia Island trip now!