Fishing For Speckled Trout…..A Unique Approach

Sure, we all know the tried and true tactics when it comes to fishing for Speckled Trout. So now that the Spec fishing is getting better with the cooler water, lets move from catching Speckled Trout to catching Monster Specs. Let’s set the bar higher by thinking outside the box for just a bit. The way you’ve always done it will only get you as far as you’ve gotten before and no further. So look at a few things that you might have missed, forgotten or just didn’t know about.

First, go over the factors that you want to start with. Make sure it’s a somewhat quiet place. Fishing for big Specs or Specs of any size around boat traffic or any kind of sounds or movement is going to have significant impact on your success. Find a spot that may be behind a sand bar with good water running behind it and the deeper the water the better. This can attract good bait movement and out of the way of traffic. Arrive at your location on either side of a low tide. The incoming water will again bring in the bait and the increased water depth will attract the Specs.

Image Courtesy of Captain Ethan Bilderback of Steller Angler Guide Service

Now here’s the trick that can oftentimes make your day one to remember. If possible, I pull my boat up onto the opposite side of the sand bar that I want to fish and anchor it up. I then quietly walk to the other side where the deeper water and moving bait are active. Using a live shrimp or jerk bait, I cast upstream and let it drift and retrieve it when the drift has completed. I retrieve the jerk bait and shrimp with a short popping action. Also when I make my cast, I cast across the channel and pull the lure in the main current in order not to spook the Specs.

Now here’s more good news. Using this tactic allows you to fish from the banks or a kayak. This opens up all sorts of options for finding great locations. Also when the fish stop biting, stop fishing and wait a while. Specs get spooked easily, but they will usually return to the same place.

Believe or not, you may have been passing great Speckled Trout spots for years without knowing it. Fishing from land can open a whole new world to your Speckled Trout Fishing.