I know some of the best local Speckled Trout Fisherman in my area. We Talk. Me? Well, I can hold my own, when it comes to catching them. But take today for instance.
I was at my local bait shop, and in comes...(we'll call him billybob, to protect the innocent). BillyBob's been a trout fisherman his entire life. Like myself he finds Redbass fun, but not as good table fare as a big fat Speckley bastard.
BillyBob has been catching his fare share in the SURF...yes, in the surf. Off the Pier. Conditions such as wind direction and water clarity have to right, though.
So here's the question I posed to BillyBob, "so they're still out there huh? So why is it that all ya read about is that since they spawn all summer, they want "X" number of parts of saltwater, and "X" number of parts of freshwater, which they supposively need for spawning. That's why there's so many Trout up river, near the fresher water."
"So why are you catching them in the surf?" And why is it that you can fish all day along the jetties....that are connected to the beach and not catch a single Speckled Trout, IN THE SUMMER?"
BillyBob looked at me with his years of experience and said, "you're absolutely right. And I've never been able to figure it out either."
I said," I can understand that Trout being big time shrimp eaters follow the food chain, being shrimp eaters and go to where the shrimp are more plentiful,but all ya have to do is travel the local rivers and see where the shrimpers are working." There should be some trout in the area then, right?
"But the biggest question is WHY are they in the surf, and not along the St. Johns River jetties attached to the beach?"
"I've caught a good ammount in the surf. In the slews and around certain sand bar areas".
As most ole timers, BillyBob says, "Dave if we knew what they did every time we went we'd be catching them every single time we went". "I went in the river just around the corner, and worked good areas for 4 hours, and never had a trout last week. But then go to the pier, and catch'em."
I read a lot of reports and have quickly realized that around here, the St, Johns River out of Mayport/Jacksonville Florida, isn't the same as just north of us in S.E. Georgia. They're doing things up there that don't seem to work here. But at the same time, is the same landscape, same kind of water-ways and same Trout tactics are used, such as using live shrimp on a Float-rig, popping cork etc. Although as I read, there's differences.
The biology of a Speckled Trout seems to closely follow the same patterns as the local shrimp. Trout are hatched up river and grow then work thier way towards the ocean to complete the cycle. And a cycle I always think about is just this simple; SUMMER way up river, WINTER closer to the Ocean. And it seems true, but then throw-in the snag called trout in the surf in the middle of the summer....And big Female Trout too!
All of this may sound like Micro-Managing a subject to death to a non-fisherman or even someone who could'nt care less about Speckled Sea Trout. But as one who purses them, and they still are the #1 Gamefish in the whole south east, I find it frustrating. Because as the saying goes; "THE MORE YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM. ONLY MAKES YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH MORE THERE STILL IS TO LEARN ABOUT THEM."
Some of the best days I've ever had fishing was when my customers caught limits of nice Speckled trout, and some other species to go along with them. And while easily filleting, de-boning, and skinning thier fish........
"I thank the god that SHEEPSHEAD, are not my favorite species to go after!"
My lil' secret is that I just don't like Trout for the table, I like what it takes to catch them, I like that they are "not just another bottom feeder", and high on the list of "likes" is how easy they are to clean.
Since I do fish cleaning on a fillet table that mounts in a pole holder on my boat.
It's way to much to ask for the city of Jacksonville Florida to have fish cleaning tables at the local boat ramp docks. Like maybe YOUR city???? (SARCASM)
What do your Trout do?
CAPT DAVE SIPLER'S SPORT FISHING
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