 A FISH FOR ALL SEASONS -- SUMMER IS AS GOOD A TIME AS ANY TO CATCH THE DISTINCTIVE SPOTTED SEATROUT Palm Beach Post -- Thursday, June 21, 2001 By: Willie Howard, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Many anglers think of spotted seatrout as a winter or spring fish. But the handsome speckled trout can be caught over sea grass beds throughout the summer by those ready to cast at first light. During a trip on the Indian River Lagoon last week, guide Rick DePaiva of Fort Myers and angler Richard Claybaugh of Port St. Lucie caught and released their first trout at 6:20 a.m. while fishing over sandy patches in the sea grass. They found their morning trout in about 4 feet of water on the west side of the lagoon south of the FPL power plant in St. Lucie County. Claybaugh, who fishes the Indian River regularly, taught us to pay attention to ribbons of smooth water snaking through the ripple created by the morning breeze. The smooth streaks indicated patches of seagrass below. We worked the edges where sea grass met sand, pitching half-ounce and quarter-ounce D.O.A. Shrimp in natural and glow colors fastened with loop knots to 25-pound fluorocarbon leader. Facing the west side of the lagoon helped us see the water over the flats as the sun rose behind us. Boils on the surface pointed us to feeding fish. I cast near a boil and worked my artificial shrimp over the grass and caught a trout 10 feet from the boat as I was reeling up the line for another cast. I had been fishing my lure too fast, a common mistake. DePaiva showed us a trick he uses to present artificial baits in the shallows. He casts beyond the spot he expects the fish to hit, then pulls it quickly over to the spot, causing a gurgling sound, before allowing the bait to sink into strike territory. His method paid off with trout, ladyfish and small jack crevalle. "This lets them know it's coming," DePaiva said as he dragged his plastic shrimp across the surface. "It's more of a natural arrival." Anglers who use live bait for seatrout often use popping corks or clicking Equalizer corks to ring the trout dinner bell. Sound attracts trout. By 10 a.m., the trout no longer seemed interested in our offerings. We moved to shallower water near docks on the west side of the lagoon, where we found schools of mullet showering. I hooked and lost what appeared to be a redfish near a mullet school. Anglers need not fish with a boat for seatrout. Wading is an excellent way to find them. Seagrass flats along the east ends of the Stuart and Jensen Beach causeways hold trout, as do the flats in the estuary at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park on Singer Island. Henry Caimotto of the Snook Nook in Jensen Beach said anglers targeting seatrout should start with topwater baits such as Zara Spooks in about 18 inches of water at first light, then move to soft plastic baits - and into deeper water - as the sun rises. "You can get in knee-deep water at first light and you will find these fish," Caimotto said. "Even if the fish are not hungry, they're territorial." Fishing for spotted seatrout Seatrout: The spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, is a member of the drum family with a dark gray or green back, silver or white belly, distinctive black spots on the back and two canine teeth in the upper jaw. A typical seatrout weighs less than 4 pounds. The world-record seatrout - 17 pounds, 7 ounces - was caught in May 1995 near Fort Pierce Inlet. Where to fish: Find seagrass beds and patches of sand in 3 to 4 feet of water. Look for bait and fish feeding on the surface in the early morning. In the Indian River Lagoon, try the flats on the west side of the lagoon south of the FPL power plant and the spoil islands on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway channel from Jensen Beach to Fort Pierce. The northeast sides of the Stuart and Jensen Beach causeways hold seatrout, as do the grass flats in the lagoon at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park on Singer Island. Lures: Topwater plugs such as the Zara Spook will work at first light or near dusk. Soft plastic baits such as D.O.A. Shrimp and Cotee jigs worked over the seagrass make excellent trout baits. Live bait: Try live shrimp, pinfish, pigfish or small croakers under a popping cork or clicking Equalizer corks. Large trout eat fish whereas small trout eat shrimp and other crustaceans. Trout tips: Try soaking soft-plastic baits in menhaden oil or cod liver oil and putting a rattle inside them. Bend down the hook barb to ease the release of fish. Size and bag limits: In southern Florida (south of Daytona Beach), spotted seatrout must be 15 to 20 inches to keep. Anglers can keep one trout longer than 20 inches daily. The daily bag limit is 4. Closed season: The seatrout season is closed in November and December (south of Daytona Beach). All seatrout caught during those months must be released. Releasing: Seatrout are delicate and should be released as soon as possible after being caught. Consider using a de-hooking tool and bending the barb down on the hook to make releases easier. Keep the fish in the water as much as possible. Handle trout by the lower jaw. If you must grab the fish's body, use a wet hand, glove or towel to minimize damage to the fish's protective slime. Copyright (c) 2001, The Palm Beach Post |