Speckled trout are one of the most fun inshore saltwater species to catch because they can be aggressive and put up a quite a fight.
Trout can be found along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to south Florida, and along the east coast of Florida. They inhabit shallow waters but often are located in deeper cuts, too. They may be found around vegetation and hard or sandy bottoms.
One cool way to catch them is at night under the lights of a dock. The lights attract baitfish, which attracts the trout. They’ll hang around the edge of the lighted area before zipping out to chomp a minnow or lure.
Despite having thin mouths that can tear when hooked, trout aren’t shy about hitting topwater baits, jerkbaits or soft plastics on jigheads. Another cool feature they have is a set of needle-sharp teeth to secure baitfish. Don’t stick your fingers in their mouth or you’ll get a bite you won’t forget.
“Usually you may catch some trout if you’re catching redfish,” says Lucky Craft saltwater pro-staffer Greg Watts of Florida. “Both species tend to mingle in the same areas. But when you’re really on a trout bite you don’t catch reds. For some reason they don’t hang around together in numbers.”
Watts often targets speckled trout with big topwater walking baits, but he’s learned they also love the new Kelly J topwater prop bait. The Kelly J is 2.75 inches long and weighs a half-ounce, with props at the head and tail along with a feathered rear treble hook.
With a gentle retrieve, the props spin easily to create a slushy sound like a baitfish spritzing on the surface.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve seen for big trout,” Watts said. “I mean, they tear it up. We went in late November last year and gave it a good workout, and talk about wrecking them. You just choo-choo it a little bit and then let it sit there a minute as the ripples die down.
“I’ll bet we caught 80 or 90 trout and we haven’t had a day like that in a long time.”
Trout are notorious for following a topwater bait but not hitting it if it’s moving. For some reason they want it sitting still. With the Kelly J, just give it a couple of good rips to get their attention and then wait.
“Let is sit and let ripples go away,” Watts suggests. “Then just slightly twitch it, barely move it, and if they’re watching it they’ll crush it.”
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