At the end of their first year, speckled trout in Nova Scotia are 5 — 10 cm 2 — 4 in long. They overwinter on the stream bottom in spaces between rocks. Their growth depends very much on local conditions. Speckled trout living in large rivers and lakes would probably be 25 or 30 cm 10 — 12 in at age 3, but those in small streams might only reach a length of 15 cm 6 in.
Trout usually mature at three years old and rarely live past age 5. Some populations of speckled trout migrate to sea for short periods. They move downstream and upstream in the spring or early summer and remain in estuaries and ocean areas where food is plentiful.
After about 2 months they return to freshwater. Picture a school of shrimp and pogies floating with the current when they drift around a point and into the mouths of a few hundred speckled trout!
When speckled trout feed, they feed in numbers and they feed voraciously. In fact, if you get on a good speckled trout bite you can literally throw anything in the water and they will attack it.
Deep diving crankbaits are almost never used for speckled trout, but they hit this one as soon as it entered the water. Now keep in mind we are talking about schooling speckled trout.
Large and old specks are solitary and eat in narrow windows and very selectively. The focus of this course are the school speckled trout. I loved answering this question about alligators when I used to take tourists into the swamp. They will eat what they can fit in their mouths. Specks that come over the bow of the boat will typically throw up their stomach contents, usually several shrimp and a fin fish or two. I am telling you this so we can set the stage for the kinds of lures and tackle you need to have in your arsenal.
You can guess that you will be using a finfish or shrimp imitation lure. Every single time I have lit the water on fire with incredible trout action the water was clean, was moving and had bait.
A floating object should be moving along the surface of the water, not staying stationary. And lastly, there should be some kind of indicator there is bait nearby. This could be in the form of bait slicks, created by oils released from bait killed by speckled trout underwater. It could also be in the form of actual bait bursting the surface of the water. Pinfish are great for specks. Especially when cut in slivers They look like swimming fish. They are also great for reds this way. Depends on where you are, but baitfish you should be paying attention to include croaker, bay anchovies, gizzard shad, and brown shrimp.
This way you get notified when new videos go live PLUS you are supporting a veteran-owned business. Besides, it's free and you can always change your mind. Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab.
After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Share 0. Tweet 0. I've spent years chasing them and have learned a lot along the way. Before we get started, let me make a couple notes:. Understanding the Foundational Knowledge of Speckled Trout. That's what you'll find below.
Speckled Trout Names. Throughout this guide I'll be using their various names. Speckled Trout Appearance. Speckled trout can be found from nearly-fresh water to full strength saltwater. Conversely, I have caught them on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Speckled trout seem to stay inside the estuary they were born and raised in. Rarely do they shove off to far away waters though it has happened.
How big do speckled trout get? Speckled Trout Life Cycle. Understanding the life cycle of a speckled trout is key to successfully fishing for them. Where does life begin for a spotted sea trout? This drumming attracts female specks. How fast do speckled trout grow? But here a few things for sure: Trout will eat as much as they can to grow as fast as they can. Once they hit the 5 — 7 pound mark they start to become more solitary and school less.
They also eat less. Speckled Trout Seasonal Patterns. Speckled trout behavior is different throughout the year. If we are hungry, we go to the refrigerator.
If we need light, we simply flick a switch. How do speckled trout spawn? The spawn is in full swing from water temperatures of about 77 to 86 degrees. NOTE: Some specks do stay inside during the summer. We'd love to hear from you. How long do speckled trout live? Speckled trout can live for up to 12 years of age if they are females. There is an extremely high mortality rate among smaller speckled trout because of predation and environmental issues like dying sea grass and polluted water systems.
The speckled trout a. Speckled trout are relatively easy to catch and will respond well to live baits, dead baits and fishing lures. This is probably one of the reasons that they are so popular wherever they can be found. He has been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, we will talk about the oldest and largest spotted seatrout and the best way to catch them.
Let's get started. These fish can be male or female but once you start to get into those 25 inch plus sized fish, then you are catching older female trout at that point. The young spotted seatrout are mostly preying upon crustaceans like small crabs and shrimp. As they grow in size their appetites for larger and more varied prey items increase as well.
Medium sized speckled trout will also eat small fish like scaled sardines, pin fish, small mullet, minnows, and thread fin herrings. Public domain image. Shallow, sandy-bottom areas. Most often found near bay grass beds, pilings, jetties and other structures. Visit the Bay from April through November, leaving the Bay in autumn to migrate southward. Most common in the lower Bay, but found as far north as Annapolis. The spotted seatrout is a sleek, silvery fish with black, round spots scattered across the back.
It visits the Chesapeake Bay from spring through autumn.
0コメント