Florida’s beautiful west coast has a lot of fantastic fishing to offer. One popular species among anglers is the spotted seatrout. This marine beauty can be fished by anglers of any level – whether a newbie or expert angler. Just because anyone can reel them in, though, does not mean they all come easy. Be prepared to put your reeling skills to the test with this species. Spotted seatrout go by many names such as speckled seatrout, specks, Florida trout, and sea trout.
In this article, we are going to show all you need to know about Sea Trout fishing in Florida, giving you a personal guide to make Trout fishing a more fulfilling experience.
The spotted seatrout has a dark green or gray back. From its sides to underbelly, its color fades from silvery-white to white. On its back, from the posterior to the caudal end, are the distinctive round spots. These spots are visible on the tail and fins. The round spots make the spotted seatrout distinguishable from a similar family member – the weakfish.
Other distinctive features include an egg yolk coloration of the inside of the mouth – mostly in adult seatrout. There is also the presence of one or two prominent canines at the tip of the upper jaw. The body is elongated and streamlined, with a dark edge on the tail fin.
Contrary to what most people believe, the spotted seatrout doesn’t belong to the trout family at all. It is in fact a member of the drum family, which includes the redfish. So, upon landing the fish, you should be able to hear the familiar ‘drumming’ or ‘croaking’ sound.
Female sea trout grow larger and longer than their male counterparts. They can reach lengths up to 25 inches, with males often reaching 19 inches in length. Generally, the average weight of the speckled seatrout is between 2 and 3 pounds; however, larger spotted seatrout, also known as “gator trout,” can grow as long as 39 inches!
It takes the male seatrout two years to reach maturity and three years for the females. Spawning period runs from April to September, which occurs every 7 to 14 days. Seatrout limit their habitat to the place of their birth. The expected life span for males is five years, while females live 8 to 10 years.
Spotted seatrout can be caught throughout the entire Gulf of Mexico, coastal Florida, and the Northwest U.S. into Massachusetts. Speckled seatrout are generally found inshore. They are known as estuarine fish, so they will mostly be seen in or near creeks, inlets, marshes, and drop-offs.
Spotted seatrout can be found in all 3 layers of the water column, depending on various elements, such as the season and water temperature. During the winter months, specks move to deeper areas. In summer and fall, they live more in the middle and topwater columns.
A great place to go trout fishing are grass flats, particularly with submerged grass. These areas attract seatrout prey such as crustaceans and mullet. Fortunately, the Sarasota Bay area offers acres of submerged grass beds.
Other habitats you will find speckled trout lurking about are shallow waters, oyster bars, and drop-offs. Surprisingly, the shallow waters are where you will most likely find larger seatrout, as they usually swim alone and like to hide in holes to ambush their prey. Dropping a line in front of some holes should win you a big prize.
The State of Florida has 5 regulatory regions, all with different rules, regulations, and seasons. See below for the 5 regions and their respective sea trout management.
Area: Escambia Country through portions of Gulf County west of longitude 85 degrees but not including Indian Pass/ Indian Lagoon.
Bag Limit: 3 per recreational harvester
Slot Image: More than 15” but less than 19” total length. But you may keep 1 over 19” per vessel (or per person if fishing from shore).
Season: Closed for the month of February
Legal Gear: Hook and Line; Cast Net
Illegal Gear: Snatching and harvesting using any multiple hooks, in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, are prohibited.
Area: Remaining portion of Gulf County plus Indian Lagoon, and Franklin County through Fred Howard Park Causeway in Pinellas County near the Pasco County line.
Bag Limit: 5 per recreational harvester.
Slot Limit: More than 15” but less than 19” in total length. You may keep 1 fish over 19” per vessel (or per person if fishing from shore).
Season: Open Year-Round in most state waters.
Legal Gear: Hook and line; cast net
Illegal Gear: Snatching and harvesting using any multiple hook, in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, are prohibited.
Area: Fred Howard Park Causeway in Pinellas County near the Pasco County line through Broward County.
Bag Limit: 3 per recreational harvester.
Slot Limit: More than 15” but less than 19” in total length. You may keep 1 over 19” per vessel (or per person if fishing from shore).
Season: Open Year-Round.
Legal Gear: Hook and line; cast net
Illegal Gear: Snatching and harvesting using any multiple hook, in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, are prohibited.
Special Biscayne National Park Regulations: If fishing inside Biscayne National Park Spotted Sea Trout have been added to a 10-fish aggregate bag limit, meaning including various other species, you can only posses 10 total between all species. For example: you have 3 red drums, 2 sea trout and 5 blue runners, this means you cannot catch any more sea trout that day because you have 10 total fish categorized under the 10 aggregate bag limit. (see the full list of specifications at MyFWC.com)
Area: Palm Beach County through Volusia County
Bag Limit: 2 per recreational harvester
Slot Limit: More than 15” but less than 19” total length. But you may keep 1 over 19” per vessel (or per person if fishing from shore).
Season: Closed Nov. 1st – Dec. 31st
Legal Gear: Hook and line; cast net
Illegal Gear: Snatching and harvesting using any multiple hook, in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, are prohibited.
Special Biscayne National Park Regulations: See the full list of specifications at MyFWC.com
Area: Flagler County through Nassau County
Bag Limit: 5 per recreational harvester
Slot Limit: More than 15” but less than 19” total length. But you may keep 1 over 19” per vessel (or per person if fishing from shore).
Season: Open Year-Round
Legal Gear: Hook and line; cast net
Illegal Gear: Snatching and harvesting using any multiple hook, in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, are prohibited.
Speckled trout are finicky creatures. Conditions need to be right to get back-to-back bites. It could be the water quality, water temperature, season, or lures you are using. Although, this does not mean fishing for specks requires a picture-perfect scenario. It is all about considering how much you’d want to catch, how big, and where you’re fishing.
Using any lure or bait can work on specks; however, some lures work better in different situations. For instance, during winter, specks are slow and lethargic, so they will not spend much energy on feeding. In this scenario, you will need to entice them a bit with lures that have exciting tail-like action. When the waters are warm, speckled trout are aggressive feeders, especially during fall.
For the leader line, a fluorocarbon 20 lb. test is recommended. This works great with clear line because of its transparency. It is also resistant to abrasion, has less stretch, and sinks fast in the water. For fishing topwater, you would want to switch to the monofilament leader line. Not only do these sink slower, they are also cheaper than other lines. A 20 lb. test will work for this line also. However, the general line test for both leaders is 2lb. to 15lb. Keep in mind, choosing the proper leader line depends on the water condition and the layer of the water column you plan to fish.
Speckled seatrout have soft mouths. Upon getting a bite, a slight and slow elevation of your rod is necessary as you reel in. If you jerk the line too hard, you could rip the lure or bait and end up with a big loss or an injured fish.
Boats for sea trout fishing will depend on if you plan to fish inshore or offshore.
Inshore fishing will require boats that can float in about skinnier water to about 80 feet. Inshore boats are generally small and may carry only 1-5 passengers. Buying or hiring one of these is relatively cheap, and it can offer easy maneuvering in shallow waters. Example of inshore fishing boats include:
If you are planning on fishing further out in the Gulf of Mexico, you need to use an offshore fishing boat. Generally, these are larger and more sturdy than inshore boats. However, they are expensive to buy or hire compared to inshore boats. Typical offshore fishing boats are:
Spotted sea trout are one of the tastier recreational species of fish in Florida. After a great catch, you can prepare it almost any way you wish. They can be served fried, grilled, or baked. The light fillets do well in a variety of marinates. You can also steam, broil, stew or poach them as well.
There are so many recipes to choose from when cooking speckled trout. One of our favorites is baked sea trout in a caper and white wine sauce. Sea Trout baked in spicy lemon butter sauce would serve spicy food lovers, well. While Rainbow trout fillets are the most common ‘trout’ you will find in your nearest grocery store or restaurant. However, if you live in a highly fished Spotted Sea trout region, you may be able to get some fresh fillets from your local neighborhood seafood market. The other option is to catch your own, with some extras to freeze and save for later!
The spotted seatrout is certainly an exciting species to catch. Whether you are inshore or offshore, in the Gulf of Mexico, or off the Atlantic coast, you are sure to experience amazing seatrout fishing. For those fishing for food, remember to follow each regions’ daily bag limit. For those fishing for fun, please remember that although they can be feisty, they are still delicate. Responsibly releasing them back into the water keeps their population healthy.
