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Do you want to learn how to catch spotted seatrout? Would you like to take more seatrout home? Spotted seatrouts are members of the drum family and are one of the most sought-after fish by anglers. They can often be found near grass flats, mudflats, and oyster bars and are good to eat. In this article, we share information and fishing techniques to help you catch more spotted seatrout.
Table of Contents
How To Catch Spotted Seatrout From The Shore
1. Drifting A Grass Flat
Drifting a grass flat is one of the best ways to catch spotted seatrout from the shore. Target the sandy potholes on the grass flats. Spotted seatrout usually faces into the current hiding in the grass outside of the sandy potholes. They use the sandy potholes as ambush points to prey on shrimp, pinfish, and small whitebait.
Cast your line into the grass flats and just let it drift with the current as it covers the sandy potholes. While it drifts, slowly reel it in. If it doesn’t get a strike, repeat the process until you get strikes. Drifting is a popular fishing technique used by anglers to catch a variety of fish.
Best Baits & Lures For Spotted Seatrout
1. Soft Plastic Shrimp
The soft plastic shrimp works as it mimics the shrimp that spotted seatrout likes. Rig a soft plastic shrimp underneath a 3 to 5-inch popping cork.
2. Plastic Tail Grub Jigs
You can use pink-colored plastic grub jigs in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2-ounce weights to catch trout.
3. Soft Plastic Jerk Baits
Soft plastic jerk baits with glitter or flash can be used to catch spotted seatrout. They can be rigged weedless using a 2/0 wide gap hook.
4. Topwater Plugs
Use “walk the dog” topwater plugs to catch spotted seatrout during the morning or evening hours on shallow flats.
5. Spoons
Cast small metal spoons around deep holes and channels when spotted seatrout is feeding on small baitfish.
6. Shrimp
Shrimp is a good bait for spotted seatrout and many fish.
7. Small Bait Fish
Anglers use small bait fish as bait for many fish including spotted seatrout.
8. Pinfish
Pinfish is a good bait for many fish including Spotted Seatrout.
Spotted Seatrout Tackle
A 2500 series reel and a 7-foot medium action rod with a 10-pound braid and a 15-pound leader is a good tackle for catching spotted seatrout.
Spotted Seatrout Fishing Tips
1. The clarity of the water plays a major role in catching spotted seatrout. The clearer the water, the better your chances of catching spotted seatrout.
2. Shrimp is one of the best live bait to use to catch spotted seatrout.
3. Get a saltwater fishing license and check your state’s saltwater fishing regulations concerning lengths and bag limits for spotted seatrout.
4. When the tide is rising, focus on shallow grass, and when it begins to fall, concentrate on channels and holes nearby.
5. When you are using plastic jigs, a 6 1/2 or 7-foot medium action spinning rod rigged with a 12-pound test monofilament fishing line and a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader line will work for catching spotted seatrout.
6. A 2500 series reel and a 7-foot medium action rod with a 10-pound braid and a 15-pound leader can work well for catching spotted seatrout.
7. Spotted Seatrout like to move into mudflats and oyster bars with the incoming tide as a school and feed on small bait fish, and shrimp.
8. You can also find spotted seatrout around boat docks.
9. You can also find spotted seatrout around creek mouths and turning basins.
10. Fish for spotted seatrout in tidal creeks. They like to hunt for shrimps, crabs, and small bait fish during high tide in the tidal creeks.
11. Target the sandy potholes in the grass flats. Spotted seatrout uses the sandy holes as ambush points to catch shrimp, pinfish, and small bait fish. Drifting a grass flat is one of the best ways to catch spotted seatrout.
12. Spotted seatrout is a schooling fish.
13. A live bait under a popping cork is usually very effective.
14. Dead bait also works well to catch spotted seatrout.
15. Spotted seatrout likes small scented jigs.
16. Don’t handle spotted seatrout with dry hands. Always wet your hands before grabbing the spotted seatrout to remove the hooks from their mouths.
17. Spotted seatrout has an excellent sense of smell.
18. Fish for spotted seatrout in shallow areas early in the morning and late in the evening.
19. Spotted seatrout will hit topwater bait when clouds cover the sun and cast shade on the water.
20. When the water temperature is 50 degrees or lower, slowly work your lures and scale down on your gear as well.
The Bottom Line
Spotted seatrout is one of the favorite inshore gamefishes of anglers along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. They can often be found near grass flats, mudflats, and oyster bars and are good to eat. The spotted seatrout is a school fish and is a great fish for eating.
In this article, we discussed how to catch spotted seatrout. If you are also interested in catching walleye, then read the walleye fishing tips. You can also read how to catch snook, how to catch tautog, how to catch whiting, how to catch ladyfish, how to catch sand seatrout, how to catch salmon, and how to catch croaker.
