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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.

How To Catch Spotted Seatrout
How To Catch Spotted Seatrout

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.

Tricks For Fishing Spotted Seatrout
Tricks For Fishing Spotted Seatrout

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.

Tips For Fishing Spotted Seatrout
Tips For Fishing Spotted Seatrout

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.

Spotted Seatrout Fishing
Spotted Seatrout Fishing

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 Fishing Tricks
Spotted Seatrout Fishing Tricks

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
Spotted Seatrout Fishing Tips

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.

Spotted Seatrout Fishing Ideas
Spotted Seatrout Fishing Ideas

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.

Speckled Seatrout Tips
Speckled Seatrout Tips

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.

Ideas For Fishing Spotted Seatrout
Ideas For Fishing Spotted Seatrout

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.

Speckled Seatrout Fishing
Speckled Seatrout Fishing

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.

Fishing Spotted Seatrout
Fishing Spotted Seatrout

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.

Fishing Spotted Seatrout Tips
Fishing Spotted Seatrout Tips

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.

 
 
What is the best bait for catching speckled trout?
Live shrimp, pinfish, and small bait fish are some of the best bait for catching speckled trout.
What is the best time of day to catch speckled trout?
The best time of the day to catch speckled trout is early morning and late evening.
What size hook should I use for speckled trout?
A 1/0 size hook is a good choice for catching spotted seatrout.
Do speckled trout eat cut bait?
Spotted seatrout does eat cut bait.
How cold is too cold for speckled trout?
When the water temperature drops below 50 degrees, it is then getting cold for spotted seatrout.
Are speckled trout good to eat?
Spotted seatrout is good to eat with flaky white meat.
What type of fishing rod is best for speckled trout?
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.

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.