It’s Gator Season!

It’s gator season! Gator trout, that is! The last week has been some phenomenal speckled sea trout fishing here on the Space Coast, with some rainfall, lighter winds and a huge influx of finger mullet the fishing has sparked up in general. Speckled sea-trout are the one of the most popular gamefish to target in saltwater from here to the Texas coast and anywhere in between. They are great for all ages and skill levels, very easy to catch when under the 20 inch mark, but once these fish reach 20 and above they are one of the smartest, more difficult fish in the lagoon system.

This time of the year the speckled trout are actively spawning, that usually means the big girls are out to play. Look for these larger fish on sandy grass flats near deeper water; these fish will push up super skinny in search of mullet and other baitfish. Some of the best methods are using 6-8 inch free line finger mullet on a 4/0 hook, or larger topwater plugs early in the morning. Allowing your bait to swim freely is the key, keeping your bail open and letting your bait cover water is going to produce good results.

Another good method is using pig and pinfish around sandbars, spoil islands, or banks with hard shell bottom. Hook your bait in the tail with 15/20lb fluorocarbon and a 4/0 hook.

This is the time of the year that produces some really quality fish, I highly recommend taking extreme care with these fish, always handle with wet hands and get them back quickly as they are responsible for several generations of trout to come. The next few weeks things are really going to heat up and we’ll switch over to full blown summer fishing, get out and enjoy the nice weather until the heat wave arrives!