When the Water Warms: Spring Trout Tactics That Produce

Happy Monday Spacefish!

If you’ve been waiting for things to heat up on the Indian River Lagoon, well, here we go! Across Brevard County, water temps in the lagoon system have jumped up here recently in a, and that spring warm-up has the Seatrout bite on fire right now. Fish that were sluggish just a couple weeks ago are now moving up shallow, feeding aggressively, and making for some really fun inshore fishing.

This past week I went out twice and to target Trout, I caught a bunch of them in roughly 10 hours of fishing. One of the trips to a new area was mostly a numbers game with 25+, but only 1 hit the 20 inch mark. On my trip Friday where I targeted some of my favorite flats near Sebastian Inlet I ended up catching 13 total, but 4 of them were 20+ inches, which made for a really fun morning of fishing.

Understanding the Sea Trout Spawn

Spring in the Indian River Lagoon doesn’t just mean warmer water; it means spawning season is kicking off for Seatrout, and the fish are on the move. As water and air temps consistently warm, trout will slide out of their deeper winter haunts and push shallow, setting up along flats (I wish we had more seagrass), mangrove shorelines, and spoil islands in that 2–4 foot range. This is when you start seeing those bigger “gator” trout show up more consistently, and if catching those bigger 20+ inch trout is on your wish list, now is the time to go after it!

These fish are in full pre-spawn and spawning mode, feeding aggressively and staging in clean, shallow water. Trout don’t spawn just once either. Trout are multiple-batch spawners, meaning they’ll spawn repeatedly from now through early fall, with activity really ramping up as we head toward June. That’s why you’ll often find quality fish stacked along ICW edges, flats, spoil islands and docks with moving water; places where bait gets funneled right to them.
For anglers, the pattern is pretty straightforward this time of year: moving water, clean water, and active bait. Focus on areas with depth contours, and structure with moving water, especially around the full and new moons.

Techniques & Strategy

With warmer water comes more aggressive fish, I believe it’s more important to find the productive areas than deciding what to throw. That being said, there are a few baits in particular that have produced consistently for me over the past 5-6 years for quality trout. The nice thing about this time of year is the baits that produce are also fun to throw and retrieve. If you like being active and “power fishing” then this is your season!

#1 – Topwater Plugs:
Topwater walk-the-dog style plugs early in the morning over shallow flats can produce some explosive strikes from bigger trout. Something in the 3.5-4 inch range that you can cast a long way to cover ground. I typically start with a faster retrieve and will slow it down as needed. I prefer the white/bone color plugs, but I have caught some quality fish on topwater plugs that are orange/pink/chartreuse on the bottom. Personally I prefer the Rapala Skitterwalk or the Heddon Super Spook Jr in Bone with Holographic Sides.

#2 – Twitch/Jerk Baits:
My personal favorite is the MirrOlure MirrOdine, also known as the 17MR. I prefer the “Broken Glass” patterns and lately my hot color has been the Mardi Gras Broken Glass, but the original Olive Green/Black Broken Glass is really good too. This bait can be cast really far and you can speed it up some from how you may have retrieved this bait in the colder months. But I typically do better when I give it little flicks and take my time on pauses. I had a really nice Trout the other day absolutely smoke this bait on a pause that was 3 to 4 seconds in. I honestly thought it was an upper slot Snook the way it came in like a freight train and just obliterated it!

If you prefer the soft plastics, a good ole fashioned fluke can produce; I really have grown to love the MirrOlure Lil jon due to it’s density and castability and being able to put it on a jig and get it darting and dropping and covering water. Recently I have been putting a high volume number in the kayak on the “Space Dust” color.

#3 – 3 to 4 Inch Paddle Tails:
It’s hard to find many scenarios in which a paddletail is not useful inshore. Everything you want to catch eats small baitfish. These baits can be rigged a variety of ways, can cover pretty much every part of the water column, and can cover water to find fish. Typically I find more quality trout, and find larger numbers in cleaner water so I usually prefer a more natural color. White/Silver, or something with a darker grey/greenish back with a lighter belly. When it comes to jigheads, I prefer a grey, or chartreuse jig head, ⅛ oz is usually my go to size, but recently I caught a bunch of trout and flounder on a family trip to coastal Georgia and I had to go up to ¼ and ⅜ due to the strong tidal flow there. In the lagoon I almost always go ⅛. If I am fishing an area like Mosquito Lagoon, or parts of the IRL south of Palm Bay that actually has grass I will switch over to an Owner Twistlock, 3/0 and ⅛ oz.

#4 – Live Shrimp:
Of course, live shrimp is still the cheat code. Free-line it across shallow flats (hooking through the tail adds casting distance) or add a little split shot weight around docks and drop-offs (hook through the horn if you can cast far enough, or put your live shrimp under a cork to cast further, and the extra clack/pops can help draw fish in. If you fish live shrimp and there are trout nearby, your lines will be tight. I fish artificial 99.9% of the time, but when I take my wife, or kids we will usually get a couple dozen live shrimp and we are almost guaranteed to catch some trout.

Conclusion

As we move further along into spring, this bite should only continue to improve across the Indian River Lagoon. The fish are where they’re supposed to be…shallow, feeding, and aggressive; and if you can line up moving water with good bait presence, you’re going to find trout. Whether you’re looking to put numbers in the boat or hunt down that 20+ inch “gator,” this is one of the best windows of the year to do it. Get out early, cover water, and don’t be afraid to experiment until you dial in a pattern for the day.

One last thing I do want to say, please handle these fish with care as much as possible when you are catching and releasing. Trout are notoriously “slimy”, and this slime serves a purpose. Wet your hands before touching the fish, use rubber-coated nets if possible, and keep them in the water as much as you can while unhooking. For me I try and keep them in the water while in my net which is a rubber coated net, while getting set up for a picture. I have also been utilizing a hook remover to get hooks out without having to be too handsy but if I am wading I will hold as much of them in the water as I can while unhooking and I always keep my boga grips and hook removing tool with me if I wade, if I am in the kayak I will try and lean over the side or wet my hands and grip them without squeezing behind the gills while removing the hook.

When it’s time for a photo, support the fish horizontally, with a hand under the belly and avoid hanging them vertically by the jaw. When you get them back in the water you may need or want to revive them by putting their face into a current or using boga grips to pull them back and forth to let water wash through their gills so these breeding trout can stay healthy and keep the spawn going strong.

If you’re looking to really take advantage of this shallow water bite, there’s no better way to do it than from a kayak. Being able to quietly slide onto flats, work shorelines, and access areas boats just can’t reach is a game changer this time of year. Huge thanks to Kayaks By Bo for supporting our work here at Spacefish! If you’re in the market for a new setup or just want to get rigged right for the lagoon, they’ve got everything you need and the local knowledge to match. Drop in and see them!

Stay safe, be happy, and may your lines be ever tight! Until next time!

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Conclusion

This was one of the spots I listed a few weeks ago as part of the list of top inshore fishing spots for summer kayak fishing. I didn’t have any “banner” days, but the spot produced and at the end of the day, as a weekend warrior, that is all I can really ask for!

I’d like to thank Kayaks By Bo for being our paddle partner for our weekly adventures. Tomorrow they will be opening at their new location in Cocoa! God check them out!

Thanks for reading! Have a great week, tight lines everyone!