As we settle into the second week of April, Anna Maria Island flats fishers are enjoying the bite from spotted seatrout throughout the lush grass flats from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge south to Sarasota Bay.
Areas such as Tampa Bay, Miguel Bay, Terra Ceia Bay, Anna Maria Sound and Sarasota Bay offer some of the best trout fishing in west Central Florida as the flora and fauna support the perfect ecosystem for the species to thrive.
Don’t forget the Manatee River — the heartbeat of our inland waters — prescribes the right amount of freshwater to create a semi-brackish ecosystem of numerous types of sea grasses, mangroves and oyster beds, which filter our bays in the toughest conditions.
This is home to the spotted seatrout.
The spotted seatrout, being as popular as it is, has acquired several aliases. You might hear them referred to as speckled trout or specs and, for exceptionally large examples, the name gator trout is applicable.
Identification of trout is easy, as they have a style all their own: A silver head and underbelly topped with a light green back, speckled with black spots, extending throughout the back and tailfin.
Upon opening their mouth, two prominent canine teeth are visible, while the rest of the top and bottom jaw hold small, razor-sharp teeth backed by a bright yellow interior in the mouth.
Trout are designed to ambush prey as their camouflaged bodies blend into seagrasses until it’s time to rear their sharp teeth and bite into unsuspecting prey.
As far as diet is concerned, trout are liberal in their preferences. Any small bait fish, such as shiners, pinfish or finger mullet, are the norm, as well as numerous invertebrates, including shrimp, crabs and small squid.
The fish reproduce quickly, as they have a lengthy spawning season that runs from early spring through most of the summer.
Trout can reach maturity around 12 inches in length, which is when they are capable of spawning. An average 12-inch trout is 1-2 years old. Between two and three years, the trout can reach 16 inches. The estimated lifespan of trout is four to five years, although it is expected that larger species can live longer.
Catching spotted seatrout is an experience enjoyed by a variety of anglers, ranging from novice to capable fishers.
Most of the time, trout will aggressively strike a bait or lure and seem to be fooled in many instances, which makes them accessible to all anglers.
Whether using a live shrimp under a popping cork or “walking the dog” with a MirrOlure 84 MR, most instances will result in a strike if fish are present.
Since trout inhabit inland waters, they can be caught from a variety of locations, including piers, docks, canals and bridges, as well as from boats or by fishers wading the flats.
And, last but not least, trout is excellent table fare. Flaky white fillets can be prepared in a variety of ways, making trout one of the most popular inshore species caught in local waters.
Remember to consult local laws about size and bag limits for spotted seatrout. There are several regions in Florida and each has different seasons and bag limits. For our region, the slot is 15-19 inches and the limit is three fish per day per angler.
On my Just Reel charters, I’m seeing plenty of spotted seatrout being caught. On swift tides and during the full and new moons, catches exceeding 30 trout in a morning are occurring. Many trout are running small — just shy of the 15-inch minimum — although limits of slot-size fish are being caught most days.
Targeting trout over deeper grass flats yields other species, such as Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle and ladyfish. Bluefish and blue runners are in the mix.
Snook fishing produces action during the higher stages of the tides and the warmest days between the cold fronts provide the best bite for the linesiders and, for added measure, I’m seeing a handful of redfish in the same areas where I target snook.
Capt. David White is fishing inshore as strong winds and rough seas make it nearly impossible to venture offshore.
While fishing deep grass areas, White’s got his clients hooking into plenty of spotted seatrout. Freelining live shiners in these areas is attracting the fish, as well as macks, jacks and ladyfish.
On shallow grass flats, White is putting his anglers on snook and redfish — both on live shiners as bait. Casting shiners up against mangrove edges works best, especially during the higher stages of the tides.
Lastly, blacktip sharks are frequenting Tampa Bay. White is catching blacktips using fresh-cut pieces of mackerel or ladyfish. Many of the sharks being caught are being sightcast — which always makes for a fun fight.
Capt. Scott Moore is fishing deeper grass flats to target spotted seatrout. On flats of 4-6 feet in depth, Moore is drifting and casting popping corks with live shiners as bait. As a result, numerous spotted seatrout are being caught, with many falling in the slot of 15-19 inches.
As the drift commences, Moore noted that on the edge of the flats and depths of 6-8 feet, mackerel are taking over the bite from the trout. And, on occasion, some bluefish in the 6-pound range are being caught.
Once he’s had his fill of trout, Moore is moving to slightly shallower areas to catch a few snook.
“Although the large quantities of snook have yet to arrive,” Moore says, “we’re still catching decent numbers of fish.”
To catch the spring linesiders, Moore is working a variety of areas — the most prominent being grassy points and entrances into passes where good water flow exists.
“You gotta have good water movement for these fish to bite right,” Moore says. “I don’t like fishing areas where there’s no water flow.”
To wrap things up, Moore says he’s finding bait schools in the Gulf of Mexico in depths of 20-30 feet where hard bottom exists. Around these schools are mackerel, as well as a few kingfish and the macks are being caught in the 4-5 pound range while kings are running 10-15 pounds.
Capt. Johnny Mattay of Anna Maria Charters is finding good action for his clients on snook and redfish. Using live shiners as bait is leading to some slot-size snook, as well as quite a few fish in the 22-26 inches. The same applies for the redfish, which are being caught in all size ranges.
Spotted seatrout are being caught but on deeper grass flats of 6-8 feet. Mixed in with the trout are Spanish mackerel, as well as jacks and ladyfish.
“The trout and mackerel are great for people to bring home for dinner,” says Mattay.
Moving toward the Gulf of Mexico, Mattay is entertaining his clients with some blacktip sharks. Fresh-cut pieces of bonita or mackerel are being devoured by blacktips measuring 4-6 feet.
Fishing around the artificial reefs yields action on Spanish mackerel, bonita and kingfish. All three are stepping up to the plate when enticed by a lively shiner or sardine pegged with a long shank hook. Lastly, bottom fishing with small shiners as bait results in mangrove snapper.
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