What are the best ways to catch speckled trout in the summer?
To catch speckled trout in the hot summer months you will have to fish shallow early and deep as the sun heats up the water. Grass flats, tidal creeks and docks are great for catching speckled trout in the morning. Switch to deep channels adjacent to grass flats as the water temperature rises.
You can catch a ton of speckled trout in the summer months but you will have to follow them around as they move based on the water temperatures. They do not like hot water so you can find them up on the flats in shallow water early in the day. Look for them in water that is 4 feet or less in the morning hours.
As the sun's energy heats up the water column the speckled trout will move to deep water to stay cool. You can find them in deeper channels, tidal creeks and deep docks during the hottest parts of the day.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. I have been catching speckled trout, snook, tarpon and redfish all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about how to catch speckled trout in the summer months. We will cover the best baits, lures, tackle and times to have a blast fishing for specks.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more about the best lures for catching summer time speckled trout.
To catch speckled trout in the hot summer months you will have to fish shallow early and deep as the sun heats up the water. Grass flats, tidal creeks and docks are great for catching speckled trout in the morning. Switch to deep channels adjacent to grass flats as the water temperature rises.
You can catch a ton of speckled trout in the summer months but you will have to follow them around as they move based on the water temperatures. They do not like hot water so you can find them up on the flats in shallow water early in the day. Look for them in water that is 4 feet or less in the morning hours.
As the sun's energy heats up the water column the speckled trout will move to deep water to stay cool. You can find them in deeper channels, tidal creeks and deep docks during the hottest parts of the day.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN. I have been catching speckled trout, snook, tarpon and redfish all over the state of Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, we will talk about how to catch speckled trout in the summer months. We will cover the best baits, lures, tackle and times to have a blast fishing for specks.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below to learn more about the best lures for catching summer time speckled trout.
Where can I find speckled trout in the summer?
Speckled trout can be found in very shallow water early in the morning and at night during the hot summer months. You can find them in water as shallow as 12 inches searching for food before the water temperatures begin to rise.
As the sun heats up the skinny water areas the trout will migrate to the shade or deeper cuts and channels. Shade might be overhanging mangrove roots or the shaded side of an island. It might be a dock or bridge where the water temperatures are a little cooler.
It is really all about water temperatures in the summer months when you want to target speckled trout. Speckled trout are a lot like humans. They want to be comfortable as they live their lives.
Would you rather mow your lawn in the morning or at noon in the summer months? Most of us like to get the yard work done early before it gets too hot outside. Trout want to live their lives as comfortably as possible too.
You can find trout in good current areas with eddies or curves where the trout can stay out of the main current and still ambush bait as it is moved by them with the current. So look for moving water and target the speckled trout just outside of the main current.
Look for structure of some sort that speckled trout can hide behind. This can be docks, rocks, oyster bars, fallen trees, mangroves, channel markers, whatever.......... Just think like a lazy trout that doesn't want to get overheated as it gets something to eat.
The trout bite in the heat of the summer is usually over by 9 am unless it is cloudy. Clouds will extend the bite by an hour or two.
WANT TO CATCH SPECKLED TROUT? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Night Fishing for Trout
The night bite around dock lights and bridge lights is great in the summer months. The water temperatures are dropping and the trout will feed like crazy.
When you crush the trout first thing in the morning you are actually catching the tail end of the feeding cycle because the fish were feeding all night. This is especially true when it is a full moon because trout like to ambush prey items from underneath.
They hide and wait for the silhouettes of the mullet or shrimp to come within striking distance then SLAMMM!!!!! Morning trout bites, after a full moon, are usually slow because it was easy for them to feed all night.
Night time is the right time to catch monster speckled trout in the summer months.
I created a FREE Online Fishing Course all about catching speckled trout. You can access it right on this website by clicking right here.
What is the best bait for speckled trout in the summer?
The best live bait for speckled trout is shrimp. The best lure for speckled trout is the Berkeley Gulp shrimp and swimming mullet under a popping cork. I have tried just about every bait for catching large numbers of spotted sea trout with live bait and the shrimp is your best bet.
They probably would prefer a 3 inch white bait like a scaled sardine or a threadfin herring but they are hard to catch and they are hard to keep alive. Shrimp are easy to buy at any tackle shop and easy to keep alive. That is why they are the best live bait for speckled trout.
A white Berkeley Gulp shrimp or swimming mullet catches more trout than any other scented lure that I have ever tried. They are expensive and they tear up easily but they will put a lot of fish on your hook for you.
A white 3 or 4 inch paddle tail shad with a 1/8 ounce jig head is another great bait for summer trout. You can swim the lure with a steady retrieve or jig, jig, let it fall, then repeat. I use the latter technique but they all work just fine for hungry trout.
Top water lures that mimic mullet are a great lure choice to catch big summer trout. Jigs and paddle tails will often catch a lot of small trout so if you increase the size of your lures you will catch fewer but bigger speckled trout.
I like to use a Zara Super Spook in the mornings to target large speckled trout. My favorite color is white but a natural color combination; chartreuse and orange bellied lures seem to work really well too.
You have to master the walk the dog retrieval technique to catch big trout on top water lures effectively. You can learn more by watching the video that I created right here.
Suspending lures like MirrOlure mirrodines are another great lure choice for catching speckled trout. They mimic a 3 inch white bait very well because the profile of the lure should match the hatch of what the trout are feeding upon. Profile and size matching is more important than the color choices.
What is the best time to catch speckled trout in the summer?
The best time to catch speckled trout is early in the morning, sunset and at night around dock lights. You have to catch trout when the water temperatures are cool enough for them to search for food comfortably. It is just too hot for most of the day to catch trout in shallow water.
Speckled trout can handle cold water very well but hot water is a different story. They will feed readily when the water temperatures are approximately 65 degrees up to about 80 degrees.
Yes, you can catch trout in 60 degree water and yes, you can catch trout in 85 degree water but it is hard to do. That would have to be one really hungry trout to feed when the water is that uncomfortable for them.
Inshore spotted seatrout fishing is all about water temperature, prey, moving water, structure and no predators. If you can find an area with all five of these factors in the trout's favor then you can usually find some trout to catch wherever you are fishing for them.
Conclusion:
All of the best trout fishing that you will have in the summer months will be in water 80 degrees or less. Summer time inshore fishing is all about the water temperatures. You have to find those optimal water temperatures to maximize you fishing adventures.
Sure you can catch speckled trout when the water is uncomfortably hot or cold for a trout but it is rare. Focus your efforts where you will have to best results.
Speckled trout populations have plummeted in recent years because of the seagrass dying off all over Florida and deteriorating water quality. I am catch and release only at this point when I catch a keeper trout. I might start to fillet and release into the grease again at some point.
BUT not until I see the speckled trout population get back to decent numbers again.
Have fun catching a ton of trout this summer.
I hope that you enjoyed this article and I hope that you catch a ton of fish the next time that you go fishing.
Do you want more helpful articles like this to be emailed to you every week? If so, sign up for our email list below to get more fishing related articles sent to you once a week.