Speckled Trout Fishing After a Cold Front
Speckled trout will often stop feeding for a few days following a severe cold front. It has to do with the drop in barometric pressure that accompanies cold fronts. This causes the speckled trout's swim bladder to expand uncomfortably so they will move to deeper water until the low pressure cold front passes through.
Speckled trout will feed voraciously before the low pressure cold front arrives in anticipation of not eating for a few days as the front moves through their area. The day before a severe cold front arrives can be some of the best fishing times.
BUT it will likely take 2 or 3 days after the front departs for the speckled trout to start feeding normally again. This doesn't mean that you can't catch trout during a cold front. It just means that they will be very picky about what they will eat.
The author of this article is an inshore fishing charter captain along the Treasure Coast of Florida. He has been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and docks all over Florida for more that 40 years.
In the article below we will cover everything that you need to know to catch more speckled trout after a cold front. Let's get started.
Watch the video below to see just how incredible the speckled trout fishing can be a few days after a cold front comes through.
Speckled trout will often stop feeding for a few days following a severe cold front. It has to do with the drop in barometric pressure that accompanies cold fronts. This causes the speckled trout's swim bladder to expand uncomfortably so they will move to deeper water until the low pressure cold front passes through.
Speckled trout will feed voraciously before the low pressure cold front arrives in anticipation of not eating for a few days as the front moves through their area. The day before a severe cold front arrives can be some of the best fishing times.
BUT it will likely take 2 or 3 days after the front departs for the speckled trout to start feeding normally again. This doesn't mean that you can't catch trout during a cold front. It just means that they will be very picky about what they will eat.
The author of this article is an inshore fishing charter captain along the Treasure Coast of Florida. He has been fishing the grass flats, oyster bars and docks all over Florida for more that 40 years.
In the article below we will cover everything that you need to know to catch more speckled trout after a cold front. Let's get started.
Watch the video below to see just how incredible the speckled trout fishing can be a few days after a cold front comes through.
Can you catch speckled trout during a cold front?
The short answer is yes BUT they will be extremely picky during a cold front unless it is a very mild one. You have to remember that cold fronts come with low barometric pressure which affects fish. Especially those with large swim ladders.
Most fish including speckled trout will head to deep water during a cold front to use the greater water pressure of the deeper water to help alleviate their expanded swim bladders.
Imagine how your stomach feels when you ate something that causes lots of gas to be produced. That bloated feeling that makes you not interested in eating any more food for a while.
Speckled trout will also head down to deep water during a cold front because the water temperatures down there will not vary as much as the water temperatures in shallow water. Speckled trout can handle some pretty cold water temperatures but they will head down deep just in case.
Example: Let's assume that a cold front just arrived in the area that you want to fish and you only have one day off from work to catch some trout. Where should you fish?
I would recommend that you find some deep water with some structure like a bridge or some deep water docks. When I say deep water, I mean at least 8 feet for deeper.
Now you need to get your live bait, dead bait for artificial lure offering down to where the fish are. This means that you might want to use a heavier jig head or add a sinker to your natural bait offering.
Keep in mind that speckled trout are cold blooded just like a snake or an alligator so they won't be moving around very fast. This means that you will want to slow down your presentation and get ready for a subtle hit when your trout grabs your bait.
I wrote another article that covers in great detail everything that you need to know about what baits and lures to use for speckled trout fishing. Learn more about the best baits and lures for speckled trout right here.
What is the best time of day to catch speckled trout in the Winter cold months?
You can catch speckled trout in the mornings if you fish down deep and in the shallows if you wait until the afternoon when the sun's energy has warmed the shallow water.
Speckled trout will congregate in deep water channels and cuts in the winter months to protect themselves from large temperatures changes in the water. The water down deep has more stable water temperatures.
AFTERNOON: I like to wait for the sun to heat up the upper levels of the water column when the water is cold. This is great because you can sleep in it you want. You can grab some coffee and breakfast and take your time getting to the boat ramp to fish in the winter months.
You will want to hit the ramp around 11 am and fish the shallows until the sun starts to set if you have that kind of time. If you only have a few hours to fish, them fish from noon to 3 when the sun is at its hottest.
In my humble opinion, the mid afternoon hours are the best time to fish for speckled trout during the cold winter months.
MORNING: On those days when you have a big honey do list and can only get out for a few hours in the morning then you will have to have a different plan to catch those speckled trout.
You will have to find deep water and fish it very slowly with your live baits and lures. You can go into any of the manmade canals where there are houses on the water with large boats tied to the docks.
You know that water has to be deep to accommodate those big boats. Deep channels and deep river mouths are another good area to look for specks down deep when it is cold out.
Jigs are my go to lure for catching speckled trout in deep water. Try something dark and something lightly colored until you figure out what they want. You will also want to try a small paddle tail or jerk bait to see what size they want to eat.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in extreme detail how to catch a speckled trout when you are fishing in Florida waters. You can read that article by clicking here.
Watch the video below to see the Complete Speckled Trout Fishing Tackle Box.
How long after a cold front passes can you go fishing for speckled trout?
Speckled trout will begin to feed normally within 72 hours after a cold front passes through the area. You can catch them before during and immediately following a cold front but the more normalized fishing will occur about 3 days after the cold front is long gone.
The fishing pattern for speckled trout and cold fronts goes something like this:
- 24 hours before the cold front hits the trout will hit just about anything that you throw at them. They are feeding continuously to get ready for the impending cold front to arrive.
- During the cold front the specks will be in deep water and you will have to fish your lures deep and slow. The few bites that you get will be very subtle.
- The first 24 hours after a cold front the specks will still be down deep but will be more inclined to eat your lure or natural bait.
- 48 to 72 hours after a cold front the fish will begin to rise in the water column to get back to their normal feeding patterns and daily migrations in the water column from deep in the morning to shallow in the afternoon.
You can catch trout during all parts of the cold front's movement through your area but it is much harder depending upon what stage of the cold front you are dealing with.
At what temperature do speckled trout stop biting?
Specked trout are very cold water tolerant and will bite during some pretty cold temperatures when their lives depend on it. BUT, in general, the bite will be extremely slow or non existent when the water temperatures get down in the mid 60 degree to the upper 40 degree levels.
Water temperatures below 48 degrees can kill the speckled trout if they last for too long.
What water temperature is the best for speckled trout fishing?
The optimal water temperature for catching speckled trout is between 68 and 78 degrees. You can catch speckled trout in hotter water and colder water but your best speckled trout fishing will be in that water temperature range.
Once the water temperatures reach 88 degrees or so the bite will completely shut down and the fish will have to find cooler water to survive. You will have to find deep water or water the has been cooled by a rain storm when it is super hot outside.
How do you catch big speckled trout in the Winter?
Big speckled trout can be caught in the winter months using dead bait. A cold trout does not want to have to chase a fish around and use a lot of calories when it is cold. A large piece of cut mullet, ladyfish, pin fish or a menhaden will all work just fine for cold and lazy speckled trout in the winter time.
You can also jig them up from deep water with a 3 to 5 inch paddle tail or jerk bait. The key is to get your lure down to the deep water levels where the trout are and fish it slowly. They will not chase a fast moving lure when they are cold.
Speckled trout are cannibalistic so you will not find big trout around little trout very often. If you are catching undersized trout, then you will want to move away from that school to find big speckled trout.
A big speckled trout would love to eat one of her smaller cousins if she could catch one.
Conclusion:
Catching speckled trout in the winter months as various cold front move through your area can be very challenging. Just remember that speckled trout will move to different parts of the water column to regulate their air bladders and to control their internal body temperatures.
In general, speckled trout will move down deep for severe cold fronts and stay there for a few days until the water temperatures in the shallows begin to warm again.
Speckled trout know when a severe cold front is coming and will feed voraciously before it hits. They do this because they don't know when they will have the chance to feed again.
During the cold front it will be very hard to get a bite and within the first day or two following the cold front the bite will be slow. After the barometric pressure begins to rise and the water temperatures begin to warm the speckled trout will begin to bite again.
I hope that this article helps you catch more speckled trout or at the very least have more fun trying. Thanks for reading it and watching my videos.
Want to catch more fish?
Fill out the form below and get one NEW how to fishing video or article emailed to you every week.
Sign up below and get your fishing crash course today.
Catching speckled trout in the winter months as various cold front move through your area can be very challenging. Just remember that speckled trout will move to different parts of the water column to regulate their air bladders and to control their internal body temperatures.
In general, speckled trout will move down deep for severe cold fronts and stay there for a few days until the water temperatures in the shallows begin to warm again.
Speckled trout know when a severe cold front is coming and will feed voraciously before it hits. They do this because they don't know when they will have the chance to feed again.
During the cold front it will be very hard to get a bite and within the first day or two following the cold front the bite will be slow. After the barometric pressure begins to rise and the water temperatures begin to warm the speckled trout will begin to bite again.
I hope that this article helps you catch more speckled trout or at the very least have more fun trying. Thanks for reading it and watching my videos.
Want to catch more fish?
Fill out the form below and get one NEW how to fishing video or article emailed to you every week.
Sign up below and get your fishing crash course today.