Quickest & Easiest Way To Find Winter Speckled Trout
- By: Richard Thomas
- on
What’s an easy way to find winter speckled trout this time of the year??
I found myself fishing just south of Savannah under the potential threat of a northeast wind.
It was going to kick on at some point during the trip but the weather in the morning looked promising.
Take a look at the action below!!
Easy Way To Find Winter Trout [VIDEO]
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Equipment Used:
- Rods Used:
- Reel: Daiwa BG MQ 3000
- Line: 10lb PowerPro and 15lb Power Pro
- Leader: 20lb Ande Monofilament
- Hooks:
- Lures:
I started out fishing open water during high tide looking for deeper pockets with bait nearby.
Once the tide started to turn over and pushes out, my plan was to venture into some backwater creeks to see if I can get a bite there!
I saw some mullet jumping near the grass line at the first spot I picked out so I tossed out the Mulligan.
It’s always a smart idea to switch over to a swimbait or paddletail presentation with mullet in the area.
The combination of the cold air and wind made for a glacial bite to start the day.
The sun poked its head out from the clouds about halfway through the morning which gave me some hope knowing the shallows would get warmed up.
After little luck at the first spot, I picked up and moved to fish another grass line with some oyster bars along the bank.
My objective was to target the halfway points between the larger sounds and backwater creeks.
These areas typically have points and similar structure that are ideal to work lures around.
The fish were COLD and hesitant to fully commit to my lures.
Casting & Retrieve Techniques
Due to the cold temperatures and finicky fish, I had to go into stealth mode to trigger strikes from these fish.
Cast your lure out like normal but DO NOT close the bail immediately.
Instead, let your lure fall and flutter down to the desired depth.
Once it’s at depth, slowly roll your reel to crawl the lure back to you in the strike zone.
You can throw in tiny little twitches if you want.
But the goal is to entice these fish and trigger reaction strikes.
Remember, they don’t really want to expend any energy they don’t have to.
So we are mimicking an easy meal that’s right in front of them.
Most of the strikes came in between the bank and my boat.
The fish were inhaling my paddletail as it dropped on the fall.
Conclusion
Points and drop-offs in transition zones between creeks and larger bodies of water is a classic winter fishing game plan.
When temperatures drop and the fish feel the cold, slowly rolling a paddletail is a sure-fire way to trigger strikes.
Just remain patient and stay in tune with your surroundings while out on the water!!
Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for flooded structure!!
Do you have any more questions about the easy way to find winter speckled trout?
Let me know in the comments section!
Finding The Fish Help
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
1. Weekend Game Plans (updated weekly)
These regional game plans will show you exactly what types of spots to target in under 10 minutes… just click the video to start, and you’ll be informed on what to do on your next trip.
2. Smart Fishing Spots Platform (updated every 15 minutes)
This exclusive software literally shows you where the most fish are likely to be feeding based on exactly when you’ll be fishing. It factors in the tides, wind, and weather to help you quickly see which areas to target throughout the day.
3. Community Reports (live feed)
The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
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To me the smarts app hasn’t been working right for me its still showing the same spots that I fished ii the summer as great spots during the winter even though I dont see any of the 3 bs birds bait and boils that are always taught in all the videos I am a lifetime member and have been for 4 years now and it’d getting pretty dissapointing just saying🤔
Good feedback Steven! Many times in the winter those 3 things are very hard to come by compared to other times of the year. So it still may be a productive spot depending on the tide cycle!
Thanks for the tip on the initial set up and making multiple passes to work closer to the shoreline
No problem Judson, that technique has caught me a lot of fish that I normally would
Have spooked!
I’m new to fishing the Port Aransas area like to wade and target reds and trout
That’s great David definitely be sure to check out the Texas game plan and insider reports from our Fishing coach Wyatt Parcel out there!
Always appreciate your attention to detail. Thanks Richard!
Glad you liked it Tuan!
Great video Richard. Thanks for all the cold water trout tips.
Thanks Buddy, these techniques definitely have helped me catch more!
Awesome video and beautiful fishing area. Good tips, learning some new technique.
Great to hear Danny!
Great video! Love the detail
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Great report Richard. A lot of tips that I should be trying. Your experience and expertise gives me some ideas about what I need to learn. As always your reports teach me something. I have to change my (habits). Thanks Richard
Awesome to hear Terry, glad this one was of value to you!
Happy New Year everybody and tight lines in 2023. ( when do we see the MULLIGAN)
Same Stuart! It will be released in January!