🌊 Best on the flood💨 Likes calm wind📅 Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Oct, Nov, Dec
- Water temp
- 54–86°F
- Depth
- 2–13 ft
- Max weight
- 8.8lb
- Day vs night
- ☀️ 🌙
Spotted seatrout, or specks, are the most popular inshore fish in Florida, found over grass flats, sand potholes, oyster bars and around docks and bridges in every bay and lagoon from Pensacola to the Indian River Lagoon. Spring and fall are prime, when fish spread over 3–6 ft grass flats; in summer they feed at dawn, dusk and at night under dock and bridge lights, and in winter they gather in deeper holes, channels and creeks. A moving, rising tide that floods the grass is best. The classic approach is a live shrimp under a popping cork on 20 lb fluorocarbon and a 1/0 hook, or a jighead with a soft plastic shrimp or paddle tail worked along grass edges; topwater walkers at first light draw the big gator trout. Use a 7 ft medium-light spinning rod and 10 lb braid. Their mouths are soft, so play them gently. Check current FWC rules before keeping one.
Best bait for spotted seatrout
- 1 Live Shrimp
- 2 Soft Plastic Shrimp
- 3 Paddle Tail Swimbait
- 4 Walk-the-Dog Topwater
- 5 Suspending Twitchbait
- 6 Pilchards (Scaled Sardines)
Rigs that work
- 1 Popping Cork Rig
- 2 Jighead
- 3 Slip Float Rig
- 4 Freeline Live Bait
