Trout Frenzy
With the end of Florida’s heat wave in full effect and the weather being mildly cooler, many anglers are looking to cast their lines at fish willing to eat. Spotted sea trout have made their way into Tampa Bay in great numbers. They are well known for their dominant presence during the winter months and, historically, peak in numbers November through February. They can be found at any of the St. Petersburg bridges, docks, seawalls, jetties, canals and shallow to deep grass flats. I always head to my favorite trout spots this time of year to find them. Where there’s one, there are a bunch. These hungry shallow water predators can almost always be found stacked up anywhere that has a drop-in depth adjacent to a sandbar, or sandy patches and potholes on grass flats.
Take advantage of the mild water temperatures, as the fish are more active. Baits I use for spotted seatrout are scaled sardines and live shrimp. Both baits are presented on a size 1/0 hook free-lined. You can sight cast or drift fish these baits. Livingston Lures “School Master” in a pinfish pattern, and a Po’boy 90 SU in a new penny color are my top choice artificials to use for trout if you desire to cover a large area in a small amount of time. I have had great success with these lures targeting spotted seatrout. These baits feature an EBS system that exceeds the performance of your typical integrated rattle tube. If you’re fishing the bay side of St. Petersburg, I recommend stopping at “Mitch’s Bait and Tackle” off of 62nd Avenue and 4th Street Mitch always has everything you need for a good day of fishing, including daily fresh live shrimp.