So far, this has been one of my best summers for catching speckled trout. Based on what I hear, I think this is also true for a lot of kayak fishermen who have been targeting them. But Fall is on the doorstep; cooler temperatures will soon knock the heat and humidity out of the air and make for even more memorable days on the water.
Fall truly is a great time of year for speckled trout fishing from a kayak! I have three main ways I fish for trout from my kayak. My first method is with live bait; I know this is no great mystery being revealed. The reason for the use of live bait in the early part of fall trout fishing is that the bait is most abundant. I like to fish live bait either on the bottom on a Carolina rig, which can also yield a nice flounder or redfish. Another way I like to fish live bait is with a very small egg weight, like a 1/8-ounce. This lighter weight will not pull the bait to the bottom like a Carolina rig but will allow you to fish in the middle of the water column. Areas I like to fish with live bait are in some good current. Not ripping so hard your bait is just straight out in it but just enough to draw the trout in as they are looking to feed.
My second method is with a popping cork. I love fishing for trout with a cork. I always use a kayak I can stand up in so I can get a longer and more accurate cast. Under the cork, I use either a plastic shrimp with a 1/8-ounce weight built into it, or if live bait is around. you can always hook a finger mullet under the cork. I use the popping cork around a lot of structure. Whether it is along the wall down at Fort Fisher or floating it over an oyster bed.
The last method I like to use is using a MR 27 or MR 7 suspending MirrOlure. These are great for fishing the middle of the water column. By twitching the bait you can make it wobble to the surface and then it will slowly sink back down to about 20 inches under the water surface. The colors I like to use depend on the water color. If I am in darker water, like in the Cape Fear River, I use darker colors like black with a chartreuse head or a darker orange-bellied one. In clear water around the beaches and the Intracoastal Waterway, I use a silver body with a red head or any kind of green combination. At sunrise or sunset, the purple demon color is great in any location.
Get ready for some great days on the water as the air and water temperature cools. The trout are really going to turn on…and sitting in a kayak that close to the fight is the reason we head out at five a.m. to take a shot at some trout. Enjoy the fall and don’t forget about the reds and flounder that are also still running around this time of year.