Topwater Trout- By Wayne Justice (2018)
When the tide is right,
And the winds lay down,
Speckled trout are all around.
Throw your plug
At the edge of the grass.
Work it just right and they will make a pass.
Sometimes they sip
And pick up your lure.
The bite of the trout can be kind of obscure.
More often than not
They hit it with vigor, quite hard.
The bite of the trout can catch you off-guard.
Don't set the hooks
Until you feel the weight of the fish pull,
Or you end up empty handed feeling a fool.
The old yellow mouths
Puts up a fabulous fight.
Head shakes are quite common as they run left then right.
When you successfully
Bring the fish to your hands.
The reward in itself is really quite grand.
The moment you pause and reflect,
As you return the fish to the sea
Is even more rewarding to me.
You can tell from the poem I wrote several years back how much I enjoy targeting summer speckled trout with topwater lures! As we transition into August that means summer will be wrapping up soon as will the spawning season for speckled trout in North Carolina. Now is the time to get in on this great fishery before it wraps up for the year.
Specks are protractive spawners who start to stage in their shallow water summer habitats as early as April and stick around until cooler temps set in later in September or October. Most anglers do not even target them until fall, when the smaller fish tend to school up making it easy for meat fisherman to catch their 4 fish limit of 14-18' fish pretty quickly. Truthfully, as their behaviors start to change to their fall pattern I will start to switch my attention to nearshore false albacore because the best time of year to target larger trophy trout is in summer!
Having success in the summer is more about the anglers approach than anything else and once you find the right habitat features. If you are having a hard time locating them ask yourself how have my tactics changed as the summer season is in full swing? If your fishing like it’s fall there is a reason your only catching shorts or nothing at all. The fish may be in the same general neighborhood but their pattern is very different therefore so should be your presentation.
A sea trout's behavior is challenging to understand and predict. During the summer season they exhibit a totally different behavior than their fall pattern, especially the bigger fish.
For example, in the fall I can run right over the deeper ledges I’m going to fish with the big motor and still catch them but once they go shallow they just become super aware of their surrounds, for good reason. We see a lot of sharks and dolphins working those same areas. Predators become prey pretty quick around here.
As far as habitat goes, our estuarine systems are very dynamic with lots of micro habitats. There are fish in my neck of the woods year round but they are using shallower parts of the waterways now, so flats, shoals and oyster bars in 2-6’ of water can be productive.
During summer, I am looking for higher salinity water along submerged drop offs and subtle edges that border one or more shoals in 3-6” of water. This time of year those big girls are spawning and they depend on larval transport. Because of that. I often fish within a quick run to one of the multiple inlets in my area this time of year. Truthfully, you can find them just about everywhere you go if the habitat and conditions are right so it’s not about a specific spot. We have been finding quality fish in multiple spots and even different zip codes but they all have certain habitat features in common. Figure out the feeding patterns and the way the fish use the area and you will locate them.
Big trout are selective feeders that are only aggressive for a short period of time each day. This time of year it requires commitment to get to the productive spot before their morning feed. 5 minutes late you would swear there are no fish, but they are still there just not eating anymore. And remember. plenty of research shows their diet also changes as they grow. If I’m targeting bigger fish I put away the soft plastics and all my shrimp lures. Focus on hard baits like Rapala Skitter Walks or X-raps since their diet becomes predominantly small fin fish. Its not secret that topwater lures catch more big trout during summer than any other design, and man are they fun to fish!
The big fish tend to spread out instead of school up, especially in the summer. Certain spots will see the fish concentrate in different areas depending on the tide and wind. Shallow water leads to spooky fish, especially the ones we want to target because they are the smart ones with the best genes, the survivors. Stealth is key, I wade when possible and use the trolling motor sparsely when I have to stay with the boat. Try to use current and wind to push you and just pulse when you have to make course adjustments. Truthfully I have seen mornings where just hull slap alone shuts the bite down.
If you have your big motor running don’t expect to catch them in the summer on the flats. They might be there but the bite has shut down because they were tipped off on your presence. I know I say it over and over again but I can't emphasize it enough. The number one problem most people make is they are just too loud!
You do need to be able to cover ground that’s why I like to wade so much, the technique allows me to cover ground without making noise. Just remember to do the stingray shuffle as you walk the flats and sloughs, and make sure you are paying close attention to the tides when you walk away from your vessel unless you want to make a full day stuck at one spot. Using a kayak is another good way to cover ground and still remain as quiet as possible.
Once you find a spot that holds them and you figure out the pattern don’t become dependent on that location as things change. Identify what features you can, then commit to still spending time on the hunt looking for similar spots for a portion of each trip. Plenty of good water out there. It’s easy to fall back to spots you know but that’s not the most productive way to stay on them because they move and conditions change. Commit to scouting new locations for a portion of each trip and you will be better able to keep up with them.
So many things we can do increase our chances of success, when we find a good bite it is important to understand that limits are in place to help sustain a healthy population. Just because you can keep a fish doesn't mean you necessarily need to. The larger females deserve to be released in my opinion as they are responsible for the breeding stock.
Groups like Speckled Truth & Release Over 20 have done a great job educating anglers on the need to preserve good genetic brood stock. I am not going to try to go through all the science with you because they both do a good job of explaining it, instead I encourage you to find them on your social media feeds and support them if you enjoy targeting specks. They are doing some really good work encouraging other anglers to set their own limits based on the knowledge gained from the scientific surveys that show clearly how important the larger fish in the population are in terms of successful recruitment of the next generation.
We each need to set a good example, I see plenty of anglers consistently keeping more than their limit, going out twice a day, using improper handling techniques and high-grading their catches. The numbers show that we harvest a lot of trout by hook and line so we can not deny the impact we have.
There is obviously a lot of pressure on our fisheries coming from multiple angles. Thankfully, at the moment there is not much debate, just about everyone agrees that our trout population in NC is as healthy as we have seen it in a quite some time!
Release Over 20 sponsors the North Carolina Coastal Conservation Association, share online "We are in a unique situation with our trout fishery in North Carolina. A major cold stun, 2 major hurricanes, removal of gill nets in some areas, and many other factors have resulted in one of the best trout fishing years in over a decade". The CCA is a well respected conservation advocacy group that lobbies for sound management of public trust marine and estuarine resources to protect those resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations.
Thanks to mother nature and the efforts of anglers throughout the state, fishermen who adapts their behaviors as the seasons change and put in the necessary time on the water should be able to have success on our local waters. If you haven’t got the time you are probably best to look into a guide, lots of good ones in the area that can show you the ropes. Send me a message and I can share a few local here in NC that know the deal.
The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process. We all have slow days. Like many things, when fishing we learn as we go. If you focus on learning something new each trip, time spent on the water is never wasted and should be enjoyable.
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