Jigs may be fished singly or in pairs either with or without the use of a cork. They are very effective fished under lights at night when trout congregate to feed. Worm jigs, fished under a small popping cork in grassy flats are effective. Live bait anglers know that bigger is better when it comes to targeting speckled trout. Gator trout are especially fond of jumbo live shrimp or a four- to six-inch live mullet.
Anglers catch their own over the vast grass flats of Florida Bay. They fish them much like a live shrimp, under a float or free-lined. This is also a favorite bait in the Gulf of Mexico, from Florida all the way around to Texas.
It’s fun to clearly feel the bite, pull, and the hook set with trout. I usually wade-fish for seatrout in a place like Fort De Soto Park in St. Petersburg, Florida down around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and pier. There are plenty of grassy flats areas that make for perfect trout fishing. Though they do prefer an incoming or outgoing active tide, I’ve caught trout during anytime because the allure of a big live shrimp is too much for them to pass up. Thing is, with shrimp you’ll have the bait stealers robbing you often.
When done correctly, it should resemble a “zig-zag” pattern, moving side to side, that mimics a wounded baitfish. This lure covers a TON of ground, makes a lot of noise , and is the perfect size to get a good hook set on the fish. The spotted sea trout can be found anywhere that there are grass flats nearby. These fish inhabit the saltwater estuaries from the top of Florida to the Florida Keys. Another good technique, especially for locating trout in winter, is slow-trolling. Streamers, small lipped crank-baits, and shrimp-imitation lures are all good choices.
Just remove the popping cork as above and use the weight of the bait itself to cast. You can also add a couple of small split-shot weights about 8-10 inches in front of the bait to gain distance if needed. Florida has many many acres Fishing Boat Charters Bradenton of submerge grass beds and 3 feet of water to 10 feet of water. These flats hold just about every inshore saltwater species. This is where I fish on my Sarasota fishing charters for clients that are looking for action and variety.
It is fairly easy fishing and does not require great fly casting skill. Speckled trout, bluefish, ladyfish and more provide great action. Just as with artificial lures, there are countless fly patterns, colors, and sizes. However, anglers only need a couple different patterns in several colors to consistently catch fish in Florida.