“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish that they are after.” – Henry David Thoreau
Each and every fall there is about a two week period when I get absolutely obsessed with speckled trout fishing. It is a special time of year. The Eastern North Carolina weather has finally started to cool from its oppressive summer time heat into more comfortable temperatures. The white tail deer are starting to move around a bit more but the rut is a few weeks off. Ducks are starting to migrate, but the heart of the hunting season is still in the not so distant future. The days get shorter. The tourist crowds thin and my outdoor paradise is returned to the locals. I’m excited for the coming winter. I’m excited for oyster roasts around a wood fire and gut warming libations with friends. I’m excited for a break from mosquitoes, deer flies, ticks and no-see-ums. I’m excited to start, and maybe even complete, some homestead projects I’ve been saving for the winter. But first I have to get through two weeks of being excited about this:
If you will indulge me a momentary aside… I consider myself to be a pretty humble person. Braggadocios folks are a big turn off for me. When I started this journal I wanted Nature to be the star. Rarely if ever will you see pictures featuring human subjects. Sure, I have pictures of myself and friends holding big fish, but I want Nature to be the face of these ramblings. Man kind can but flirt with the immensity of Nature. Most people bore me. Nature is never boring. I don’t care how big of a fish you caught. To me, it is the experience that counts. Now, where were we? Ah, yes… speckled trout….
Speckled trout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a relatively common estuarine fish along the Southern Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico. While present in North Carolina year round, the fishing for speckled trout really heats up when the temperatures cool down. Speckled trout are an aggressive fighting fish well known for their “head shaking” similar to freshwater small mouth bass. Trout can easily shake a hook out of their mouths. Their mouths are relatively soft, which also does not help with hook retention. That said, as long as an angler doesn’t muscle or force the fish too much, they are fairly easy to land. Of course, the lighter the tackle, the greater the fun!
I have had a couple of go-to trout lures for a number of years that have never let me down. The lure I use more than any, and catch the most trout on, are Tsumani split tail minnows in either 3″ or 4″. Color doesn’t seem to matter too much, although like any lure fishing the turbidity of the water must be taken into account. When the water is clear, use the least aggressive coloration possible. When the water is dirty, a brighter color can help the fish locate the lure. Don’t use that crazy “electric chicken” colored stuff in super clear water (although it can work when the water is very turbid). I don’t know why these lures work as well as they do. I have fished next to folks using jig heads and curly tails and out-fished them time and time again. It just works. So I use it.
The other popular lure choice for trout fishing is the Mirrolure. These hard plastic, multi-treble hooked lures are like trout candy. They tend to pick up the bigger trout. I do not use them as frequently because I often fish out of a canoe or kayak and the treble hooks can be tricky, however I will use them if I am having no luck with a split tail minnow. The other disadvantage to a Mirrolure is they cost around $7 a piece, so when you lose one, it hurts a little bit more. Another popular method for catching trout, and probably the most effective but most involved, is using live bait. Minnows or shrimp under a popping cork is absolutely irresistible to trout. Live bait fishing is a whole different game and we won’t get into that here.
I have fished for trout using every method imaginable in every conditions imaginable, but my preferred method is to keep it simple! I love slipping a canoe or kayak into a creek along a roadside with just one rod and lure with me. If a catch a handful of trout in an hour I’m happy and I can go home. If a few are keeper size and can come home for dinner, a bonus. I made around 10 trout trips within a two week period this fall and caught trout every trip. I even managed a beautiful red drum a time or two.
The beautiful thing about fishing from paddle craft is often times one can fish where other boats can’t get to. “Trout holes” are rarely a secret, and if a spot produces, people will be there not matter what it takes to get there. Rarely am I fishing alone, but sometimes in less crowded waters. I get immense pleasure from moving silently around anchored boats and catching trout when they are not. Trout love to hang out on channel ledges. If you have experience reading the water, you can tell when channels drop off. You want to cast to the channel ledge, not be anchored on top of it! (hint hint) I had the pleasure of putting some friends and family on trout this fall, and that brings me as much pleasure as catching them myself. Especially when the occupants of an anchored boat gawk as a friend casts right where I point to and reels in a 22″ trout right from under their noses. All in good fun!
My fall trout obsession has come to an end for this year. The trout are still running, and I may even make another trip or two, but I am satisfied for now. It is time to look forward to other winter time activities. Then spring. Then summer. Then next fall, you know where you can find me for at least a couple weeks.
For regulations on specked trout fishing in North Carolina, please visit NC Division of Marine Fisheries. To read more on our local trout fishing, check out this short article from Chasing Tails Outdoors. There are a plethora of inshore charter options available if you decide you want to charter a trip for these fish.
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