SPECKLED TROUT

How do you catch speckled trout on Hatteras Island?

Trout live in the sound around grass and oyster bars, and they eat a slow bait better than a fast one.

Start with the rig

A speckled trout over a grass flat on the Outer Banks

Right now

Reading the buoys for speckled trout…

The speckled trout calendar

Prime
Good
Off

JANOff
FEBOff
MARGood
APRPrime
MAYPrime
JUNGood
JULGood
AUGGood
SEPPrime
OCTPrime
NOVGood
DECOff

Speckled trout run spring through fall, with peaks in April-May and September-October.

Rigging for speckled trout

Each row below pairs a bait with its rig, its weight and the rod to cast it. Nothing on this table changes with the tide.

Speckled Trout bait, rig, sinker and rod table
Bait	Rig	Sinker weight	Rod and line
Live shrimp	Float rig or free-lined 1/0 circle hookSplit shot, or none7 ft light-medium spinning rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20-30 lb fluorocarbonThe number one live bait. Suspend it just above the grass.	Split shot, or none	7 ft light-medium spinning rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20-30 lb fluorocarbon
Gulp shrimp on a jig head	1/8-1/4 oz jig headNo sinker, cast and retrieve7 ft light-medium spinning rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20 lb leaderOutfishes real shrimp on a slow drag across the flat.	No sinker, cast and retrieve	7 ft light-medium spinning rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20 lb leader
Live mud minnow	Float rig or jig headSplit shot7 ft light spinning rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20 lb leaderThe winter bait when shrimp are scarce.	Split shot	7 ft light spinning rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20 lb leader
Suspending twitch bait (MirrOlure 52MR)	Direct to the leaderNo sinker, twitch and pause7 ft light-medium rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20 lb leaderA cold-water producer around deeper holes and docks.	No sinker, twitch and pause	7 ft light-medium rod, 10-15 lb braid, 20 lb leader

Banks and inlets for speckled trout

The banks and cuts that hold speckled trout, with the parking and the live read for each.

CAPE POINT

Cape Point

4WD, or a long walk

OREGON INLET

Oregon Inlet

4WD, or walk the jetty

PAMLICO SOUND SHORE

Pamlico Sound Shore

Walk-in and wade

Getting speckled trout right

Work the bait slow. Trout are ambush feeders, and a bait that sits still gets eaten more than one that flies past.
Fish the tide changes around oyster bars and grass edges. Moving water stacks trout against the cover.
Use wet hands and release fast. Trout are fragile, and the population pays for careless releases.

Working a trout marsh

Speckled trout haunt the same marsh and sound edges as redfish but feed with more caution, especially after a cold snap when they go almost dormant and want a bait that barely moves. They hold around oyster shell, creek mouths and drop-offs, ambushing shrimp and small baitfish in low light. Soft plastics on a light jig head, crawled slowly, are the standard approach, and a popping cork helps when the fish are skittish. Their papery mouths tear easily, so a smooth drag and a steady retrieve land more of them than a hard hookset. First light and the last of the evening are when the biggest females feed. On the coldest mornings, slow down until the lure is almost dead in the water; a trout will not chase, but it will pick up something drifting past its nose. Fish the shadow line where the grass meets open water, because that seam is where the ambushes happen. A rattling float draws them out of the shell when the water is cold and the bait is not moving well.

Water: Grass flatsBackwaters and soundsInlets and passesPier structure
Methods: Casting luresLive shrimp under floatJigging