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OUTDOORS COLUMN

Last Chance For Specks

By FRANK SARGEANT

Published: Oct 26, 2007

To my tastes, spotted sea trout, filleted fresh, floured and fried lightly, are the best-tasting fish in any part of the sea. But the opportunity to enjoy those fillets is about to shut down for a couple of months in the South Zone, encompassing all of Tampa Bay and the rest of southwest Florida.

Fortunately, there are good opportunities to enjoy a few last bites from the fish, which will lead to a few last bites at the table for those so inclined.

"I've been catching an unusual number of big trout lately," said captain Chet Jennings, who fishes the South Shore area of Tampa Bay. "The trout numbers here really went down after the red tides two years ago, but they seem to have come back strong this fall."

Jennings said his clients have been landing fish in the 20-inch range by fishing live sardines or threadfins over grass in 8 to 10 feet of water.

"There are a lot of small trout in these areas, too, but the trick to getting the big ones is to use a big bait," Jennings said. He advises using circle hooks and letting the fish hook themselves. The circles, he said, allow for easy release of over-limit trout; only one per angler per day over 20 inches long is permitted.

Macks, Blues Add To Action

Jennings said he typically anchors where the water is clear enough to see the outline of grass patches on bottom, then chums with smaller live baits while his clients free-line the larger offerings.

"The nice thing about this is, we catch a lot of mackerel and blues in that water, too, so there's steady action," Jennings said.

He said that adding a popping cork above a live shrimp is another way to hook up with the fish.

"Sometimes that noise on top will bring them up to the bait, so that's a good option for locating where the fish are," Jennings said.

Captain Scott Moore, who fishes Charlotte Harbor, said he has been finding trout most frequently off the sandbars in that area, over grass 3 to 6 feet deep.

"If you find an area with deep grass and plenty of tidal current and a lot of glass minnows, you can bet there are going to be trout in there right now," Moore said.

He said most of the fish in deeper water are 12 to 16 inches long.

"For bigger fish, I usually look in potholes inside the bar, especially around schools of mullet," Moore said.

Like Jennings, Moore most often fishes free-lined live sardines.

"Just remember," Moore advised, "trout are pretty delicate, so it's best to dehook them with a fish-flipper instead of gripping them with your hands."

Eric Bachnik, head of L&S Baits in Largo, continues to hook up with plenty of big trout by tossing lures made by his company, with the She Dog one of his favorites.

"In water up to about 5 feet deep, the larger topwaters seem to draw up the bigger trout," Bachnik said. "You might catch more fish on jigs, but you usually won't get as many big ones."

Bachnik notes, though, that deeper water does call for jigs and sinking lures.

Seek Clear Water

In general, anglers looking for a final trout fix before the season closure Thursday would do well to seek out clear water where they can see patchy grass on bottom at depths of 4 to 10 feet. Some noted areas for this include Anclote Harbor near Tarpon Springs and north toward Port Richey, St. Joseph Sound north of Clearwater, Boca Ciega Bay around St. Petersburg, Terra Ceia Bay near Bradenton, and much of Sarasota Bay. On Tampa Bay, the waters around Pinellas Point are a good bet to a half-mile offshore. And the South Shore area, from Port Manatee all the way to Anna Maria Island, is always a good bet.

Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound are also trout-rich, with some of the top areas including the lower harbor around Devilfish Key, Jug Creek Shoal near Pine Island's north end and the entry channels to Bull and Turtle bays, as well as the grass flats and island cuts east of Captiva Pass.

The bag limit on trout in the South Zone is four daily from 15 to 20 inches long, with one over 20 inches daily included in the limit. The closed season is Nov. 1-Dec. 31. The dividing line on the South Zone is Fred Howard Park near Dunedin; north of that line, the only closure is the month of February, and the bag limit is five fish daily.

Boats launching on the south side of the line must abide by South Zone limitations, even if they fish on the north side, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.