Watts on Spots, January 2010-Great Month for Yellowmouths
One of the best things about living in Florida is that I can fish in nice weather, twelve months of the year. While anglers up north are huddled around a kerosene heater, ice fishing, we Floridians are out getting some sun and catching big fish. One species in particular, the Spotted Sea Trout uses January’s cold fronts to invade the shallows and feed voraciously.
Officially a member of the drum family, Sea Trout look like a combination of a freshwater pickerel and two trout, the rainbow and the brown. Sea Trout are long and skinny and have huge, canine teeth. They have a beautiful rainbow silver color with lots of black spots, like the brown trout. Bigger trout or “Gators” develop a mustard yellow inner mouth when they get longer than 20 inches or so. Although unlikely that you can match the state record of a 15 pound 6 ounce fish, catching any trout over 4 pounds on light tackle is great fun.
( Where is the best place to catch big “Gators”? On my side of the state east) the Mosquito Lagoon is the place to be. Although it is a couple of miles across, the Lagoon offers exceptional fishing spots for me and my kayak. Much of the lagoon is “no motor zone” and perfect for small watercraft. On cold days, the trout will move from the deeper grass edges up into the warm shallows. Any spot from 6 to 10 inches deep might hold fish.
Another feature that makes the Sea Trout a good sportfish is their ability to sense trouble. Catching big trout requires stealth and a good, quiet presentation. Don’t be slamming the bottom of your boat and expect to catch many fish. Also use light line and natural looking baits.
The kind of lures I choose depends on the sun, wind, and time of day. Early morning can be exciting with exploding top water bites. I like walking the dog with a MirrOlure She Dog. By mid-day I start to work just below the surface with MirrOlure’s 17 MR. It has a trout attracting rattle, sharp hooks and looks just like a wounded mullet struggling, back and forth.
As the sun reaches high noon, don’t forget that trout love the cold, sky blue days. Look for some shallow sand holes. I caught the nice fish pictured with a D.O. A. shrimp. The bait is beautiful in its simplicity. Its looks just like a live shrimp ready to be eaten by a big trout. These areas might also hold some impressive redfish, so make sure your drag is set properly.
One of the best things about living in Florida is that I can fish in nice weather, twelve months of the year. While anglers up north are huddled around a kerosene heater, ice fishing, we Floridians are out getting some sun and catching big fish. One species in particular, the Spotted Sea Trout uses January’s cold fronts to invade the shallows and feed voraciously.
Officially a member of the drum family, Sea Trout look like a combination of a freshwater pickerel and two trout, the rainbow and the brown. Sea Trout are long and skinny and have huge, canine teeth. They have a beautiful rainbow silver color with lots of black spots, like the brown trout. Bigger trout or “Gators” develop a mustard yellow inner mouth when they get longer than 20 inches or so. Although unlikely that you can match the state record of a 15 pound 6 ounce fish, catching any trout over 4 pounds on light tackle is great fun.
( Where is the best place to catch big “Gators”? On my side of the state east) the Mosquito Lagoon is the place to be. Although it is a couple of miles across, the Lagoon offers exceptional fishing spots for me and my kayak. Much of the lagoon is “no motor zone” and perfect for small watercraft. On cold days, the trout will move from the deeper grass edges up into the warm shallows. Any spot from 6 to 10 inches deep might hold fish.Another feature that makes the Sea Trout a good sportfish is their ability to sense trouble. Catching big trout requires stealth and a good, quiet presentation. Don’t be slamming the bottom of your boat and expect to catch many fish. Also use light line and natural looking baits.
The kind of lures I choose depends on the sun, wind, and time of day. Early morning can be exciting with exploding top water bites. I like walking the dog with a MirrOlure She Dog. By mid-day I start to work just below the surface with MirrOlure’s 17 MR. It has a trout attracting rattle, sharp hooks and looks just like a wounded mullet struggling, back and forth.As the sun reaches high noon, don’t forget that trout love the cold, sky blue days. Look for some shallow sand holes. I caught the nice fish pictured with a D.O. A. shrimp. The bait is beautiful in its simplicity. Its looks just like a live shrimp ready to be eaten by a big trout. These areas might also hold some impressive redfish, so make sure your drag is set properly.
Overall, Sea Trout are an impressive sport fish and January is the month to catch the big ones. Look at the weather channel for an upcoming sunny, cold day and head for your favorite intercoastal waterway; The Yellowmouths are waiting!
You can contact Chris Watts by email at: wattsonspots@yahoo.com
