Coastal Fishing Concepts
Tracking the Silver Wonders
When it comes to searching the elusive speckled
trout, many anglers always look at the spring and late
fall as the time of abundance. But if you are an
angler who understands
the process of the life of a
speckled trout from years
of experience, you will find
that some of the largest
speckled trout caught in
good numbers come during the month of July when
temperatures seem to be
unbearable. Throughout
the year, speckled trout are
one of the most soughtafter species of fish that my
clients prefer. Speckled trout, specks as most avid
trout anglers call them, are very temperamental and
feed only when conditions are favorable for them during a specific time of year. If
you’ve become an angler
who pursues these finicky
fish, this article just might
change your perspective on
when to fish for trophy
speckled trout.
Being a professional
guide in the great area of St.
Bernard Parish for over 22
years and fishing with my father for these silver-wonders
since I can remember, there
are certain variables that are
stuck in my memory banks.
Even though I lost every fishing picture I owned in
by Capt. Charlie
Thomason
Bayou Charters
(504) 278-FISH
Hurricane Katrina, I remember that all of my fishing
photos with large or trophy trout were caught during
the month of July. In fact, Pete Maltese, who was an
unbelievable fish taxidermist, mounted two 8-pound
trout for me that I caught within a week of each other
during the month of July. Of course, those trout were
in my lodge during Katrina and were also lost. The
reason for me telling you this is that over my fishing
lifetime when I look back and ponder on the months
that have produced the largest speckled trout, July is
always the most productive large trout time of the
year.
I feel the reason why July has been the most productive for larger trout comes from looking at the different structures available, depth of water in relation
to the temperatures, and bait availability. Along the
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