Spring Speckled Trout: Best Lures, Spots, & Lure Retrieval Methods
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
Want to know the best strategy for catching tons of trout right now?
Spring is upon us and the speckled trout are fired up and feeding aggressively!
And your hook-up rate could be dramatically increased if you know what to look for on the water, what lures to use, and of course, how to use them.
So in this video, you’ll learn how to:
- Pick the best tackle for springtime trout
- Find the most productive spots for feeding fish
- Retrieve your lures like a pro
- And much more
Check it out below!
Catch Endless Speckled Trout Right Now [VIDEO]
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We’ve had a lot of success catching trout so far this spring with some of our favorite tackle here:
- The Slam Shady Paddletail
- Alabama Leprechaun Jerk Bait
- Owner TwistLock Weighted Hooks
- Z-Man Trout Eye Jighead
- Gulp! Saltwater Jerk Shad
- Heddon Super Spook Jr. Topwater
- Mirrodine Suspending Twitchbait
Note: If you find an item out of stock in our tackle shop, please sign up for notifications and you’ll be the first to know when we have it back in inventory!
Here’s a timestamped look at our conversation:
- 1:08 – What lures are working for spring trout
- 3:35 – When to change up your lure
- 5:32 – The best-sized lure for each scenario
- 7:41 – Clean water lure vs. dirty water lure
- 8:45 – How the time of day plays into which lure to choose
- 9:41 – What to do when you see larger baitfish
- 10:54 – Imagine it’s tournament day: what do you bring
- 12:21 – East coast jerk shads vs. west coast paddletails
- 15:23 – Retrieval methods
- 16:36 – Biggest topwater retrieval mistake
- 19:05 – Behaviors of trout underwater – Pa Pow!
- 22:51 – When to change up your retrieval method
- 24:20 – The importance of retrieving your lure ALL of the way back to you
- 27:56 – Put down your phone and pay attention
- 30:08 – Remember the 90/10 Rule
- 31:15 – Assessing baitfish behavior
- 33:02 – Do your research and plan your trip with satellite maps
- 36:41 – Where to look for water flow
- 40:18 – Look for these specific birds to find fish
- 43:23 – Here’s a little secret to finding trout
Conclusion
It’s true, trout are visual predators…
So, if you want to have a chance at catching them, you’d better know which lures and tactics work best.
And where to find them!
Do you need help with picking the right spots to find trout right now?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who is targeting speckled trout this spring, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
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Used to use loves lure. They were deadly for trout. Can’t find them. But I make my own with jig heads an grub tails. Sardine color. Killers
Any chance the Mirrodine C-Eye trout you showed will be added to Fishstrong.com? Try to purchase through you guys as much as possible.
We will definitely look into it!
I am in Hudson N of Tampa. I have tried paddle tails including slam shady due to your podcasts, BUT, I still find the trout here hit more on jerk shads (or flukes). I use similar plugs though to exactly what was suggested here.
I have had similar results using paddle tails vs. jerk shads.
Great session guys. Very very helpful. Question- I’ve been trying out the Rapala hard baits in lieu of Mirrodines lately. Mainly bc y’all have sold me on in line hooks and the Rapalas come that way. So no switching out.
But after spending a lot of time with the SubWalk, I tried a Twitching Mullet off a dock today just to practice retrievals. I was surprised that it is a floater. And when. I twitched it, it didn’t go that deep unless I did it quickly and constantly. So, instead of a fall after the pause, it rises. That seems to be contrary to what we’re going for when it comes to these twitchbaits, no?
Aren’t we looking for the ambush strike
on the pause/suspend/slow fall? Am I wasting my time with the Twitching Mullet? Why don’t they get nearly as much live on here as the MR-17s?
Thanks fellas!
Hey Richard!
I haven’t been a fan of the twitching mullet. I’ve tried it a few times but just haven’t had any results compared to the mr17. If anything, you could try using thicker inline hooks which would add a little more weight to it to possibly get it to sink or suspend. Most fish respond better to something suspending or falling.
Thanks Tony!
Hi I’m new to the group and I love to fish when I get a chance. Tony you seem to be the kayak fisherman and that is my new thing. I live in southeast texas along the marshes and the sabine lake. I’m sure there are tons of places to fish but im having trouble getting there. I love trout fishing but im not a early bird. My point is can you fish trout throughout the day. I have fished an area around the cow bayou and around stewts Island and baileys but im just not getting them I know they are there. Can you help
Hey Chrystal! You can definitely get on some trout later in the day. WHat can be evebn better is getting on the water just before sunset. Early morning and late afternoon (twilight/low light periods) are better times for trout to feed. Or if you have a mostly cloudy/overcast day.
The “slick”you talk about looks a lot like a “tide” line. Is the tide line also a good place to fish?
Yes! Anywhere that current changes speeds can be great places for trout. This is why we often target Depth changes and points. These areas break the constant flow of current, and trout position themselves in these breaks to get out of the main flow, but still have access to bait.
I often call these “tide lines” current breaks, but they are NOT the same as a slick. Slicks are actual oil that sits on the surface of the water that trout have regurgitated, and is not indicative of current flow at all. These slicks often appear shiny, and current breaks often just look like a different flow of water on the surface. It takes a bit of practice to differentiate the two.
Good tips guys! Both of you spoke about the mirrodine and the Paul brown lures.
I have both of those, but what tips do you have for the heavy-dine lures? I have one and I want to try it out this spring.
The heavy dines are worked the same as the regular MirroDine, but you need to be aware of how fast they sink to the bottom in the area you’re fishing. Ideally, you’re working the bait to twitch 6-12” above the bottom structure (potholes, grass, or rocks) that the trout are holding in. The last thing you want is that bait to drag bottom, or be worked along the surface. It’s a mid to bottom coloumn lure in summary!
tony I’am with you about the paddle tails over here in the banana river you have to work them like jerkbait .
Great tips…looking forward to using them. By the way, when working top waters, how do you keep the gulls from attacking it on the retrieve?
Unfortunately this is just a side effect of a good retrieve! When I see a full dive for my bait, I often just yank it away. I also like to give them a good scolding and shoo in the hopes they leave! Sometimes they listen, other times I just have to wait for them to fly off 😂
How to fish with the slam shady? What set up do I need?
I’ll have a detailed video on some pro tips for paddletails coming soon, but a constant retrieve with 3-4 pauses/stops mixed in through the length of a full retrieve will result in the most strikes for trout. Constantly retrieving to cover ground, and stopping to allow any fish following the lure to strike!