gator trout

Spring is in the air and the trout bite is in full force! Trout fishing is typically the best in spring and fall seasons, with more bigger fish around in the spring.

This week, the gators have been showing up pretty good. Gator trout fishing requires patience and can be very slow at times. Anglers looking for a consistent bite can find these fish cruising mangrove shorelines or any type of bank holding mullet. The best bet is to get out early in the morning and throw topwater plugs and large swim baits such as slayer inc paddle tails.

For targeting those larger trophy trout, I prefer fishing larger live baits such as black mullet, pinfish, and pigfish. Look around spoil islands with hard drop offs, deep docks, and areas where the bait activity consists of larger black mullet. You may not get 100 bites, but the ones you do will be well worth the wait! Light leader and smaller hooks definitely make a big difference as gator trout are one very smart species.

I highly recommend catch and release, especially with these larger trout, as they are our breeders and definitely have a huge impact on our future stock.