Laying it out...No Fish Tale Here!
Angling Lemon Bay, Englewood, Florida for Sea Trout (Specks) and Red-Drum, a.k.a. Redfish or Spots, is a real adventure, this time of year as we are in mid-spawn, so the Spots are extremely active whither following the pack, (females bunched and tailing alike a school of mullet), or hanging in the pots in wait for a meal. Catching Specks to Spots in the Slots is a real challenge, unless you know the secret; finding pristine flowing grasses, with spotted oyster beds with an outflow of nutrients, crabs, shrimp and water, moving towards the two openings, found here, in Lemon Bay, Florida, out to the Gulf of Mexico. Our catching of Lemon Bay Specks to Slots was a real treat to fish, as we wadded along and noticed the starfishes, sea urchins and even sea horses all across the fresh saltwater flat. The in to out flows of Stump Pass to the north and Boca Grande to the south make Lemon Bay one of the best areas to angle when in search of Specks to Slots for the table or in catch release.
Wadding Lemon Bay
Redfish (Spots) is a member of the drum family, whose cousins include the Atlantic Croaker, spotted Seatrout (Specks), and black drum. As they say, birds of a feather, so it is natural these fish, hang together and feed much alike, making them the perfect target to fisherman looking to hook it up with two of Florida's top game-fish, without a endless search across a vast flat to estuary or bay; when you find one and more are to follow. Catching Specks to Spots is best and easiest for novice to pro alike to use live shrimp, finger mullet, dollar-crabs or small yellow-tailed Pinfish; either free-lined or under a slip to popping cork, to which I prefer the pencil-like snap float. The Popping cork is just that, a cork that sounds much like a feeding trout as it Plops the top of the water in its attack of prey. I personality believe it can do the opposite too, pop to much and spook the fish; so what is too much? I'll stick with a Cajan style cork myself; personal preference. Best baits are:
- live medium to large shrimp
- finger mullet
- dollar crabs
- two to four inch yellow tailed pinfish
23 inch Speck - THE REST OF THE STORY...The Online Fisherman; Education, Information and Entertainment for Fisher-people
“FISH ON!”The Mentoring Angler,Gary A Anderson
18 inch Speck
Spot with Spots; nice Slot limit Red!
