Speckled Trout

       Speckled Trout or Cynoscion nebulosus, are also known as specks. Specks bodies are green, their backs are silver, and they have black spots on their sides as well. Specks are not what you fish for when your looking for a heavy fish to catch. The average Speck weighs only 1 to 3 pounds (Lake 1). The world record Speck was caught in east Florida and weighed 17.7 pounds.
      There are four techniques for catching specks; drift fishing, bottom fishing, surf fishing, and wading. The most effective method is drift fishing. Using artificial minnows drop your line into the water. Have your bait start near the surface and gradually allow it to go towards the bottom. When bottom fishing you should use live bait such as mud minnows and menhaden. Hook the bait through the lips and place your bait in the water, without using a weight.  The key to surf fishing, according to Lake, is "reading the water." What this means is watching to water for any hint of gamefish, Signs would include, feeding seagulls, feeding pelicans, and slicks. A slick is an oily spot that comes to the surface of the water when Specks are feeding (Lake 1).
       When drift fishing and bottom fishing for Specks there are many places to fish. According to Captain Lake, the best places to fish for include fishing "over oyster beds, sand flats, rocky bottoms" and also "structures." When surf fishing, you of course fish from the beach into the surf. Speckled Trout are known to go into deep holes when the water gets cooler, making the spring and summer the best time to fish for Specks.
     Though Specks are not the biggest fish in the world, they still make for "good eatin'." Here is a recipe courtesy of "Cooks.com":

Ingredients:

• Flour
• 6 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 lb. speckled trout fillet

Directions:

Roll in seasoned flour lightly. In a heavy skillet saute fillets in hot butter for 5 minutes. When brown, turn and cook 3 minutes. Put in warm dish; season if needed. Put lemon juice in pan with butter, parsley, onions and mushrooms. When foamy pour over fish.

Works Cited

"Florida Speckled Trout Fishing." Florida Game & Fish Magazine. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.floridagameandfish.com/fishing/saltwater-fishing/FL_0506_01/#cont>.

Lake, Bill. "TIPS AND TACTICS FOR SPECKLED TROUT." Fishing-Boating Online. Fishing Reports, Fihsing Guides and Captains, Tackle Shops, and Marine Supplies. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.fishing-boating.com/articles/lake/speckledtrout.htm>.

"Speckle Trout - Pan Fry." Recipe Search. Cooks.com. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1917,154161-253198,00.html>.