The Ultimate Speckled Trout Gear

Choosing fishing gear is truly a matter of personal preference – what makes the ultimate speckled trout rod and reel to me may well not be your first choice. So take the following with a grain of salt. That said, the gear we’re about to talk about would at least, by most serious anglers, be considered top-tier. No, we’re not going to talk specific brands. There must be dozens of offerings out there that fit the bill for rods, reels, lines, and jigs. But when you go shopping for a new set of gear for speckled trout fishing, consider:

Fishing Rods – A high-modulus, high-sensitivity rod is a must. Choice of action may vary a bit depending on whether you like to toss topwater (many people prefer moderate) or jigs (most folks go for a fast action, in that case). Length is totally a matter of preference; longer 7’6″ and 8’0″ rods will send your lure sailing farther, but can also be a bit unwieldy, especially if you cast from a small boat with a T-top. Slightly shorter 6’6″ to 7’0″ rods are a lot easier to handle and a lot easier to store or transport, though casting distance will suffer a bit. In my case, since I fish on many different boats and my own has a large T-top, I use a 6’6″ fast-action rod. Cost is around $125.

Fishing Reels – Some folks prefer spinning and others opt for casting reels, but in either case there are a few critical factors: a smooth drag, light weight, and corrosion protection are all must-haves. Most importantly, however, the reel needs to be sized to balance on the rod you’ve chosen. My pick is a 3000 to 3500 size spinning reel in the $200 to $250 range. Anything cheaper isn’t likely to hold up in saltwater over the long haul.

Fishing Line – Again, the choice here depends a bit on whether you like topwater (where mono can be advantageous) or subsurface lures (in which case braid is usually the favorite). That said, 15-pound test is just about ideal for speckled trout. With braid line, match that up with 20 pound fluorocarbon leader (connecting with a uni-to-uni knot works well). The rig you see in the pic above has 15-pound Power Pro.

Speckled Trout Lures – There are, of course, countless offerings to choose from and many are effective. When all is said and done, however, a white or pearl four-inch soft plastic paddle-tail will prove shockingly effective in the widest range of conditions and depths. One caveat: there are times when specks want something that’s pink, period, above all else.

Okay: time to get out there, and catch some speckled trout!

Lenny Rudow