What Do Big Specks Eat?

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Catching big speckled trout on local waters requires an entirely different approach than most of us are used to applying to our fishing.

Big trout are different from their smaller counterparts in many ways and the anglers that consistently catch them tap into these peculiarities.

The first difference is diet.

When trout get between 20-22 inches they change from being primarily a shrimp eater and small fish eater to feeding primarily on larger finfish.

Big speckled trout feed heavily on ribbonfish (cutlassfish) when they move into bays from the Gulf. Find ribbonfish scurrying to the surface in panic and you will find big trout. At a distance ribbbonfish can be spotted by their silver flashes as they breach.

And the largest trout eat the largest prey. Researchers in Texas and Mississippi have found mullet to be the preferred food of the biggest trout. Frequently the mullet is half or two-thirds the size of the trout.So, when it comes to pursuing them the angler that does the best mullet imitation wins the prize.

Slow-sinkers like the legendary Corky are go-to winter lures on the Texas Coast and for good reason. They are extremely effective at fooling big trout in the winter when their metabolism is down and they are moving slowly.

Topwaters like Super Spooks and Top Dogs along with slow-sinkers like the Corky are standard issue along the Texas coast for big trout hunters.

Swimbaits have gained a following among local anglers over the last few years and I am one of them.

The Stanley Wedgetail Mullet has proven itself to me as it very accurately imitates a mullet and allows the angler to cover water.

The problem with slow-sinkers for example is they are great at pinpoint accuracy fishing when you are targeting a small reef or an inlet but for covering water, they are no good. They simply take too long to sink.

Swimbaits moved at even a slow pace cover vastly more water than sinkers, which fits my style of fishing.

Learning which lures to fish is not the only thing you need to understand trophy trout during winter.

Chester Moore

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