Did you all notice Alan’s post on Facebook about the 28” trout reported by Captain Tripp? As water temperatures rise, speckled trout are aggressively hunting down meals as bait begins to hatch in spring. Wyatt Parcel of SaltStrong believes that this is one of the best times of the year to hit the water in search of your Personal Best fish.

Usually, smaller paddletails and lures are the way to go in the spring, however, “Big” is the way to target larger trout on the lookout for high-calorie, easy meals. If you see mullet leaping out of the water and running away from predators, this is an indicator to rig up a larger 5- or 6-inch paddletail and target hungry trout. During this time of year, 1/4 oz. to 3/16 oz. jigheads or weighted hooks are best because the fish are moving toward deeper pockets of water this time of year. Check out the deeper holes just off the flats or on ledges leading into a flat. Trout are ambush predators with an angled jaw designed for coming up from below and striking bait. The larger speckled trout are likely to strike your lure as it drops to the bottom rather than when you jig it to the surface.

Spring is also one of the best times of year to break out the topwater plugs because trout are more than willing to get up and after bait swimming near the surface, especially in the mornings or evenings as they slide up into the shallows to look for larger baitfish. Top water lures that have a rattle better mimic the sound of baitfish. Trout are very sight-focused hunters and will be attracted to something moving quickly that is also creating a disturbance along the surface of the water. Often, trout will continue following a lure until it decides to fully commit and strike the lure. Even if a fish pops the surface behind your topwater it is a good idea to continue working the lure because the trout may not give up easily!