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Saturday, 24 November 2012

Atlantic Trout

The spotted sea trout is actually a member of the drum family and is close cousins to the redfish, croaker, and black drum. The spotted sea trout is easily identifiable by the distinct round black spots on their back, dorsal fins and tail. They also have one or two large canine teeth at the tip of the upper jaw. That jaw in large adults usually glows a bright gold/yellow color. Their small scales, dark gray/green back, white belly, and silver, yellow and purple body hues make the trout a beautiful inshore game fish. Spotted sea trout cover a wide range. They are found from New England all the way down the Atlantic, around the Gulf, and down into Mexic . They prefer water temperatures that range from the low 60s to the low 80s. Spotted sea trout are found inshore and nearshore, however, they prefer shallow coastal waters (estuaries) and will most of the time be found on grass flats, sand bar edges, around sandy spots, oyster bars, mangroves, shell points, docks and other man-made structure. Along the Gulf Coast they are often referred to as “specks,” around East-Central Florida they are generally just referred to as “trout.” Sea trout do not migrate, and generally will stay in one area their entire life. Much of their movements are generally dictated by water temperature. As temperatures drop during the cold months, trout move into deep adjacent waters. As temperatures increase, trout will move back up into the shallows. One exception to this general rule of thumb is that during cooler months, trout seek out shallow sandy spots that allow their dark bodies to warm up fast under the sunlight. Large adults are also intolerant of low salinity. Heavy rains and/or freshwater discharge will push them into deep water.