The spotted seatrout, (Cynoscion nebulosus), commonly called speckled trout, is one of the most popular sport fish along the Texas coast. It occurs in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, ranging from Massachusetts to the Yucatan peninsula. The fish is a member of the croaker family (Sciaenidae)and is a first cousin to the Atlantic croaker, red drum, black drum, and sand seatrout. Its abundance, willingness to hit natural and artificial baits, and fine eating qualities make the species extremely popular with rod and reel anglers.

Spawning
Sexual maturity is reached at two years of age and eggs number from 100,000 in small fish to more than one million in large females. Spawning occurs inside the bays near grass beds where the newly hatched young find food and shelter. Recent findings show that fish spawn sometime between dusk and dawn. Spotted seatrout have a protracted spring and summer spawning period which peaks during May-July. Two, three, and four-year-old fish make up the bulk of the spawning population.

Growth
The growth rate of spotted seatrout differs between males and females, with females growing faster. Approximate lengths at various years of age are given in the following table.

Most large spotted seatrout caught are females and commonly live to be nine or 10 years of age. Anglers long ago recognized that very large trout were usually female and appropriately called them "sow" trout. The record trout taken by rod and reel in Texas measured 33 3/4" and weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces. Before a fishing trip, anglers should be sure to check regulations on bag, possession and size limits. Regulations are based on current information about the fish population and may change often.

Feeding
Spotted seatrout are opportunistic carnivores whose feeding habits vary with size. Small trout feed primarily on small crustaceans. Medium-size trout feed on shrimp and small fish. Large fish feed almost exclusively on other fish such as mullet, pinfish, pigfish and menhaden. This preference for large fish makes large trout difficult to catch. Large trout do not feed often and few anglers like to use 12-inch live mullet for bait.

Movements
Spotted seatrout are generally nonmigratory with little inter-bay movement, and most movement seems to be in response to water temperature and spawning. They are most common in the shallow bays during spring and summer. As water temperatures decline during fall, fish move into deeper bay waters and the Gulf of Mexico. The number of fish entering the Gulf varies from year to year depending on the severity of the winter. As water temperatures warm in the spring the fish move back into the shallows of the primary and secondary bays.

During periods of low rainfall and runoff, many trout often move into deeper rivers and bayous with the first cool weather of fall. Similar concentrations occur at dredged boat harbors and channels. Offats Bayou at Galveston, the Army Hole at Port O'Connor and the boat harbor at Aransas Pass are examples of the latter.

How to Catch
Experienced trout anglers have their own combination of bait, tackle, location, etc. for catching fish. The following is offered primarily for the novice with the expectation that use of the suggestions as a starting point will lead to the development of his or her own "magic" for catching trout.

Any light to medium action rod and reel combination is appropriate since most spotted seatrout caught are in the 2-3 pound range. Equipment designed for use in salt water is essential because of the corrosive nature of sea water.

The most popular terminal tackle for spotted seatrout is the popping cork rig. Best results are achieved by popping the cork periodically to simulate live action. By varying the retrieve, frequency of popping, and the depth of bait, the best action for the catching trout can be found. The best bait for catching trout is live shrimp. Live fish such as mullet or pinfish and dead shrimp can also be effective.

If the cork is removed and the sinker is replaced with a very small weight, it is called a "free shrimping" rig. The same types of bait can be used with this tackle. This method is effective when drift fishing from a boat or when fishing in areas with strong tidal flow. The bait is allowed to drift freely in water. Adjust the weight of sinker and amount of line out to move the bait up or down in the water until fish are found.

A conventional bottom rig may be used when trout are found to be feeding near the bottom. Artificial baits are effective for catching trout the year round. Although many types and styles of artificial baits exist, generally they can be classified in three ways; jigs, spoons and fishlike lures.

Jigs may be fished singly or in pairs either with or without the use of a cork. They are very effective fished under lights at night when trout congregate to feed. Worm jigs, fished under a small popping cork in grassy flats are effective. Try them without corks in deep guts or channels. Vary the action, depth fished and lure color. Hot pink, root beer, dark red and white are good colors.

Spoons are very effective, particularly during the warmer months. Silver is probably the best color. Vary the speed and depth of the retrieve, as well as the weight and size of the spoon. A bucktail fastened to the spoon with the hook or a bucktail and hook trailed to 12 to 18 inches behind the spoon is often successful.

Try the fishlike lures during the cooler months, although they can be effective anytime. They are especially good fished very slowly, during cold weather. When fishing shallow water during cold weather, some anglers move the point of line attachment from on top of the lure head to the snout tip to permit slower retrieval while keeping the lure off the bottom. Again, vary the retrieve, size, color, and weight. Floating lures have recently become popular with fishers stalking large trout in shallow water during the warm months. The movement of the lure at the surface may be especially enticing to trout.

Where to Fish
Where to fish is just as important the proper bait and technique. During warm weather, fish shallow areas early in the morning and late in the evening. In the heat of the day, move to deeper areas such as the dropoffs around grass flats, channels or around oyster reefs. When the weather is moderate, the fish may remain in shallow water a greater portion of the day. However, during very cold weather, try fishing the deep rivers, harbors and channels. Generally these deep areas are best after a "norther" has subsided and clearing skies are associated with rising temperatures.

Boat fishers look for groups of feeding gulls during summer and fall. Schools of trout chase shrimp or small fish to the surface, which attracts the gulls. Action while fishing under birds can be fast and furious with the feeding trout taking almost any bait.

Many anglers watch and "sniff" for slicks when searching for trout. Yes, people can smell trout! Trout often regurgitate when excited (as during feeding) and the oils from partially digested food rise to the surface to make a slick. The odor has been described as similar to watermelon or newly mown grass. Other fish can also be "smelled," but a practiced nose can tell the difference.

Local information about what tackle to use, when to fish and where to go within the particular areas of the coast that you plan to fish, is usually found at local fishing camps, bait stands or tackle shops.

Parasites
Some trout caught may have worms embedded in the flesh along the backbone. These "spaghetti" worms are larval stages of a tapeworm that can only reach maturity in sharks. It cannot survive in man even if it is eaten raw. The worms can easily be removed during filleting to make the meat more appealing.

Cooking
The spotted seatrout has an excellent flavor and texture. Remember that care of the fish between landing and the skillet is important. Clean and place your fish on ice as rapidly as possible. The delicate meat of the trout loses quality rapidly if left unchilled, especially during warm weather. Recipes for preparation of trout and other Texas seafood are available from the Texas A & M Extension Service, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843.

Adapted from "The Spotted Seatrout in Texas" By Jim Stevens, Revised by Joe Martin, TPWD.

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The southern flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma, is the largest of more than 25 species of flatfishes found in Texas coastal waters. It is highly prized as both a food and game fish and accounts for more than 95 percent of the flounder harvest in the state. Southern flounder occur from North Carolina to the mouth of the Rio Grande and southward into Mexico. They are usually found west of the Mississippi River.

All flatfishes, including the southern flounder, are compressed laterally and spend most of their life lying and swimming along the bottom on their side. In the case of southern flounder, the left side is always the "up" side; in other species, the opposite is true.

The flounder is wonderfully adapted for its way of life. Both eyes in adults are on the "up" side of the head and the pigmentation of the upper side of the body can be varied to match the surrounding environment. A small body cavity and the absence of air bladder aid the flounder in maintaining its position on the bottom.

Life History
Adult southern flounder leave the bays during the fall for spawning in the Gulf of Mexico. They spawn for the first time when two years old at depths of 50 to 100 feet. The eggs are buoyant.

After hatching, the larval fish swim in an upright position and the eyes are located on opposite sides of the head. As the young fish grows, the right eye begins to "migrate" to the left side of the head. When body length of about one-half inch has been attained, the eye migration is complete and the fish assumes its left-side-up position for life.

The young fish enter the bays during late winter and early spring. At this time they are about one-half inch in length and seek shallow grassy areas near the Gulf passes. As growth continues, some will move farther into bays. Some will enter coastal rivers and bayous.

Small flounder grow rapidly and may reach 12 inches in length by the end of their first year. Males seldom exceed 12 inches, but females grow larger than males and often reach a length of 25 inches. Most flounder caught by anglers are females between 12 and 16 inches long, weighing from one to 1 1/2 pounds. The minimum length for harvest is 14 inches. These fish are in their second year of life. The largest recorded southern flounder in Texas, 13.0 pounds, was taken in February 1976 from Sabine Lake.

Juvenile flounder feed mainly on crustaceans, but as they grow fish become more important in their diet. Adult flounder enter shallow water at night where they lie, often partially buried, and wait for prey. Empty depressions where flounder have lain are called "beds."

Although most of the adults leave the bays and enter the Gulf for spawning during the winter, some remain behind and spend winter in the bays. Those in the Gulf will reenter the bays in the spring. The spring influx is gradual and does not occur with large concentrations that characterize the fall emigration.

How to Catch
Flounder are taken by rod and reel or by gig. When fishing with rod and reel, light tackle offers both the greatest sport and best chance for catching flounder. Both artificial lures and natural bait can be used. Over barren bottoms, leaded plastic worms (worm jigs) are often very effective. In heavily vegetated areas, shallow-running spoons are best.

Flounder prefer live to dead bait. Live shrimp retrieved slowly along the bottom often produce excellent results. Killifish (referred to locally as mud minnows) fished in a similar fashion, is good bait. These fish can often be taken in large numbers with the cast or minnow seine.

Although many are taken by rod and reel, "floundering" or gigging offers the best challenge for this species. The flounder is vulnerable to this technique because it often enters the shallows at night to feed. Both the skills of the angler and the hunter are called for here.

Lanterns are used in searching for flounder and gigs ranging from single-pronged to modified hay forks are used to spear the fish. The anglers wade quietly along the shallows looking for flounder. Once the flounder is within the light from the lantern, normally it will not move, affording the fisher a chance to "gig" the fish. Although this sounds like a sure-fire method, many fish are missed because they go undetected until they swim away or because of inaccurate gigging by an overanxious angler.

The more sophisticated flounder fisher may mount his lanterns (or battery-powered lamps) on the front of a flat-bottomed skiff. The skiff is then poled through the water in search of fish or is pushed by a small air motor. Floundering from a boat is much easier than wading. It allows the angler to cover more area and search bottoms that are too soft for wading.

When and Where to Catch
Although flounder can be taken by rod and reel in almost any portion of the bay, it is more often productive to fish around jetties or oyster reefs that extend from shore into the bay. Flounder do not swim continuously so they tend to accumulate in such places in their search for food. During the fall, when flounder are moving to the Gulf for spawning, the best catches are made in the channels and passes leading to the Gulf. During the spring, wading anglers work the edges of channels, such as the Intracoastal Waterway, as the fish are moving back into the bays.

Floundering is best during the migration from October to December. Hundreds of lanterns can often be seen in and around the pass areas during this period, as the fishers wade through the shallows in search of fish.

During the spring and summer the best catches with gigs are made in the back bays. Areas with cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) along the shoreline are good producers, and a bottom that is slightly silty or muddy generally is better than a hard sand bottom. The mouths of small bayous and sloughs often yield flounder.

Since water clarity is very important to the success of any floundering trip, floundering should be done on calm nights. When fishing on windy nights, anglers should try to work small protected bays and shorelines.

The best catches are made during an incoming tide and on dark nights as opposed to moonlit nights. However, do not hesitate to flounder on an outgoing tide. During a falling tide trying farther offshore in water one to two feet deep or around offshore sandbars is often more productive. Avoid nights when the tides are abnormally high.

Stingrays also frequent the shallows at night. They are flat and can sometimes be mistaken for a flounder or stepped on by the unwary. The inexperienced flounder fisher should make certain of what he has gigged before retrieving it. If in doubt, simply hold the creature on the bottom with the gig and wait for the water to settle before attempting to retrieve your catch. A multi-pronged gig is helpful in such cases, because the catch can be lifted unassisted from the bottom.

Preparation and Eating
The flounder's reputation as table fare is unsurpassed in Texas. Remember that the quality of any seafood is largely dependent on how it is handled between capture and preparation. Remove the viscera and gills from the flounder and place the fish on ice as soon as possible. Cleaning beyond this point depends on how the fish will be cooked.

Flounder can be prepared in many ways. Broiling the fish with butter, lemon juice and favorite seasoning is popular. They also may be baked or fried. The gourmet likes his flounder stuffed with crabmeat. For recipes on how to prepare flounder and other Texas seafood, write Texas A & M Extension Service, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843.

Adapted from "The Southern Flounder in Texas" by Gary M. Stokes, TPWD.

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