Name/Relations || Range/Sizes || Habitat & Habits || Notes
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Common Name:
Speckled Sea Trout
Other Common Names:
Sea trout, Spec, green sea trout, Spotted Sea Trout, 'gator Trout
Scientific name:
Cynoscion nebulosus
Family: Sciaenidae
(Drums)
Related Species:
Sand Trout, Weakfish, Silver Sea Perch, Tortuava, White Sea Bass
| Range: East Coast North America from New Jersey to Central America including Chesepeake Bay (in summer) and the Gulf of Mexico. |
Sizes: Possible
to 20lbs, Common 1lb-5lbs.
Habitat: Estruaries, Bays, marshes, inlets, oysterbeds and weedbeds in inshore and nearshore salt and brakish waters to 60 feet deep. Prefers water in the 70's and lower 80's F. Water in the low 50's for extended periods can be fatal if the fish cannot seek deeper water.
Spawning Habits: Spawns spring to fall inshore over shallow grassbeds, especially in bays. Groups of fish gather and drop the fertilized eggs over vegitation. The young grow and remain inshore.
Feeding Habits:
Smaller fish feed in schools near shallow grassbeds and oyster beds on
tide changes, especially in the early morning or late evening, and also
are attracted to and feed under lights at night. Specs feed largely
on shrimps, crabs, and smaller fishes such as pinfish, croakers, mullet,
menhaden, and glass minnows. Large fish feed near seawalls and grassbeds
bordering deeper water, espcially in areas with current and oysters.
Fish in less than optimum times can feed in the surf and on the deep edges
of passes and channels, and will occasionally venture into open ocean
to follow bait schools as they migrate.
Notes:
A very popular coastal gamefish, it will take a wide variety of LIVE baits,
flies, and lures. Most tackle and lures used for largemouth bass
will work for specs, but specs can be line shy and lures should be fished
on 4lb-8lb line to encourage strikes. Timing can also be very important
for specs, and they can exhibit feast or famine feeding during periods
of strong tides. Favorite tactics include a #2 shimp fly on 4lb leader,
5" twitchbaits (such as sluggos or saltwater assassins), 3"-6" floater/diver
plugs,3/8oz jigs with curly tails, and live shrimp or mullet under
a popping cork. Populations of these fish closely mirror those
of shrimp, mullet, herring, and menhaden, and they are very suceptible
to overfishing (especially by gillnetting).