Fishing for speckled trout, the recreational harvest that closed Nov.1 south of Howard Park near Tarpon Springs, has been outstanding - in the closed areas.
Fortunately for many anglers the excitement of catching and releasing huge trout on light tackle is reward enough. Specks from 2 to 6 pounds have moved into the shallows in big schools and have been easy to coax into striking a live or artificial bait.
John Krentzman and his party fished one spot for a day last week, catching 25 or 30 "gator" trout and four slot-sized snook, a few redfish and a variety of others, including bluefish, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, flounder and short grouper.
Action was steady after the incoming tide started to flow. Most of the trout were exceptional, many in the 5-pound class. If the bite slowed, a few handfuls of crippled live sardines tossed into the rapidly moving water cranked it up again. When a school of blues bit off a few trout hooks, topwater plugs were tied on and some wild surface action began.
Good-sized flounder have appeared on many of the shallow reefs and rock piles. We caught a nice batch last Tuesday, including three doormats in the 5- to 6-pound class. The flatties should be a viable target around the reefs and rocks for the next month or two.
