| Speckled Trout Articles |
John N. Felsher's Speck Fishing Adventures
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While many speckled trout anglers believe bigger baits mean bigger
trout, at night, downsizing tackle sometimes works best.
On an excursion aboard the Night Stalker, a specially configured 44-
foot by 16-foot houseboat operated on Calcasieu Lake by Hackberry Rod
and Gun guide service, I tested the theory that “finesse is best.” Capt.
Kevin Augustine led the crew, which consisted of his son, Tyler, plus John
Lane, Derek Brotherton and Brahnsen Lopez. My sons, Daniel and Steven,
rounded out the crew.
Just before sunset, we headed down the Calcasieu Ship Channel south
of Lake Charles, La. As the sun touched the horizon, the captain lit the
lights and dropped anchor. Six lights, powered by a 1,500-watt generator,
cast a greenish glow around the Night Stalker as we waited for action.
Sometimes, it takes a while for lights to work magic, but once fish arrive,
action turns hot.
“At night, we don’t have to find fish; the fish find us,” said Capt. Guy
Stansel of Hackberry Rod and Gun. “We try to position the boat over a reef
along the calm shoreline of the lake. We like a dead calm night or a night
with a little chop. On a dark night, baitfish come to the lights. That puts
speckled trout in a feeding frenzy.”
With the crescent moon setting in the west, little other light illuminated
the dark estuary waters. Soon, various creatures began to arrive. Lights
attract plankton, a primary food source for many baitfish. Shrimp and
baitfish gather to feast upon the plankton. Before long, the water swarmed
with all sorts of creatures people rarely see during daylight. Crabs of all
sizes drifted with the tide. Fleets of glass minnows swarmed under the
lights. Shrimp, mullets, pogies and untold millions of tiny unidentified
creatures gathered under the green illumination. Where bait gathers,
predators feed.
A 2-inch Stanley Wedgetail plastic minnow looks almost identical to a
long, slim and nearly transparent glass minnow. The wedge-shaped tail
creates a vibration that mimics the death throes of a minnow. That erratic
quivering triggers strikes from predators.
While others tempted trout with live shrimp, mullets or larger soft plastic
lures, I rigged a 1⁄16-ounce crappie jighead on a light 5.5-foot Pflueger
Trion GX spinning rod. I loaded the Pflueger Trion GX-7 reel, with 6-pound
test Berkley Trilene. Designed more for crappie fishing than combating
tackle-busting, toothy saltwater monsters, this light combination probably
wouldn’t work well for battling bull redfish or double-digit specks, but it
provided enough backbone for small trout.
We stayed at the first stop for about two hours. In that time, I caught
more fish than everyone else on the boat combined, and they mostly used
live bait. I didn’t catch anything big, but then, neither did anyone else on
our crew. Croakers would not leave the bait alone.
At the second spot, enormous schools of bait again surrounded the
boat. Vertically fishing off one side of the boat, I dropped the tiny jighead
tipped with a greenish-clear, rainbow trout colored 2-inch Wedgetail to the
bottom in five feet of water. Immediately, croakers inhaled the bait on
almost every drop.
Once, Daniel lured a keeper trout near the boat with a live 4-inch long
mullet. Just to aggravate my son, I tossed my Wedgetail near his bait and
pulled the trout away from his mullet into my ice chest.
Tiring of catching small trout and croakers under the side light, I tossed
the tiny bait off the stern where John Lane and Derek found some specks
weighing 2 to 3 pounds. The bait worked on bigger fish as well. To
simulate a dying glass minnow, I let the bait flutter to the bottom before
hopping it along the mud. Often, fish slurped it on the fall before it hit
bottom.
Steven confiscated my light rod and tiny jig after he couldn’t catch
anything by other means. Neither of us caught anything larger than 2
pounds on the tiny jig, but we lost a few good fish. Nobody on the boat
caught anything larger than 3 pounds, but we caught plenty of fish in the 1-
to 3-pound range. Those using live mullets consistently caught the biggest
fish.
However, the tiny lure caught the most fish, even more than live
shrimp. It also produced the most variety. Besides croakers and specks,
the 2-inch Wedgetail enticed white trout, small flounders, black drum and
redfish and hardhead catfish. Catfish, drum and croakers seldom strike
lures.
When targeting toothy creatures on such light tackle, anglers probably
should attach a short length of fluorocarbon leader, perhaps 10- to 15-
pound test. It also pays to retie baits after catching two or three fish. Even
when fishing heavy tackle, retying lines doesn’t hurt since toothy critters
tear up line. Fish can also fray line with their gills, raspy tongues, fins,
scales or other rough surfaces.
Ideal for hosting entire families, the Night Stalker can accommodating
up to six people. It comes equipped with air conditioning, a television,
bathroom, stove and a barbecue grill. People not fishing might watch the
action from lounge chairs on the upper deck or crawl into one of the bunks
for a nap.
To book a trip on the Night Stalker call Hackberry Rod and Gun at (888)
762-3391 or (337) 762-3391. On the Internet, see www.
hackberryrodandgun.com.
trout, at night, downsizing tackle sometimes works best.
On an excursion aboard the Night Stalker, a specially configured 44-
foot by 16-foot houseboat operated on Calcasieu Lake by Hackberry Rod
and Gun guide service, I tested the theory that “finesse is best.” Capt.
Kevin Augustine led the crew, which consisted of his son, Tyler, plus John
Lane, Derek Brotherton and Brahnsen Lopez. My sons, Daniel and Steven,
rounded out the crew.
Just before sunset, we headed down the Calcasieu Ship Channel south
of Lake Charles, La. As the sun touched the horizon, the captain lit the
lights and dropped anchor. Six lights, powered by a 1,500-watt generator,
cast a greenish glow around the Night Stalker as we waited for action.
Sometimes, it takes a while for lights to work magic, but once fish arrive,
action turns hot.
“At night, we don’t have to find fish; the fish find us,” said Capt. Guy
Stansel of Hackberry Rod and Gun. “We try to position the boat over a reef
along the calm shoreline of the lake. We like a dead calm night or a night
with a little chop. On a dark night, baitfish come to the lights. That puts
speckled trout in a feeding frenzy.”
With the crescent moon setting in the west, little other light illuminated
the dark estuary waters. Soon, various creatures began to arrive. Lights
attract plankton, a primary food source for many baitfish. Shrimp and
baitfish gather to feast upon the plankton. Before long, the water swarmed
with all sorts of creatures people rarely see during daylight. Crabs of all
sizes drifted with the tide. Fleets of glass minnows swarmed under the
lights. Shrimp, mullets, pogies and untold millions of tiny unidentified
creatures gathered under the green illumination. Where bait gathers,
predators feed.
A 2-inch Stanley Wedgetail plastic minnow looks almost identical to a
long, slim and nearly transparent glass minnow. The wedge-shaped tail
creates a vibration that mimics the death throes of a minnow. That erratic
quivering triggers strikes from predators.
While others tempted trout with live shrimp, mullets or larger soft plastic
lures, I rigged a 1⁄16-ounce crappie jighead on a light 5.5-foot Pflueger
Trion GX spinning rod. I loaded the Pflueger Trion GX-7 reel, with 6-pound
test Berkley Trilene. Designed more for crappie fishing than combating
tackle-busting, toothy saltwater monsters, this light combination probably
wouldn’t work well for battling bull redfish or double-digit specks, but it
provided enough backbone for small trout.
We stayed at the first stop for about two hours. In that time, I caught
more fish than everyone else on the boat combined, and they mostly used
live bait. I didn’t catch anything big, but then, neither did anyone else on
our crew. Croakers would not leave the bait alone.
At the second spot, enormous schools of bait again surrounded the
boat. Vertically fishing off one side of the boat, I dropped the tiny jighead
tipped with a greenish-clear, rainbow trout colored 2-inch Wedgetail to the
bottom in five feet of water. Immediately, croakers inhaled the bait on
almost every drop.
Once, Daniel lured a keeper trout near the boat with a live 4-inch long
mullet. Just to aggravate my son, I tossed my Wedgetail near his bait and
pulled the trout away from his mullet into my ice chest.
Tiring of catching small trout and croakers under the side light, I tossed
the tiny bait off the stern where John Lane and Derek found some specks
weighing 2 to 3 pounds. The bait worked on bigger fish as well. To
simulate a dying glass minnow, I let the bait flutter to the bottom before
hopping it along the mud. Often, fish slurped it on the fall before it hit
bottom.
Steven confiscated my light rod and tiny jig after he couldn’t catch
anything by other means. Neither of us caught anything larger than 2
pounds on the tiny jig, but we lost a few good fish. Nobody on the boat
caught anything larger than 3 pounds, but we caught plenty of fish in the 1-
to 3-pound range. Those using live mullets consistently caught the biggest
fish.
However, the tiny lure caught the most fish, even more than live
shrimp. It also produced the most variety. Besides croakers and specks,
the 2-inch Wedgetail enticed white trout, small flounders, black drum and
redfish and hardhead catfish. Catfish, drum and croakers seldom strike
lures.
When targeting toothy creatures on such light tackle, anglers probably
should attach a short length of fluorocarbon leader, perhaps 10- to 15-
pound test. It also pays to retie baits after catching two or three fish. Even
when fishing heavy tackle, retying lines doesn’t hurt since toothy critters
tear up line. Fish can also fray line with their gills, raspy tongues, fins,
scales or other rough surfaces.
Ideal for hosting entire families, the Night Stalker can accommodating
up to six people. It comes equipped with air conditioning, a television,
bathroom, stove and a barbecue grill. People not fishing might watch the
action from lounge chairs on the upper deck or crawl into one of the bunks
for a nap.
To book a trip on the Night Stalker call Hackberry Rod and Gun at (888)
762-3391 or (337) 762-3391. On the Internet, see www.
hackberryrodandgun.com.
Go light for hot night speck bite
Capt. Kevin Augustine, master of the Hackberry Rod and Gun
Night Stalker, shows off a speckled trout he caught on a 2-inch
Stanley Wedgetail minnow with a 1/16-ounce jighead while
fishing in Calcasieu Lake south of Lake Charles, La.
Night Stalker, shows off a speckled trout he caught on a 2-inch
Stanley Wedgetail minnow with a 1/16-ounce jighead while
fishing in Calcasieu Lake south of Lake Charles, La.
A 2-inch Stanley Wedgetail
minnow, shown next to a
1/16-ounce jighead, looks
almost identical to a live
glass minnow of similar size.
minnow, shown next to a
1/16-ounce jighead, looks
almost identical to a live
glass minnow of similar size.