Speck fishing blows up at Crystal Coast

Now is the time to head for the Crystal Coast to take advantage of a fabulous spotted seatrout bite.

“I’m not into politics or anything like that, and I don’t care what the Marine Fisheries people says, but I’m halfway into the trout season, and I’ve equaled what I’ve done the last two (full) seasons,” said Beaufort guide Bryan Goodwin.

Spotted seatrout or “specks” as they’re called in eastern N.C., recently were the subject of new rules by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission, trimming catch limits from six to four fish per day for hook-and-line anglers and limiting netters to 75 fish per day.

“I took an elderly couple out the other day,” said Goodwin (Native Guide Service, 252-725-3961, http://www.nativeguide.net/) on Nov. 16. “We caught over 100 specks in four hours and kept 12 fish from 2 to 4 pounds. And I’d say one of every four we caught was a keeper (14 inches).”

They released the rest of their catch from the new Pathfinder HPS 2300 fishing platform Goodwin received three weeks ago.

“We were using the Sea Striker curly-tail grub with a dark body (black or green) with a chartreuse tail on 1/4-ounce Sea Striker leadhead jigs,” Goodwin said. “They also had the smaller-gap hooks that work well for trout.”

He found the specks at two of the four spots he fished and used a new Minn-Kota Talon anchor system (a direct drill power pole) to stay at given spots.

“I learned a long time ago from an old-time commercial fisherman that when we have a sou’wester’ during a warm spell this time of year, it brings the fish inside,” Goodwin said. “When we have a cold front, it pushes them to the jetties and out the inlets. It’s a general rule.

“The bulk of the biomass of fish are generally moving south this time of year, but a warmup stops that movement and pushes them inside.

“That’s what happened two years ago when we had a warm snap that pushed specks, the migrating fish, who joined up with resident specks that never leave the marshes. Then we had a sudden drop in temperatures and the first of two big fish kills.”

North Carolina experienced a second cold-stun event last January and February that killed thousands of trout, forcing the DMF to halt recreational angling for specks and limited netting to 50 fish per day.

“But I saw lots of 1-pound fish two years ago, and now they’re 2- and 4-pound fish, and that’s what we’re catching now,” Goodwin said.

With new restrictions on netters (75 fish per day), Goodwin said he expects hook-and-line anglers will be able to catch gator trout in the deep holes around Morehead City, Beaufort and Atlantic Beach through December and January.