The audacity of man to believe he can create a fishing bait better then God’s own hands never ceases to amaze die-hard, live-bait anglers, especially when speckled trout are concerned. With bait moving back into the estuaries, here’s your pick of the best live baits for big specks.
• Shrimp. In the movie, “Forrest Gump,” Bubba called shrimp the “fruit of the sea” and said you can “barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it.” But the best thing you can do with a live shrimp is fish it under a popping cork. Trout, as well as almost anything else that swims, absolutely loves them, making live shrimp the No. 1 trout bait.
• Mud minnows. Trout eat more shrimp during their growth stages and rely more on baitfish as they attain larger sizes. Mud minnows are the next food in that progression and are readily attainable from bait shops or with a cast net. Mud minnows also live a long time in a bait bucket, requiring little special care.
• Finger mullet. Small mullet fit the bill as trout food, especially later in the summer before and during mullet migrations. Finger mullet are frequently seen waking along the edges of grass lines on low tides, making them perfect targets for a trout to ambush.
• Menhaden. Menhaden require specialized care in an aerated bait tank to survive, they don’t last long on a hook because of their frail nature, and the don’t put off a lot of action, but they are better than cotton candy on a stick when targeting big trout.
• Small croaker. South Carolina does not have a size limit for croaker, which makes them legal to use for bait. There is a possession limit that falls under the aggregate spot, croaker, and whiting limit. Any of these fish up to about 6 inches are prime bait for big gator trout.
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