Stuff I Like: Spotted Sea Trout

This is a species that unfortunately we don't have down in Vieques but is plentiful up here in West Florida. Sea trout aren't related to freshwater trout at all but are quite similar in appearance. They're actually part of the drum family which includes the equally popular redfish.

Sea trout are common on the grass flats of Pine Island right now but most are below the legal size of fifteen inches. On the right day it's possible to catch dozens of them. The one pictured here measured a bit under twenty four inches. Getting a trout this size on a fly is a real treat. They're known as "gators" when they're this big thanks to their impressive mouthful of teeth.

These fish hit suddenly in the stained water up here and it's one of best strikes on the flats. I catch most of them by blind casting a weighted Clouser Minnow in two to six feet of water. They pull hard but nothing like a bonefish or tarpon of the same size and rarely run a fly line into the backing. They make up for that by being superbly edible. Lightly grilled with garlic butter and olive oil, there's nothing better. And yes, the dog got some leftovers.