Spotted Sea Trout, Sea Trout, Gator Trout
Sea trout are a very abundant sports fish in the Cocoa Beach area. Anglers from all over the United States and the world come to Orlando to engage with our inshore gamefish. Anglers hire Orlando fishing guides anticipating a great time
East Central Florida is home to the largest spotted seatrout in the world. After entanglement netting constitutionally banned in Florida, sea trout has rebounded back to healthy numbers and sizes that we haven’t seen since the early 1980’s. Seatrout is an aggressive fish that will strike anything from topwater artificials, spoons, jigs, live bait, and various fly patterns
Saltwater Sea Trout Capital of the World
East Central Florida’s waterways are still considered one of the greatest places to catch large spotted sea trout. The city of Cocoa and neighboring Melbourne advertised for years about the abundant fishing and bountiful waterways on the Indian and Banana River Lagoon. World record sized fish are still thought to be prowling the Indian River somewhere in Brevard County or Florida’s Space Coast near Kennedy Space Center and south towards Sebastian Inlet.
On our Cocoa Beach fishing charters we look for spotted sea trout Inshore and Nearshore over grass, sand, and sandy bottoms. During the Wintertime fishing in deeper waters with well-defined thermoclines produce excessive numbers of fish. We find that sea trout stage close to their winter holes on the flats between cold spells. Live bait works great for winter trout as they are usually less aggressive and want to test the lures a lot before they commit to a strike. Recent winters have produced many trout of more than thirty 30 inches, and we are looking forward to many more successful trout seasons ahead.
Gator Trout
Seatrout is often referred to as gator trout when they are large (over 6 pounds). Lagooner Charters specialize in finding and catching large seatrout inshore in shallow water areas. Here are some facts about these gamefish:
Matures during the first or second year and spawns INSHORE from March through November; often in association with seagrass beds; lives mainly in estuaries and moves only short distances; adults feed primarily on shrimp and small fish.
Sea Trout Regulations
Not less than 15″ or more than 20″ (statewide) except one fish over 20″ per person. 4 per harvester per day South Region 5 per angler per day N.E. and N.W. Regions. Florida Spotted Sea Trout Regulations
State Record
15 lb 6 ozs.