# big trout



## snakeman14 (Apr 17, 2008)

here are a couple of ways of catching trout which is your favorate


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I couldn't add to the poll because my favorite way to catch trout is whatever I need to do to catch trout! Lately that has been on my 8-WT fly rod using a small clouser or gummy minnow. All the trout in my spots lately have been feeding on glass minnows and thats been the best way of matching the hatch.


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## croakerchoker (Oct 1, 2007)

croaker under a popping cork


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

I could not add to the poll either. My favorite BIG trout lure is the "Corky Fat Boy"


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## seminolewind (Oct 1, 2007)

I use a 3 inch Gulp shrimp or a Gulp jerkbait rigged weedless.


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## snakeman14 (Apr 17, 2008)

well i should have added gulp , fly, and other. 

for catching any size trout i like throwing white or chart jigs but for the big girls nothing beats a lively, free lined or weighted 3 to 4 inch croaker


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## Glastronix (Apr 14, 2008)

I voted for live bait, since as mentioned above, Gulp!, isn't listed. I caught this one with a 3 inch new penny shrimp.









And we caught this one with a live pin fish.









So I like both...however for a cosistant bite you can't beat live shrimp.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

You holding that fish far enough in front of you? Just kidding!

Ithink topwaters catch the biggertrout. For topwaters, I usethe rapala skitterwalk.


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## popeye 1 (Dec 28, 2007)

where is Aqua Huntress she seems to have the formula we need to axe her. For me mirror lures, jerk shad, deceivers on fly rod. :usaflag


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I second the rapala skitterwalk. If I want nothing but <U>big</U> trout, I use a yo-zuri hydro pencil in blue mackeral. You very rarely catch a trout under 4lbs. on it.


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## Private Pilot (Oct 3, 2007)

I vote skitterwalk too


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## sc23 (Jun 17, 2008)

Numbers of large specs use topwater. For the hoss use live croacker, or pinfish. Just my 20 years experience..


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## specslayer (Oct 9, 2007)

i catch all my big ones by putting a doa under a cajun thunder and throwing it out behind the yak as a "fire and forget"


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## todd in the bay (Oct 3, 2007)

GOT TO BE LIVIES! Elwys, live croaker, live shrimp, live pinfishor tiny finger mullet in that order.

I love using live stinky, shinyelwys, caught in the cast net.


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

My favorite is the one that sticks em in the corner of the mouth.


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## 60hertz (Oct 1, 2007)

saltwater chugbugs - # 264 intannic water(upper bay)and # 337 in theclearer water (lower bay and sound).










When topwater bite is no good,go old school - red 1/8 oz jig head rigged with achartreusecocahoe minnow.


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## snakeman14 (Apr 17, 2008)

well i think we can all see the general pattern lol

live bait = big trout

top water = fun way to catch big trout

Ihave just gotten into targeting trout.I usually stick with reds and flounder and specks just come along for the ride. Id usually catch the occasional decent size one, but besides that they just didnt get the adrenalin pupping. But this summerI have had quite alot of extra fishing time to try out new stuff such as topwater for them. Early in the morning, on some of the flats down on escambia that can be a blast to see a nice speck blow up on a spook.


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## Brant Peacher (Oct 4, 2007)

Its a no brainer. Live bait catches bigger trout. You can catch a large trout on any of the above on any given day. But if you want to catch big trout with some consistancyyou need large live bait like a piggy perch, croaker, spot, ect....

It a proven fact that when a trout reaches a certain age they tend to shy away from any shrimp type bait or even live shrimp. Not to say that you cant catch them on a Gulp! shrimp or live shrimp but your odds of catching a large trout decreases when you use those baits. Thats why most of the trout you catch on small soft plastics and live shrimp are on the smaller side. 

If I were going to use artificials for big trout I would use a suspended jerk bait like a rapala huskey jerk or some sort of topwater like a skitterwalk. 

Brant Peacher
manufacturers rep


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## seanspots (Oct 4, 2007)

Pigfish,ly's and finger mullet = good shot at gators.


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## naclh2oDave (Apr 8, 2008)

Live bait


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Well after reading everyone else's replies I figured I would just post my top 5 trout and what I caught them on and go from there. 

1. 9lb. 14oz. on a live threadfin

2. 9lb. 2oz. on a yo-zuri pins minnow

3. 8lb. 12oz. on a yo-zuri hydro pencil

4. 8lb. 8oz. also on a yo-zuri hydro pencil

5. 8.1 lbs. caught a zoom super fluke (1st place in O.B. Saltwater series)


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## Josey Wales (Oct 19, 2007)

Last year I was using a Berkley Frenzy top water that I was getting at K-Mart but they do not carry them anymore any body know where I can find some? They work as good or better than a top dog and were about $2 bucks cheaper.

And welcome back Todd in the Bay, I guess you got your computer working again, what did you do open the back and spit into it and then whomp it on the side?


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

cauht my biggest of my life this morning on a d.o.a 1/8 oz. jig head with a gulp shrimp. just over 24".


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## Xanadu (Oct 1, 2007)

> *croakerchoker (7/30/2008)*croaker under a popping cork




Or a pinfish about hand sized.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Live bait at night!


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## RLL (Jan 4, 2008)

Brad K.....

Care to explain to the fine folks in Florida what a "Corky Fat Boy" is and where they come from????

I know you aren't sandbagging your fellow Floridians, or are you?oke


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## snakeman14 (Apr 17, 2008)

i believe the corky fat boy is a soft bait lure that suspends or floats on the surface and uses a walk-the-dog style action

they have them or a variation of them at walmart and academy


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## FishnGator (May 1, 2008)

No doubt about it, a live Pinfish under a Cajun Thunder rig. These are from last Sunday after about two hours on my favoritw grass flats just after dead low tide. The two bigger ones were a little under 23".


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

Of all people to call me out on the Corky. Yes I have to give credit to my main man in Texas RLL. The "Corky" is bar none the most amazing big trout bait I have ever witnessed in action. Absolutely unbelievable the size of trout these things catch. By the way Ryan, shouldn't you be about 120 miles offshore right now trying to win some more Blue Marlin money?

Good Luck this weekend Brother,




























The bottom one is my favorite. It's called the "Corky Jr" AKA the "Prototype"

I can't wait till this winter, 35 degree air temperature - 25 mph North wind. I'll be the guy wading blackwater with a stringer full!!!!!!!!!


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## FishnGator (May 1, 2008)

Josey Wales,

Try this. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/prod.php?p=PURFSH5M-RT%20(1123441)&k=75214


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## gocatchfish37 (Jul 14, 2008)

Brian, I like, gold spoons, zara spooks, top dog jrs., and mirrolure floating twitchbaits, oh yea finger mullet and LY's


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## snakeman14 (Apr 17, 2008)

yeah brad, those corkys in the pink andchart.are awsome. that lure alone has slayed countless numbers of big trout in texas. most people are skeptical about it, but they workbetter than any other artificial that i have ever seen.


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

> *snakeman14 (8/7/2008)*yeah brad, those corkys in the pink andchart.are awesome. that lure alone has slayed countless numbers of big trout in texas. most people are skeptical about it, but they workbetter than any other artificial that i have ever seen.


That's no joke. I was skeptical about them the first time i saw them. I spent two winters in East Matagorda Bay on the coldest days I could find and straight killed the Trout and reds on em. I'm a believer now!!!!!


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## RLL (Jan 4, 2008)

Brad K

We leave tonight @ 6, headed for Nancen/Boomvang. The Legends is an awesome tourney... Jungle Rules. I'll send you pics of us accepting our $$$. Seas are supposed to be nice. Plenty of beer, whiskey, rum, and a pour-out to the billfish gods to smile down on us. Tell pops hello!:bump


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## Brad King (Sep 30, 2007)

Will do brother...Be carefull and GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

:letsdrink:letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink

By the way I will be in Houston the 18th of August for a week


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## 155SprtFsh (Oct 2, 2007)

<P align=center>MirrOlure -CATCH 2000 -20MR-Clear w/Silver Panels<P align=center>Suspending Twitchbait<P align=center>And A Lot Of Skill!!!!!!<P align=center>LazyPeople With Poor AttentionSpanFISH LIVE!!!


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## Drew Mixon (Oct 4, 2007)

the title of this poll was 'big trout'. for just keeper-sized trout, of course a bucket full of live shrimp is unbeatable. if 18 inchers is all you're after, that's perfect. 

in other areas (matagorda bay--spent a few days on that water hole myself), the 'cheater' way to find big female trout is a 'true' croaker (not a Spot) or a pig fish. for the purist, the early morning top water is probably the most productive. insert top water lure of choice for that one, but for my taste, i prefer the original zara spook. btw, it was named early last century for a street right here in pensacola--zaragosa street. google it and read the story. 

for true big trout--which to me is 26" or 27" non-exagorated length, or a 5 or 6 pounder, the premier bait in pensacola is a pinfish. in the waters from destin/ft. walton to mobile, the #1 forrage for big trout is pinfish--without question. the croaker population is smaller here and the predation on trout eggs that is in LA to TX waters is really non-existent here. the croaker theory just does not work as well here. shrimp are shrimpy and a true big trout will rarely wasteher time on a normal sized shrimp. now, if you are getting those big 10 count shimp for bait, that is another story. of course the top waters work well time to time, but for consistant big fish bites, the science just points to palm-sized pin fish.

but i will digress by saying, the most consistant big trout stringers i have personally caught (my personal best is only under 7 pounds, but i have probably 50 fish over 5 pounds), have been with _large_ live shrimp. usually caught myself. or, i also like a big big live mullet.a mullet about 4" to 6" long is perfect. i really haven't trout fished much the last couple of years, but even in the few times i/we have, we have boated a number of fish over 25". most of my big trout have been in the daytime--either early morning or evening. only a few at night. i think big females dont prefer to feed around lights. there may be a stray one or two here and there around the lights, but for multiple fish over 25", deeper water at ambush locations or congregating spots are far better. but, i know a old time trout angler here in pensacola who used to be on top of the leader boards in every tournament (initials SW), who only fished at night and only fished with hand-sized pinfish. couldnt argue with his successes, but it just never worked out that way for me.

the season will also dictate how i fish for big trout. early spring, i am looking for females in pre-spawn schools, in water 5' or deeper (narrows like white island, canal openings in gulf breeze, select marianas in orange beach. in summer when fish are scattered, deep pockets near food sources would be my target (deep pockets in santa rosa sound, big lagoon and the ditch through orange beach). fall is deep and slow--with the typical canals, select marianas and some narrows.

all that info may or may not be helpful, and it is not the gospel. it's just what i have found to be true and workable.

cheers.

drew


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## Matt Mcleod (Oct 3, 2007)

Drew, have you caught 50 fish over 5 lbs. here in Pensacola?


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## snakeman14 (Apr 17, 2008)

thanks for the info drew

i never knew that about the zara spook, thats pretty cool


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## todd river (Jul 31, 2008)

when it comes to fishing artificial, which I prefer over live bait.

When I was in my youth I fished with both live & artificial. I caught

several big specks on live croakers this time of the year fishing carolina

style. These days I fish only artificial. Depending on the time of year,

and where I am fishing dictates which artificial lure I will use. Fishing

deep water, I am going to use a soft bait preferably with chartreuse.

When the shrimp move into the rivers and bayous in the fall, I catch

plenty on doa with a cajun popping cork. When the water gets good

and cold, and the bait is scarce I like to use a mirrolure in water depths

of 6-12 ft. Again it depends on where I am fishing. When I fish the Delta

soft baits are reliable. When I fish other rivers like Fowl River (Bellingrath

gardens) I can catch plenty of fish on silver sided hard baits like mirrolures.

I think I have caught larger specks on the mirrolures, but have had success

with soft baits as well. The doa shrimp produces lots of specks, but more

so in the school size 2-3lbs specks. 

If I had to go with one bait, it would be a soft bait that is similar to a

finger mullet with chartreuse.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

> *true-king (7/30/2008)*Ithink topwaters catch the biggertrout.


I take that back. I just caught a 28 inch trout on agood sizedred/chartreuse seaducer fly today. :letsdrink


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