Spotted seatrout, also known as speckled seatrout or specks, are found on the Gulf Coast, delicious on the fork and hard fighters. They're one of our popular inshore Big Three, along with flounder and redfish.
Top lures for specks:
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Soft plastic shrimp rigged under a 3" to 5" popping cork
- For grass flats: flashy soft-plastic jerkbaits rigged weedless
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For deep holes and channels: small metal spoons
Tips for catching specks:
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Fish shallow grass flats when the tide is rising, nearby channels and holes when the tide begins to fall.
- Best live bait: free-line a live shrimp – it's their main food
- Look for clear water – the clearer the water, the better the action
Find more top lures, rigs and other tips in the Texas Parks and Wildife magazine article Heck of a Speck.
Join us for a free online class, Autumn Tactics for Big Specks: Unlocking the Texas Coast, by Christopher Bush, founder of The Speckled Truth podcast. The class is on Sept. 30 at 7 P.M., but you have to register in advance.
NEW this year for spotted seatrout: Your daily bag limit is 3 with a minimum length of 15″ and a max length of 20″. One seatrout over 28″ may be retained with a tag, and one additional seatrout over 28″ may be retained with a bonus tag. Find all your regulation information in the Outdoor Annual app or online.
When you fish saltwater inshore, do you consider the effect of tides? Fish move to different areas depending on the tide, and knowing where they'll go at what time can level up your fishing success.
We've created easy-to-read tide charts that show times and heights of tides on specific dates for about 20 locations along the Gulf.
For tips on how to make tides work for you, see Fishing Tide Chart. Find out more in the video Best Time to Saltwater Fish.
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Now until Sept. 30, enter the free drawing for a chance to harvest an alligator gar over the 48" limit from the Trinity River.
Enter at no cost by using the Texas Hunt & Fish app or online. See our press release for details.
How big do they get? Trinity River records show Joseph Williams used a rod and reel to catch a 200 lb. gar, and Marty McClellan harvested one with a bow and arrow that weighed a whopping 290 lbs.
Alligator gars are considered living fossils because they're changed so little over the past 100 million years, and today's gars can live 100+ years. Find out how TPWD scientists are using traces left by nuclear testing to age them in the Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine story Never Ask a Gar Its Age – Scientists Use Carbon Dating Instead.
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Digital license and tag options for Texas residents are now on sale for ALL recreational fishing, hunting and combo license and tag types. The free Texas Hunt & Fish app is required for digital tagging.
You can still purchase paper licenses - check out the differences between the two. Get the details on digital, watch our short video Digital License and Tagging Information, then simplify your fishing by going digital today.
People with disabilities can enjoy fishing with the help of adaptive fishing gear. Adapted gear ranges from simple rod holders to more complex equipment like electric fishing reels, which allow you to cast by merely pressing a button.
Adapted gear can also help anglers with age-related mobility or vision issues get back on the water.
Once you've got the right gear, head to one of our accessible fishing locations. These sites have accessible facilities including parking, restrooms, access routes and an accessible dock or pier. Or try out your gear at one of our fishing events with accessible features.
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A message from our non-profit partner Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation:
 A new public-private push is giving a boost to TPWD’s existing commercial oyster license buyback efforts.
Named for the late former Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program is offering a compelling fixed rate of $30,000 per license. With key funding from the Laurie and S. Reed Morian Foundation, Coastal Conservation Association, the Brown Foundation, the Earl C. Sams Foundation, Jeffery and Mindy Hildebrand, Beaver and Joanie Aplin, John and Mary Eads, and Bobby and Sherri Patton, over 20 percent of licenses are slated for retirement after a single round, giving oysters a better shot at healthier waters ahead.
Find more information in the press release TPWD Receives 115 Oyster Buyback License Applications.
We're looking for volunteers to join our Angler Education team. After attending a free workshop, you can teach the basics of fishing and aquatic conservation to your community. Get a glimpse of an Angler Ed Instructor Workshop by watching our short video Share Your Love of Fishing. Then find a workshop near you.
A message from our sponsor:
Messages from Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine advertisers:
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