Trophy Speckled Trout Lurk In Uncharted Waters (Video)

Chris Castro shows how to reel them in

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Targeting trophy speckled trout isnโ€™t for the faint of heart according to Next Level Fishingโ€™s Chris Castro. The Texas angler and Kayak Angler contributor says it takes an obsessive eye to detail to land big specks with consistency. In this video, Castro shares his techniques to land trophies on the regular. Watch along to learn how, plus why you shouldnโ€™t always listen to fishing apps.

Trophy Speckled Trout Lurk in Texas

Castro has his eye on three factors prior to setting out: air pressure, water temperature and the timing of minor/major feeds. The weather has been cold, but he expects a warming trend to coincide with a major feed, leaving the chance to โ€œget these trout hot, hungry, bothered.โ€ But the biggest bite ends up coming a day early in the shape of an impressive seven-pound speck.

Kayak angler holds up a large speckled trout in winter
Chris Castro holds up a four-pound winter trout. | Image: Next Level Fishing TV/YouTube

The weather in Texas continues to be unseasonably cold the next day, but โ€œwho knows whatโ€™s going to happen. Tomorrow any of that can change.โ€ Castro sets out to cover some new ground and catches a 22-inch, four-pound trout in three-and-a-half feet of water. โ€œGod, these fish are just hammering it,โ€ he mutters right before reeling in another one.

How to Target Trophy Winter Trout

โ€œListen to your apps, butโ€ฆtake them with a grain of salt,โ€ Castro advises. It was โ€œsupposed to actually be a bad day of fishing, believe it or not.โ€

On this day, he is drawn to the entrance of a cove. โ€œWhat caught my attention was some of the bait that was flaring up,โ€ Castro explains. His fish finder chirps as the fish swim underneath the boat. Castro fishes โ€œclose drop off, aggressive contouring up to about three feetโ€ using a Corky lure. Rather than counting, he fishes by feel.

โ€œItโ€™s about presenting [your lure] in the correct direction and knowing how to wiggle and jiggle those fancy plastics to convince a 10-year-old trout that that lure is not part of the Matrix.โ€

Castroโ€™s final tally for the day includes a bunch of four- and five-pound trout, all measuring between 22 and 25 inches in length. โ€œJust solid winter trout,โ€ he says with satisfaction.

 

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