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Gator Trout Hunt

The waters of Florida’s Indian River may be the best big trout habitat in the Southeast.
Gator Seatrout

Gator Seatrout

Mention the word “gator” to the uninitiated, and images of a big scaly lizard or university mascot come to mind. For the serious Southern angler, it conjures reverential visions of ­gaping ­yellow mouths, sagging bellies and near-yardstick dimensions. Spotted seatrout are popular throughout the Southeast and Gulf coasts, and while school-size specks can be easily fooled, true “gators” are among the most challenging adversaries on the flats. Two ­experts — Mark Nichols of D.O.A. Lures and noted local trout angler Jerry McBride — have ­perfected the art of gator hunting in Florida’s Indian River, racking up triple-digit ­numbers of ­trophy fish between them.
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Dream Fish**
“My definition of a gator trout is 28 inches or longer,” Nichols explains. “A six-pound fish is a really good catch, but it’s not a gator, not a dream fish. The ones exceeding 30 inches and 10 pounds, now that’s a true gator.”

Nichols, a native Texan, believes his adopted Sunshine State waters stretching from Stuart north past Fort Pierce might be the best big-trout habitat in the Southeast. His rationale? Warm water flowing in from the Atlantic Ocean keeps bait around longer, letting the trout grow faster and larger. But universal forage like shrimp and finger mullet throughout the Southeast and Gulf coastal waters means gator tactics can be applied regardless of locale.

The All-Tackle World Record spotted seatrout was ­captured near Fort Pierce in May 1995 by Craig Carson. When the International Game Fish Association certified his catch (taken on a Zara Spook), it registered a whopping 17 pounds, 7 ounces. And that’s not an anomaly. McBride, who typically stalks his fish from a kayak, released his personal best a few years ago after landing it at dusk on a Arkansas Glow D.O.A. C.A.L. Shad pinned to a 1⁄16-ounce jig head. Based on the measurements, it topped 15 pounds.

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Gator Nests
“There are two ways to catch really big gator trout,” Nichols says. “The first is to use a topwater plug, and cast it a ­country mile so you don’t spook the fish. The other is to quietly approach the flat and get into the water. In many spots, boats aren’t able to float where those fish are holding, or they sense the pressure waves and won’t eat. They don’t get big by being stupid; they’re very wary. I have caught monsters when they were only 15 feet away, but only when I was in the water ­wading very slowly and very quietly.”

Nichols and McBride both agree that ­gator trout prefer moving current with quick access to deeper channels or cuts where they can escape predators. The presence of bait is another ­necessary attraction, along with thick grass or other hiding places where the fish can lie in ambush. The edges of the flats or dissecting cuts between grass patches are worthy of multiple casts.

“Big seatrout are like mountain trout,” McBride says. “They like fast-moving water and places to hide. But it’s all relative. On a flat that’s two feet deep, a cut or pothole that’s only a foot deeper will hold big fish.”

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McBride favors a low tide versus incoming water in the ­Indian River. Based on his catch log, productive low-tide spots outnumber high-tide locations by a 10-to-1 margin.

“I love midday low tides,” he adds. “They make me happy ’cause that’s when I’m able to see into the potholes to cast lures at suspended fish.”

Nichols notes some flats might have only a couple of potholes with one or two resident fish, but those are the places where he’s caught his biggest trophies. He also p­refers ­solitude.

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“If I want to catch a really big trout, I’m going to stay away from where everyone else fishes. That could be only 200 yards away under an old dock. I don’t care how good an angler you are, you still have to be where the big fish live to catch ’em.”

Nichols doesn’t accept the notion that all gator trout are necessarily lone individuals. He’s encountered flats with a mix of big trout and snook working in tandem to corral wads of bait. The trout were too large for the snook to eat, so they ­coexisted, at least until the food source was gone.

“But at a certain point in their lives, most do become ­loners,” he elaborates. “I guess you can still call it a school of one when the fish is 37 inches!”

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Follow the Bait
To locate trophy trout, look for flats with a mixture of big mullet and smaller fare like pilchards or needlefish, with diving terns often a tip-off. But schooling fish aren’t the only thing on the menu.

“I don’t agree with the theory that big trout eat only ­finfish,” Nichols says. “Sure, they won’t turn down a finger mullet or pinfish, but whether it’s a 10-ounce or 10-pound fish, trout will always eat shrimp, especially if one is right in front of them. Shrimp are high in protein, they digest quickly and offer a good return with minimal effort. That’s why I throw mainly shrimp lures, although I will mix it up at times.”

When they want to maximize their casting distances, Nichols and McBride use 5 1⁄2-inch jerk baits. McBride often slips a clear cap over the end of the bait to add eyes for realism and increase durability when getting multiple strikes, and he fishes them with short darting twitches generated with a fast-action rod tip. In low-visibility scenarios where sight-fishing is impossible, a mullet-imitating lure is the bait of choice. Black back/silver side or pearl side/green back with a red throat are the most productive color patterns, according to the pair. But the majority of time, the standard 3-inch, quarter-ounce shrimp lure is tied on the end of their leaders.

“I know the conventional wisdom is big plugs for big trout, but I’ve won a bunch of tournaments with shrimp lures,” McBride explains. “I’ll take a handful of two or three favorite colors, and that will be all I fish. Why change when ­something’s working?”

“Those big trout will be facing into the current, and the key to working the shrimp is to keep it right off the bottom,” Nichols adds. “You want to just touch the grass with the lure. Gators won’t go a long way for a bait, but if it’s right in front of them when they’re hunkered down in the grass, they won’t hesitate.”

McBride likes lighter-colored shrimp lures when the water is clear and warm, but switches to darker patterns like ­watermelon when temperatures drop. Nichols prefers glow in clear water because injured or molting baits have a ­phosphorescent hue. If the water is murky or stained, gold glitter is his favorite, although he often splits the difference and uses the glow/gold glitter for contrast. Trout have to see the lure first, but Nichols and McBride are in agreement that getting the lure into the strike zone is more critical than color in prime big-trout habitat.

“I predict the next world-record trout is going to come out of these waters,” Nichols says. “If you’re hunting for that fish of lifetime, southeast Florida is the place to go. It truly is the spot for gators.”

SWS Tackle Box

Reels: 4000-class ­spinning reel, like the Shimano Stradic CI4. The light weight of the carbon-fiber body is an advantage when wading, and the bigger spool and line capacity of the 4000 size allows for longer casts.
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Rods:** 71⁄2-foot medium ­action with an extra-fast tip

Line: 10- to 15-pound braided line

Leader: 30-pound fluorocarbon, connected to the braid with a triple ­surgeon’s or double-uni knot, ­loop-knotted to the lure

Lures: 3-inch shrimp lures in various colors; soft-plastic mullet-style plugs or hard-plastic stick baits; large, soft-plastic jerk baits rigged with 1⁄16 to 1⁄8-ounce jig heads, weedless 1⁄8-ounce swimbait hooks or 5/0 worm hook
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Bait:** Live shrimp ­f­ree-lined or under a popping or clacker-style cork; live finger mullet, pinfish, sardines or pilchards rigged with the corresponding-size thin wire circle or Kahle hook

SWS Planner

What: Big spotted seatrout

When: Year-round, peaking in spring and fall

Where: Southeast Florida from Stuart to Fort Pierce

Who:

Capt. Ed Zyak
772-485-3474
captainedzyak.blogspot.com

Capt. Rufus Wakeman
772-334-0401
riverpalmcottages.com

Capt. Mike Holliday
772-341-6105
captainmikeholliday.com

Capt. Marcia Foosaner
Fly Trips Exclusively
772-708-7689

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