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#93859 06/25/07 09:32 PM
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davatsa Offline OP
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I don't know how many of you enjoy saltwater fishing on the gulf coast or east coast, but I wanted to share a new personal-best speckled trout I recently caught in Corpus Christi bay. She is 29.25" and her weight is unknown (scale was rusty). This fish topped my personal best by almost an inch (previous was 28.50"). My "rule" is that any speckled trout over 30" goes on the wall, but this one made me want to make an exception! I hope I can top it someday, but for now I'll enjoy the progress. How many of you enjoy catching and eating this fine fish? I'm sure many of you have caught bigger ones, so let's hear about it!

Trout pic 1

Trout Pic 2


"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
#93860 06/25/07 09:46 PM
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Ok...I will try to copy the pics directly in my post, but I wanted to use a new post to try it...so here goes nuthin.

DD1, if this works, you can do it too! I'm probably the most computer-illiterate 23 y/o you've ever met. Computers and video games take away from fishing and hunting time, so I never really got into them.

Here they are...







"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
#93861 06/25/07 11:20 PM
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man that is one honkin big fish! thats the size of some king salmon we get in our rivers here. yer in a part of the world foreign to me. i've heard of speckled trout, seen them caught on a few fishing TV shows, but dont know anything about them. are they really related to fresh water trout?

nice fish!


GSF are people too!

#93862 06/26/07 05:28 AM
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Dave, great fish....!
Where in the Bay did you catch her?
Water depth?
Tackle/lure?

CONGRATULATIONS...!

#93863 06/26/07 05:57 AM
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D.I.E.D.- Thanks for the kind words! I have no idea if they are related to freshwater trout, since those are in a part of the world foreign to me! I do see resemblances based purely on photos and my own observations of saltwater speckled trout. Like rainbows, they have black specks, and the saltwater trout can have the slight lateral red coloration also seen in rainbows, though not as pronounced it seems. I have no idea of any relation, however. I'd be curious to find out.


George- Thank you too for your kind words! I caught her at one of our spots off Shoreline Blvd. in Corpus Christi, near TAMUCC. I wade fish almost exclusively, and we have some productive spots in Corpus Christi, Portland, and Rockport. It was an odd day---overcast with pockets of rain, and much cooler than normal. Because of the conditions, I kept fishing in the shallows later in the day than I usually do. She was caught in about 1-1.5' of water at high noon.

The fish have been scattered for me the last few years, so I use live bait nearly all the time. Many people frown on it, but using live bait definitely doesn't make the process a cinch. I use croacker and piggies both, but this one was caught on a croaker. You'll catch a few quickly, and then nothing. If you move down about 50 yards and work any depth changes or structure, you'll pick up a few more. The days of pulling up to one wading spot and limiting out without moving 10 yards seem to be over for me. If/when I locate a decent concentration of fish, switching over to Mirrolures, Corkies, Top Dogs, etc. can be fun.

As for tackle, I throw shimano baitcast reels with 7.5 ft. light-medium action All Star or Stiffy bay rods. I'll have either 12 or 14 lb. Stren, complete with a 30 lb. leader about 1.5'-2' and a 3.0-6/0 hook, depending on bait size.


"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
#93864 06/26/07 07:24 AM
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Nice, David. Being a dumb Yankee, I had never heard of these, so I did a little web research. TP&W says the state record is 33.75", so it seems to me you're coming close.


"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
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#93865 06/26/07 08:52 AM
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davatsa,

That's a fine gator trout. Congrats. Break your rule and have it mounted...or at least a replica mount. Those kind of trout don't come around often.

You asked about what others have caught so I'll bore you with my response and a fish story to boot. My personal best, which has been hanging on my wall for almost 30 years is a 32.5 inch beauty taken on live shrimp from Trinity bay on Fishers reef. (had a skin mount done and its still in relatively good shape.) I can send a picture of my wall if interested.

Now the fish story...and there are two fine NASA engineers who can vouch for every word that follows. We three were fishing in mid-September on Fishers reef in Trinity Bay when a school of huge trout moved on to the reef. We were at mid-day and the bait supply was low leaving us vulnerable. I was in a "zone" in which I could actually see/visualize the fish off the stern of the boat. I caught a 7.5 pounder, followed by the 32.5 inch fish, and that was folowed by a 12 inch croaker which stole one of our last remaining shrimp. I just set the croaker aside and grabbed another rod because I didn't want to waste a single second on this school. The croaker rod shortly began heaving wildly. I picked it up and fought a huge trout on the surface that made each of our jaws drop. We got it to the boat and we all three said it was much larger than the 32.5 inch fish and most certainly a State record. My fishing buddy Dave put the big net under the big trout but she gave one last effort and broke free, croaker tail hanging out her mouth. I still have dreams/nightmares about that fish as do my buddies.

We ran out of shrimp and the trout school moved on so we headed for the bait camp. The camp was Crawleys, you may have heard of it, as it was a very popular hang-out for trout bums like us. The only scale that Crawleys had bottomed out at 8.5 pounds on the 32.5 inch trout. As I'm sure you know, that trout was easily over 10 pounds, but the one that got away...now that was the trout of my lifetime.

Have your fish mounted, Davatsa, so that 30 years from now you can show your grandchildren the great trout and tell them the story that goes with it.

#93866 06/26/07 09:46 AM
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Davatsa,

Here's the trout I wrote about above...or whats left of it after 30 years of wall hanging.



#93867 06/26/07 02:38 PM
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 Quote:
Originally posted by Meadowlark:


Here's the trout I wrote about above...or whats left of it after 30 years of wall hanging.

Hey ML, how about a photo of the entire wall. I'd like to see the other trophys as well.


JHAP
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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
#93868 06/26/07 05:32 PM
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jeffhasapond,

Appreciate your interest, but this thread is about Davatsa and his accomplishment. I hope you will understand my desire to not take anything away from that in respectively declining to post other trophy pictures. I only posted my response because Davatsa asked for other spec trout stories....and my "one that got away" story usually resonates very well with spec trout fishermen.

Let me try to put some perspective on Davatsa's accomplishment. I have a long time best fishing friend who spans the better part of four decades with me fishing everywhere up and down the entire Texas coast. He has never caught a 30 inch spec over those four decades. He is still trying. I have only caught the one spec over 30 inches in those same four decades.

Davatsa has accomplished what very few people will ever do. Way to go, Davatsa, way to go!!

Again, I urge you to consider getting a replica mount. I hope you catch an even larger trout some day, but recognize from this "old salt" that fish like that one are few and far between.

#93869 06/26/07 10:14 PM
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davatsa Offline OP
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Gentlemen, I've been working near the pond all day, so I apologize for the tardiness in responding.

Theo- I appreciate the compliment. I hope I'm coming closer to the record, but I know I'll at least feel like I broke it if I catch one 30" or over. There is no rhyme or reason to the number 30 per se...it is just an understood benchmark of a true, rare trophy that many people strive for, yet few attain. Believe it or not, my dad has caught multiple specks over 30" in his younger days, but it certainly isn't easy...even if you think you know what you're doing. If I keep at it long enough, maybe I will. If not, I'll sure have fun trying.

ML- That is quite a fishing tale and an excellent mount to boot! Don't worry...I believe you. I can picture monster trout schooling like that in the early fall. I'm sure that big fish that got away still haunts your thoughts, but a 32.5" trout is PHENOMENAL, and you are in a class of your own to have even fought a fish like that OR the one that got away. Some days are just magical. I caught a 23" trout on the very next cast after the big one pictured above, and this occurred after the catching had slowed tremendously over the previous hour. Not that a 23" trout is huge in its own right, but the two together make an exciting combo. You just never know on any given day, or any given cast...the thrill keeps us coming back. Please feel free to post more pics of the mounts on your wall...like Jeffhasapond, I'd love to see them too!


We had a decent day as far as numbers of keeper trout, but the best part about the trip was that it was my bachelor party, and my brother-in-law and best friend witnessed the catch. Yes, my idea of a batchelor party is a fishing trip. I'll consider having a replica mount when money isn't as tight (remember the newlywed days?)...it would be a great tribute to the fish. I appreciate the shared excitement and y'all allowing me to gloat a bit. I've spent thousands of hours chasing these fish, and it's always exciting to top your own record.


"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
#93870 06/28/07 01:26 AM
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 Quote:
Originally posted by davatsa:
.............(remember the newlywed days?)............
i call them "the lean years".......so true in so many ways \:\)


GSF are people too!

#93871 06/28/07 09:27 AM
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 Quote:
Originally posted by dave in el dorado ca:
 Quote:
Originally posted by davatsa:
.............(remember the newlywed days?)............
i call them "the lean years".......so true in so many ways \:\)
LOL...I can think of 3 \:\)


"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."

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