Sand Seatrout: season, lures and limits

We picked these fish for Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay mouth, VA, the region closest to Columbus, Ohio, based on the approximate location of your internet connection (IP geolocation, looked up on our own server). It is about 436 miles away; FishOS covers the coast from Maine to Florida and the Gulf of America, and adds regions as they are checked. Pick another region if that is not where you fish.

Fishing region

FishOS has not charted sand seatrout in Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay mouth, VA. The regions where it is charted are below.

Season by region

Panhandle	JFMAMJJASOND
Alabama	JFMAMJJASOND
Mississippi	JFMAMJJASOND
Louisiana	JFMAMJJASOND
Upper Texas	JFMAMJJASOND
Middle Texas	JFMAMJJASOND
Lower Texas	JFMAMJJASOND

Where to find them

Deeper bays, channels, passes and the shallow Gulf over sand or mud; inshore reefs and oyster beds in Alabama; passes and deeper bay water at South Padre.

Almost always on or near the bottom, unlike speckled trout; they tend to hit a falling bait.

What to look for

Pale seatrout with a yellowish or tan back and no spots, a pair of large canine teeth at the tip of the upper jaw and a yellow to orange mouth. Silver seatrout is all silver with no yellow (FWC, TPWD, LSU).

What to throw

Jighead with a scented soft-plastic shrimp or mullet (Gulp style)1/4 to 1/2 oz, 3 to 4 in. Slow drag and hop on the bottom with pauses; scent does the work.

Bucktail or jighead with a 4 to 5 in paddle tail1/2 to 1 oz, 4 to 5 in tail. Slow hops along the bottom: lift, drop, let it touch, repeat.

Bait

Live or fresh dead shrimp, Small pieces of cut bait, Squid. 1/4 oz jighead with a light-colored soft plastic grub hopped across reefs and oyster beds, or bait on the bottom.

Leader

Common mistakes

Playing it hard: the mouth tears easily (Rainer)
Letting the catch sit warm: the flesh softens quickly; ice it in slush at once (Rainer, Alabama field guide)
Freezing the fillets: ice crystals leave the soft flesh softer (Horst; LSU)

Landing

Play it gently and swing or net small fish; recast to the same spot, more often follow (Rainer).

Handling

Pair of canine teeth at the tip of the upper jaw

Unhook with pliers.

Keep or release

Good eating, best fried fresh (Rainer); LSU rates food value very good but hard to freeze. Ice immediately in a slush; well-iced fish can keep over a week (Horst).

Recipes for sand seatrout

Typical: 8 to 15 in and about 1 lb or less (FWC; LSU). Large: 3 to 5 lb in deep inshore holes and offshore (LSU); 2 to 4 lb fish at rigs off the Mississippi River mouth (Horst). Horst (2012) cites an 11 lb Louisiana state record white trout; FWC says the species is not eligible for a Florida record.

Limits

FishOS has not checked the VA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission before you keep a fish.

Sources

Louisiana Sportsman, Jerald Horst (retired LSU fisheries professor), Dec 1, 2012: Don't knock whitey (white trout biology) (Angler knowledge)
TPWD Sea Center Texas flora and fauna guide: sand seatrout (Gulf waters) (Official source)
Florida FWC species profile: sand seatrout (Official source)
LSU / Louisiana Sea Grant, Louisiana Fisheries: sand seatrout (Official source)

All the fish of Virginia Beach

Sand Seatrout