Speckled Trout: season, lures and limits

Showing the fish for Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay mouth, VA.

Fishing region

Season in Virginia Beach

Peak months: Oct, Nov, Dec.

JFMAMJJASOND

VSWFT speckled trout citations in Bay-mouth and Virginia Beach areas: Jan 27, Feb 10, Mar 11, Apr 9, May 3, Jun 5, Jul 1, Aug 4, Sep 7, Oct 31, Nov 56, Dec 61 (2024 to 2025). FishTalk: April bite pickup, summer fish on grass flats at dawn and dusk, excellent fall fishing in Lynnhaven, Rudee and the Elizabeth River, wintering fish in creeks. (Our inference)

Season by region

Myrtle Beach	JFMAMJJASOND
Delmarva	JFMAMJJASOND
Virginia Beach	JFMAMJJASOND
Outer Banks	JFMAMJJASOND
Southern NC	JFMAMJJASOND
Charleston	JFMAMJJASOND
Georgia	JFMAMJJASOND
Northeast Florida	JFMAMJJASOND
Space Coast	JFMAMJJASOND
Florida Keys	JFMAMJJASOND
Southwest Florida	JFMAMJJASOND
Tampa Bay	JFMAMJJASOND
Big Bend	JFMAMJJASOND
Panhandle	JFMAMJJASOND
Alabama	JFMAMJJASOND
Mississippi	JFMAMJJASOND
Louisiana	JFMAMJJASOND
Upper Texas	JFMAMJJASOND
Middle Texas	JFMAMJJASOND
Lower Texas	JFMAMJJASOND

Where to find them

Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets, Linkhorn and Broad bays, the Elizabeth and lower James rivers: grass flats, marsh edges, docks and drop-offs.

Holes, inlet edges and around piers.

What to look for

Shrimp skipping, small bait in calm, clean water around structure.

What to throw

Popping cork with a soft plastic or live shrimp1/8 to 1/4 oz jighead under the cork oz, About 4 in soft plastic shad or shrimp (Cedar Key used a 4 in Sea Shad). Pop the cork sharply, pause while the bait settles, repeat; with tripletail, cast just past the target and reel back with a small pop.

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.

Topwater popper or walk-the-dog plug1 to 2 oz, 4 to 6 in. Popper: sharp pops with pauses. Walker: rhythmic side-to-side twitches.

Bait

Live shrimp under a popping or slip cork, Finger mullet. Popping cork, 24 to 36 in of 20 lb fluorocarbon.

Leader

20 to 25 lb fluorocarbon, 24 to 36 in.

Common mistakes

Horsing the fish; soft mouth tears
Fishing the open surf instead of the inlet

Landing

Soft mouth: steady pressure, slide it up, do not lift.

Handling

Two canine teeth in the upper jaw

Hold behind the head; unhook with pliers.

Keep or release

Good eating fresh. Cold snaps can stun trout; check VMRC rules.

Recipes for speckled trout

Typical: 12 to 14 in on the flats. Large: 20 to 22 in limits from the Elizabeth River (Oct 2025).

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

VMRC Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament: 2024 Citations Year To Date (every trophy citation with species, catch date, area, technique) (Official source)
VMRC Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament: 2025 Citations Year To Date (printed May 8 2026) (Official source)
FishTalk Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, March 2026 (Angler knowledge)
FishTalk Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, July 2025 (Angler knowledge)
FishTalk Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 2025 (Angler knowledge)
FishTalk Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, January 2026 (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Bay mouth) (Angler knowledge)
SCDNR 2018: cold stun and spotted seatrout (Official source)
SCDNR species profile: spotted seatrout (Official source)
Gregg Holshouser Grand Strand fishing reports, 2019-2020 (mirror) (Angler knowledge)

All the fish of Virginia Beach

Speckled Trout