In years past, a huge commercial seatrout industry targeted Florida Bay, using hook and line with Dalton Special plugs on long Calcutta splatter poles. When the plugs didn't work, they used small live pinfish. Those days are gone, but the trout and pinfish are still there, and a Dalton Special still draws vicious strikes.

Carl Ross Key is at the center of an area that can holds plenty of seatrout. To the north and east, several channels run across grassflats that hold trout. Fish a high outgoing tide, drifting with live shrimp or pinfish.

Pinfish traps are no longer legal, but a few minutes anchored over a deeper flat with a chum bag in the water can provide more pinfish than you will need. Take along a small jointed cane pole and use a No. 10 hook with a split shot. When the chum starts flowing from the bag, drop your hook baited with a tiny piece of shrimp.

You should catch all the bait you need. You may even have trout chasing the pinfish as you catch them! If that happens, just put that pinfish on a bigger outfit and start fishing!

Another good area for trout in Florida Bay is on the grassflats to the southeast of Carl Ross, running roughly east from Marker 10X and Marker 9 toward Blue Bank. Start on the high tide as far to the east as you can, and approach toward Blue Bank. Start drifting until you find the trout -- they will be there.

As the tide drops, the schools of fish move in a westerly direction with the current. Be prepared to follow them and you can catch trout all the way down to low tide.

In most locations, trout are ordinarily caught on an outgoing tide. This area east of Marker 10X is one place where you can catch them on an incoming tide. Just as the school followed the current out, they turn around and ride the tide back in. You just need to stay with them. Lots of fishermen assume the fish have stopped biting when they quit getting strikes: In reality, the trout often simply moved away from the anglers!

In all these locations, look for trout "muds." A school of seatrout will stir up the bottom in a grassy area to make their prey easier to catch, clouding the water in the process.

Most anglers usually dismiss trout muds. But if you see an area of muddy water that might be 100 feet or so in diameter, fish it. It is likely to be a school of feeding specks!

BISCAYNE BAY
Some people may wonder why Biscayne Bay is even mentioned, since the southeast coast of the Florida peninsula is not noted for great seatrout action. This bay, however, defies that stereotype. It has a lot of good fish, and early summer is the ideal time to find those seatrout on the grassbeds in the bay!