Finally, one of the best times of the year is upon us on Baffin Bay! The trout spawn is near, and the fish are feeding up for the energy to do just that!
Trout spawn when the water temperatures are around 75–80°F and stay there. Trout have no muscles to help expel their eggs, so they beat their bodies on the sand or between the rocks to do so. This action takes an incredible amount of energy. In order for them to gain this kind of energy, they have to eat—a lot!
This is the time of the year that the trout are at their heaviest, just for this reason. As water temperatures begin to steadily rise from the winter’s chill, Mother Nature reminds trout that the spawning time is near and so they start to eat and eat even more! They can pack on an extra couple of pounds during this time while they build their egg sacks and ultimately spawn them out, usually by early to mid-June.
From an angler’s perspective, now is the time to attempt to catch a personal best trophy trout! The best approach to accomplish this goal would be to answer some questions to up the chances of success:
- Who: YOU!
- What: A trophy trout over 28” long and/or over 8 pounds.
- Where: Baffin Bay, usually near potholes and shallow grass, or edges of shallow to deeper water where baitfish are plentiful.
- When: Between March and early June.
- Why: Personal SUCCESS!
- How: The big question is always how!
Be sure to have the right gear for the job. A medium-light to medium, fast action rod is best. A higher quality rod helps to “feel” even subtle pickups of the lure. The lightest rod and reel combo helps with this as well as good quality braided line and leader.
My choices are: Sarge Custom Rods medium-light “Priest” or medium “Free Bird” rods, Lews Custom Lite reel, Sufix 832, 20 or 30 pound braided line, and Osprey superior quality mono leader material. If you are going big game hunting, use the highest quality gear available!
Go with people who know the bay, if you don’t. Baffin Bay has many treacherous rock (serpulid worm casings) formations that can ruin your boat, motor and your day. If you don’t have confidence, find a friend or a guide who does.
Find shorelines with edges and potholes that have a lot of active bait. This can be in the Cayo de Grullo, Laguna Salada, Alazan or Baffin Bay proper. Each one of these intricate systems can host trophy trout at this time of the year. Wind direction will help determine where to start looking. If the wind is blowing heavily from the south, then the South Shoreline of Baffin proper will be a good starting point. Heavy north winds will limit you to a few places in the Cayo, Laguna Salada, the North Shoreline of Baffin and points east of there. Light winds give lots of latitude for fishing locations, but my choice would be Alazan Bay (or where I’ve been catching good fish previously).
Use lures that big fish want to eat. Texas Custom Corky has the very best color selection of Softdines and Corky Fatboys. These are two fantastic big fish lure types that are generally easy to learn how to use and catch big fish! Coastal Brew Baits has a 5” and 6” straight tail dart that cannot be resisted by big trout! Other lures of choice would be Down South Lures (natural colors) in the Super Model size. A lighter jighead on any plastic lure will help to present them to your trophy in the most natural way and will catch more fish.
This is just a starting point, of course. Other things to review would be satellite maps, solunar tables, feeding periods, water levels and water temperatures. These items are an entire article in and of themselves!
Becoming a student of the game is really what it takes to consistently catch big trout on any bay system!
Good luck and I hope to be blessed to take you fishing or see your picture on social media holding up your trout of a lifetime!
See you on the water!
Capt. Sally Black
