What's your Speckled Trout setup?

ABolt

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I grew up fishing farm ponds and small lakes in central Georgia for largemouth bass. Other than musky fishing each Fall, I still primarily target spotted and largemouth bass when I hit the local lakes here in NC. However, last October my neighbor took me to Manteo for some inshore speckled trout fishing. His acquisition of a new Carolina Skiff is working out well for me.

I’m now a self-proclaimed inshore addict, and bought a rod/reel combo just for this purpose. I realize that I’m also likely to catch small reds and the occasional flounder while targeting specs, but I bought the combo solely with speckled trout in mind. Here’s what I selected:

Rod: St. Croix Premier 7’ Medium Light action with a Fast tip
Reel: Penn Battle 2000
Line: Suffix 832 8lb test
Leader: 15 lb fluorocarbon

With this setup I’m primarily throwing the following:
- 1/8 to 1/4 oz. jig heads tipped with 3-5" soft plastics
- 3/8 oz. Mirrolure 17MR Mirrodine suspending jerkbaits

I will occasionally throw topwater (maybe about 10% of my time on the water) with 3/8 to 5/8 oz walk-the-dog style plugs, and have the same rod in 6.5’ medium/fast action for this purpose. It’s my ned-rig setup for spotted bass on Lake Norman. The heavier lures and hard-twitch style retrieve makes a slightly stiffer rod preferable.

Note: I’m not a rod snob – I just happen to have hunted and fished my entire life about 30 miles from the St. Croix factory in northern Wisconsin, and love supporting the company and people who work there. They make a great product, and their Premier rods (and most others) are made in the USA. That said, I've fished with much cheaper rods my entire life, and the fish could not tell the difference. But the St. Croix's feel like magic wands compared to the rods from my younger days.

I’ve seen inshore combos in use that run the full spectrum, and they all catch fish, but being new I’m interested in what everyone else is using and why.

So, what’s your setup for speckled trout?
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
My set up and my ideal set up are different. I use 7’ med action fast tip rods and 2500 series shimano reels with 10# braid. They serve as trout flounder and redfish.
my ideal would be a 8’ rod same reel and line.
 

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
7'0" and 6'9" Fenwick MH Fast tip with some reel. They do it all. Trout, puppy drum, flounder, bass, small catfish

and I have 3 Fenwick Eagles. I like one certain Eagle rod better for flounder than the others.

But yeah, use what you like.
 

ABolt

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I have probably a dozen trout rods/reels but my current favorites are my 6'-09" Fenwick HMG Inshore M/L w/ Daiwa Kage LT 1000.
Wow - that's a sweet lightweight setup! The Kage looks like a SERIOUS reel...
 

Sportsman

Old Mossy Horns
I used a friend's while fishing w/ him in January. Bought two of them for myself in February. I really like them.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I don't have the perfect trout rod, but for reference, I have a 7'6" St. Croix Mojo (M), and it is too big. Stay in the 6'9 - 7'0 (ML) range, and keep it light. I thought the longer rod would give me more distance, and it does, but they add a longer butt on it too, which makes it considerably heavier.
 

ABolt

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I don't have the perfect trout rod, but for reference, I have a 7'6" St. Croix Mojo (M), and it is too big.

Agreed - I have the 7' St. Croix Mojo inshore in medium action, and it's the equivalent of a MH freshwater rod. I use it only for snook and redfish down in Florida, although it would be a perfect river musky rod if I could get it on an airplane. It's a 1-piece, which limits travel to places I can drive...
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
I use my bass spinning gear, never bought anything special...Reels are either Zebco Cardinal 4s, Penn 4300s or Plfuger President 25s...Rods are a mixed bag too...Fenwick 7ft, Penn 7ft, even use a 6.6 Ugly Stick...Trilene 12 lb test line or 20 pound Spiderwire with a 12 pound Trilene mono leader...

The real reason for me posting this is to show my 12 year old grandson and the trout he caught last year while with me...With a Zebco 33... :)

Enjoy!!!
 

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la angler

Six Pointer
I fish mostly Shimano 1000 spinning reels of different names 10 lb. braid but do have mono on a few of them. Rods are usually 6' cheap rods with light action
 

ABolt

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I use my bass spinning gear.
With a Zebco 33...

That's part of what I really like about inshore fishing - it resembles the bass fishing I did so much growing up, except with speckled trout I get to eat some of what I catch.
I once caught 2 muskies on one cast with a Zebco 33, and have the video to prove it :)

Lol, a 6'6" medium action Diawa combo that I paid $19.95 for a Neuse Sport Shop in 2009 and a 3" white Gulp or an MR17....
You have gotten 11 years of saltwater use out of a $10 Zebco reel - that should land you in an ad for the company! It's not about what you paid for the gear, but about how much enjoyment you get in using it!
 
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Redheadduck

Eight Pointer
I grew up fishing farm ponds and small lakes in central Georgia for largemouth bass. Other than musky fishing each Fall, I still primarily target spotted and largemouth bass when I hit the local lakes here in NC. However, last October my neighbor took me to Manteo for some inshore speckled trout fishing. His acquisition of a new Carolina Skiff is working out well for me.

I’m now a self-proclaimed inshore addict, and bought a rod/reel combo just for this purpose. I realize that I’m also likely to catch small reds and the occasional flounder while targeting specs, but I bought the combo solely with speckled trout in mind. Here’s what I selected:

Rod: St. Croix Premier 7’ Medium Light action with a Fast tip
Reel: Penn Battle 2000
Line: Suffix 832 8lb test
Leader: 15 lb fluorocarbon

With this setup I’m primarily throwing the following:
- 1/8 to 1/4 oz. jig heads tipped with 3-5" soft plastics
- 3/8 oz. Mirrolure 17MR Mirrodine suspending jerkbaits

I will occasionally throw topwater (maybe about 10% of my time on the water) with 3/8 to 5/8 oz walk-the-dog style plugs, and have the same rod in 6.5’ medium/fast action for this purpose. It’s my ned-rig setup for spotted bass on Lake Norman. The heavier lures and hard-twitch style retrieve makes a slightly stiffer rod preferable.

Note: I’m not a rod snob – I just happen to have hunted and fished my entire life about 30 miles from the St. Croix factory in northern Wisconsin, and love supporting the company and people who work there. They make a great product, and their Premier rods (and most others) are made in the USA. That said, I've fished with much cheaper rods my entire life, and the fish could not tell the difference. But the St. Croix's feel like magic wands compared to the rods from my younger days.

I’ve seen inshore combos in use that run the full spectrum, and they all catch fish, but being new I’m interested in what everyone else is using and why.

So, what’s your setup for speckled trout?
I'm not a rod snob either, St croix makes some good stuff. I've got several dozen rods, but two stand out for most of my trout fishing. I have a pair of 7ft 6 medium lite tsunami rods that I had a buddy change the guides and shorten the butts on. Paired with shimano stradics I can sling a mr17 or 1/8 oz jig a mile. For topwater I'm using a 7ft medium okuma casting rod with a shimano slx. 12lb braid on the stradics and 14lb mono on the slx. 20lb flouro leader.
 

Starfan

Eight Pointer
I'm not a rod snob either, St croix makes some good stuff. I've got several dozen rods, but two stand out for most of my trout fishing. I have a pair of 7ft 6 medium lite tsunami rods that I had a buddy change the guides and shorten the butts on. Paired with shimano stradics I can sling a mr17 or 1/8 oz jig a mile. For topwater I'm using a 7ft medium okuma casting rod with a shimano slx. 12lb braid on the stradics and 14lb mono on the slx. 20lb flouro leader.
Those 7”6 Tsunami rods and stradics are exactly what I trout fish with. I am going to trim the butts on two of my five.
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
My favorite all time trout rod that had landed way to many to remember is a 21 year old diawa coastal med light 7 ft rod with a penn battle 2, 10 pound 8 strand braid. Last year I picked up a few rods from okuma (dtr and shadow stalker). Both 7ft and I absolutely love them. I used to always use 4000 series reels. Last few years i have down sized to 2000-25000. What ever is light in the hand. Specks have a very soft mouth.
 

Treetall

Twelve Pointer
TFO medium light pair with a 2500 shimano Stradic. 10 pound power pro slick braid . Never was one to spend lot of money on gear till this set up and it’s worth every penny when fishing all day
 

Sportsman

Old Mossy Horns
To other’s point about using lighter set ups, I couldn’t agree more. Casting all day frequently can wear on the wrist, elbow, shoulder. IMO, the lighter the better. That’s why I’ve switched over to all 1000 series reels. I’ve got several nice 2500’s collecting dust.
 

Matty

Six Pointer
Contributor
Daiwa BG 2000s and a variety of ML rods...I like 7-7'6 with a 7'2 Cadence ML being my current favorite (and oddly enough the cheapest rod)
10lb Sufix 832 Braid to 7# Fluoro leader

These do double duty as my drop shot rods in FW
 

darenative

Twelve Pointer
I don't really have a favorite all around trout rod. Mine are more or less task oriented for certain times of the year, different baits, line weights, location, and casting distance. I typically grab the ones that fits the style of fishing im doing that day.
I'm about like some of the others that posted about weight of the overall rod and reel. If it's too heavy, i'm just not interested in fishing with it regardless of how nice or expensive it is. I'd much rather have a light $80 rod with the right action and feel than a $300 POS that the local tackle pimp was pushing.
That said, if i had to pick just one rod to chase trout with 12 months of the year, it be a 20 year old fenwick 6'6" eagle GT that was $50 brand new. It's probably the single most versatile rod i've ever purchased. That rod has killed more trout than a cold stun.😂
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
I don't really have a favorite all around trout rod. Mine are more or less task oriented for certain times of the year, different baits, line weights, location, and casting distance. I typically grab the ones that fits the style of fishing im doing that day.
I'm about like some of the others that posted about weight of the overall rod and reel. If it's too heavy, i'm just not interested in fishing with it regardless of how nice or expensive it is. I'd much rather have a light $80 rod with the right action and feel than a $300 POS that the local tackle pimp was pushing.
That said, if i had to pick just one rod to chase trout with 12 months of the year, it be a 20 year old fenwick 6'6" eagle GT that was $50 brand new. It's probably the single most versatile rod i've ever purchased. That rod has killed more trout than a cold stun.😂
Who’s the local tackle pimp.....lol bet I know. Can’t stand that guy. Not on the cuase way either!
 

DADOGG14

Eight Pointer
To other’s point about using lighter set ups, I couldn’t agree more. Casting all day frequently can wear on the wrist, elbow, shoulder. IMO, the lighter the better. That’s why I’ve switched over to all 1000 series reels. I’ve got several nice 2500’s collecting dust.
I tried to buy those a year ago, the offer still stands!! 🤣 I mean they are collecting dust as you said!
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I like light as said above.
I'm also not one to spend a crap load of money but I also hate junk.
okuma is my goto right now. less then $30 for the combo.
I do like diawa reels and have a few penns that are good also. I would spend more on reels then rods. Rods are a dime a dozen and i just look for feel.
 

btbucks3

Spike
If you are using less than 12-15 lb Flouro leader where I fish, you will get cut off and feelings hurt. On braid main. When right ones are chewing, I throw 20 lb green braid straight with plug. I fish for speck, drum & flounder with bass 6,6” rod & Shimano curado 200 baitcaster. Can wear out / hang with any spin gear To each his own
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Digging this one up........so my brother had a pretty nice gift card waiting for me at the tackle shop today for my b-day . I Picked up another bg this time a 2000 and a fenwick hmg inshore 7 ft med light fast action rod with 8 pound braid. Another arrow in the quiver !
I had a 6'9" ML HMG delivered this week. It is light!
 

agsnchunt

Old Mossy Horns
… baitcaster…

I grew up on the gulf coast and was surprised to find so many people in NC fished inshore with spinning gear.

I’ll fish a popping cork on a spinning reel, but everything else on a baitcaster. And it’s usually a freshwater rig. I rinse them religiously, no harm no foul.
 
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