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Spotted
Seatrout World
Record
~ 17Lbs. 7 oz. Caught at Ft. Pierce, FL on May 11, 1995 by angler Craig
F. Carson Scientific
name
~ Cynoscion Nebulosus Other
names
~ Seatrout, Speckled Seatrout, Spotted squeteague, Spotted Trout,Trout,
Gator Trout, Spotted Weakfish, Black Trout, Salmon Trout, and Winter
Trout. Identification
~ Dark gray or bluish tinges
along back shading to silvery and white below. The dorsal fin is dusky
while other fins pale are to yellowish in color. This fish may be
confused with others of its genus, especially the weakfish. However, the
Spotted Seatrout has a distinctive pattern of black spots scattered
along the upper body and extending into the caudal and dorsal fins. The
Spotted Seatrout has an elongated, somewhat compressed body with a
slightly elevated back. The head is long with a pointed snout and large
oblique mouth. The dorsal fin is continuous or slightly separate. Size
~ The angler caught Spotted Seatrout commonly measures between 12 and 24
inches with a weight of about 4 pounds. The Spotted Seatrout can grow to
4 feet and 16 pounds, but catches over 9 pounds are rare. Habitat
~ The Spotted Seatrout is found in coastal ocean waters and brackish
water in salt marshes and tidal pools. It is found in water tempatures
between 58 F and 81 F. It has been observed in shallow coastal and
estuarine waters over sandy bottoms and seagrass to depths of 33 feet.
During the warm summer months, spotted seatrout associate with seagrass
beds, moving to deeper pockets of water in estuaries during the cooler
months. They rarely migrate far from estuaries where they are spawned.
With a range limited to the western Atlantic Ocean, the Spotted Seatrout
is found from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to southern Florida and throughout
the entire Gulf of Mexico. Feeding
Habits
~ Spotted Seatrout are found in small schools with incoming tides and
move into shallow areas to feed. Spotted Seatrout are ambush predators,
making short lunges to grab prey with their front canine teeth prior to
swallowing it whole. The Spotted Seatrout feed on shrimp and small fish
which include anchovies, pinfish, silversides, mullet, croaker, menhaden
, silver trout, snapper, gobies, sheepshead , grunts, toadfish, mojarras,
and the occasional seatrout.
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