BigBendFishing.Net

Made it down to Panacea last week for a few days of fishing and got into the sand trout pretty thick. I was told these fish migrate into the area this time of year. Just curious as to when these fish arrive in numbers and when they leave. I cant find much intel on the net regarding their migrations so I thought some of you guys on this forum could fill me in....thanks in advance.

Where did you catch them at? on oyster beds? What did you use for bait thanks

We caught them in Oclocknee Bay. We started out catching them on shrimp but then switched over to gulp pieces.

My experience has been that they show up in the colder months. Usually in large schools of fish, but smaller sized fish, and deeper water than speckled trout. Once you find them, you can normally catch a bunch on jigs or shrimp as long as the tide is moving. I've caught them off Steinhatchee and Keaton before fishing the cuts between the sandbars a bit offshore.
In Tampa Bay, they would move into the river mouths during the cooler months, where you could catch them to at a time on a Love-Lure. (Twin jig rig).

- Steve Stinson

I've caught them from 6 to 50 feet, mainly over sand bottom but occasionally on the grass. Cut bait, squid and live or dead shrimp are the favorite offerings. I've also taken them on DOA shrimp and jigs. They fight pretty well for their size, although rarely get much bigger than 15-16 inches long. Tasty though and plentiful for those interested in stocking up for a family fish fry.

As Steve mentioned, they usually move in when the water temps drop into the lower 70s or below and stick around until it starts warming back up in the spring.

Thanks Steve and Silverking, that was the info I was looking for. We caught a bunch back a few years ago with a guide fishing out of Steinhatchee and I made the mistake of freezing some. When I finally got around to eating them they were way too strong. I brought home a few from this past trip for a family fish fry and they were delicious fresh!

Sand trout saved the day for us Sunday. The tide was really low when we got out and any of our spots did not produce. I poked around a shallow area (Panacea) surrounded by oyster bars and mudflats, and found an area that went from 2 feet to 8 feet deep. We dropped anchor and caught a few on a gulp, then switched to small jig heads and tiny pieces of shrimp. Caught around 50, and kept 18 of them for the fryer.