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In ya'lls opinion, what will the water temp have to drop to, before the trout move into the rivers? Last December we caught trout way up the St. Marks in 65-66 degree water.

So why do they go into the river. Why would the water in the river be any warmer than 3 - 4 ft on the flats. And what about where there is no river. At Keaton there is not alot of places (rivers) or other bodies of water to hide in.

I'm no expert, but I understand the rivers are deeper and stay a more constant temp. The St. Marks, Wakulla, and Aucilla are spring fed, so that keeps the temp higher. Also the shrimp and other bait fish move into the deeper river water so the trout go in after them. Keaton goes blank when the water drops into the 50's. Like a desert on the flats there when it gets cold.
Maybe someone else with more knowledge can explain it better. All I can tell you is; they stack up in the winter in some of these rivers when the water temp gets colder on the flats. Last year at times, it was 8-10 degrees colder at the mouth of the St. Marks than it was in front of Shields Marina.

A little long, but a good read

They know early spring is a time when they can catch the specs coming, and going. Coming into the deeper holes inside the marsh in response to dropping water temperatures. Going back to adjacent shallower flats and shorelines when extended warm spells bring the temperatures back up again.

"Early spring is like late fall, the time when the specks are confused — they really don't know whether they're coming or going," says Mike Capone. He should know. As operator of Beschel Hoist at Pointe a la Hache south of New Orleans, he has his thumb on the pulse of one of the south's premier marsh fishing areas.

"In early spring the trout are still in those deep holes. We get those warm periods and they begin to move out, but then it gets cold again. So they kind of stay in that in-between area."

Capone's self-taught biology is backed by the professionals. John Roussel, head of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries coastal finfish programs, said patterns observed in Louisiana's marsh generally hold true for estuarine species from Texas to the Carolinas. Roussel has spent the last two years compiling information on speckled trout, combing scientific libraries for almost every study ever done on the species. Much of what he has learned can help unlock the mysteries of seasonal speckled trout movement — and lead anglers right to super days of action during the tough-to-figure weeks of early spring.

"Trout are cold-blooded, so their metabolism and their habits are directly related to the water temperature around them," Roussel pointed out.

Roussel's research shows that specks are most active when water temperatures are in the upper 70s. Roussel said those conditions usually occur in the shallow Louisiana estuaries from April through June, and again in September and part of October. Not surprisingly, those periods coincide with the best shallow water action for specks. The middle summer months often see water temperatures in the mid-80s, a time when trout may move to cooler water.

After October water temperatures in a typically shallow estuary drop into the 50s, signalling significant changes. The first strong cold front that rolls through the coast sends specks to deeper holes primarily because that's where the water is: the strong north winds associated with the fronts drain the shallower bayous and ponds. However, as soon as the tides rise again, the fish spread out into the shallower bays and lakes nearer the deeper bayous and canals, because the air temperature and, consequently, surface water temperature warms up quickly.

But by the second serious cold front, usually in late October, the water temperatures have dropped enough to send the fish deeper — and keep them there.

"Warmer water generally is nearer the bottom in the winter, and the fish will search for that comfort zone and stay there," Roussel said.

Going deep to find warmer water sounds like a contradiction; anyone who has ever jumped into a pool during the summer knows the cooler water is near the bottom. But Roussel said the impact of wind and cold air temperatures on the surface actually produce warmer conditions near the bottom in the coastal estuaries, where bottom of "deep" holes generally are less than 20 feet down.

"Cold water is denser than warm water and does settle, so you would expect the bottom to the colder," Roussel said. "But during the winter air temperature is normally much colder than water temperature. The surface layer is cooled so quickly, it usually stays colder than the water on the bottom."

Research shows that as they go deeper specks feed less, primarily because their metabolism drops with the water temperature.

"According to the reports, specks just about stop feeding when the water temperature gets to around 40 degrees," Roussel said. "They can survive because, as their metabolism drops they use less energy and need less food."

Specks remain in those deeper spots until the water temperature begins to warm again. For much of the south, especially Florida and the northern Gulf Coast, that usually begins occurring in mid-March. The shallower lakes, lagoons and bays warm first, gradually pulling trout out of their deep winter holes.

But early spring is a fickle time in the deep south. Temperatures can soar into the upper 80s, or sink into the 20s. South Louisiana has had snows flurries in April. Those extremes mean water temperatures remain in a state of flux, and so do fish.

Yet veteran marsh fishermen know its worth solving the riddle.

"In the winter you get a better shot at big trout, and more trout in one place because that's the time they're packed tightly in a small area," said Robbie Charbonnet, a veteran Pointe a la Hache angler.

"In the summertime those fish are spread out everywhere enjoying the good weather. Your chances of hitting really big specks is less then because there's so many places they could be. In the winter the odds go up, because you know they're only going to be in those deeper holes.

"Spring can be great if you know where those holes are. That's because, as the water warms, that whole tight school of fish starts moving into shallower water and they're really hungry."

To be successful in March means first knowing where these deep holes are. Generally they are the bends in natural bayous or streams where the current scours holes. Any dredged area such as canals, shipping channels, borrow pits and natural passes.

Next, locate the nearest shallow areas that hold the type of habitat that would attract bait: grass flats, shallower lagoons, bayous or bays that drain marsh areas which are the home for shrimp and smaller finfish, nearby bridges or trestles which act as artificial reefs.

Charbonnet lets the weather dictate his fishing during March. A cold front will send him into the deep holes where he plumbs the bottom with plastic touts, grubs and minnow imitations. A brief warm spell will find him fishing the migration routes between the deep holes and the shallow spots. Any extended warm period sends him to the shallow areas.

"During warm spells that last more than a couple of days, diving birds are a good giveaway for schools of specks in shallow areas," he said. "Usually you've got shrimp moving inside the marsh and the trout will come up and pound them, sending the shrimp popping across the surface, which attracts the birds.

"But if its been pretty cold and you only get a day or two a warmer weather, stay deep. Work the spots where the fish first come out of the holes, but be ready to go back inside when the cold weather returns."

That's kinda, sorta what I was saying. Just didn't take me as long to say it.. Good reading though Wevans.

Sounds good.. Now to find some of them deeper holes at Keaton. Wheres my chart.

No holes that deep at Keaton. You'll have to go to Steinhatchee or Fenholaway rivers to catch Trout in that area when it gets cold. Another advantage to fishing the rivers in winter; the white trout move in, in large numbers at times. No size limit or creel limit for the whites.

There are a few areas that are deeper, max 10 ft, surrounded by 3 - 4 ft depths, they could be hiddin there.

There are some holes over at the "dog head" like that, but they don't hold bait in the winter time. Never seen fish in them in the winter. You would think the main channel would hold fish, it's 8-10 foot in places, but I've never caught trout in it in the winter months. We are talking about 15-25 foot depths in the rivers that hold fish.

So in the winter do you go to Steinhatchee, or St Marks river. I hope winter conditions will good enough for shallow groupas.

I fish mostly St. Marks in the winter. The Steinhatchee gets too crowded. You fish inside the river, so it's a mad house there sometimes.
St. Marks gets crowded, but there's more room to move around to get away from them over there. We caught some fine trout and reds last year as far up the St. Marks as Strickland's Landing, which is 3/4 way to Newport. Advise you to get a freshwater license though. You may catch a trout on one cast and a largemouth bass on the next. With the license you can keep them. I caught several bass over 3Lbs last year while trout fishing. There is also a lot of Mangrove Snapper in the St. Marks river during the winter.

When ya find em in the Ochlokeenee, they are just no fun ta catch after the first 50 or 60 I tend ta just catch my limit and leave em"NOW" , so as not ta do damage to any more than necisary

Wevans ain't kidding. When you find em they'll stay in one big wad. Fish on em long enough and they'll feed sooner or later. Then it's "Katie bar the door" til the tide or feeding time turns them back off. Closer to the mouth of the river, you watch the birds even more than out on the flats.
One bad point of the St. Marks up-river fishing is that you have to idle all the way to past Tennaco Docks before you can come up on pad. That takes a while from the Old Fort.

What about the St Marks river the other direction, instead of towards Newport.

That's the Wakulla River, it begins at Wakulla Springs They should be in there also, the water temp stays a constant 72 year round