Spotted Seatrout Fishing at Sebastian Inlet

Spotted Seatrout at Sebastian Inlet

Spotted seatrout are the backbone of light-tackle fishing in the Indian River Lagoon. They are abundant, they live over grass in water you can often see the bottom of, and they will eat almost anything presented sensibly.

They are also the fish Captain Richard Ladrew leans on when conditions turn. If the wind kills the inlet or the snook shut down, the grass flats usually still produce, and a morning that looked like a write-up turns into a steady bite.

A big trout — what anglers here call a gator trout — is a genuinely impressive fish and a different animal from the schoolies. Those come from the same flats, usually at the edges of the day, and usually to whoever is fishing quietly.

Where Captain Richard Finds Them

Seatrout live over seagrass. Captain Richard works the flats through the lagoon, paying particular attention to the sand potholes scattered through the grass — a trout will sit on the edge of one and ambush anything that crosses the open sand.

Deeper grass edges, channel drop-offs and the mouths of creeks hold fish when the shallows get too warm or too cold. In winter, the deeper holes are where the better fish go.

Best Time of Year

Seatrout are in the lagoon year round. The best fishing runs from late autumn through spring, when cooler water brings them onto the flats and keeps them feeding all day. Summer trout bite early and late, and go quiet in the middle of the day once the shallows heat up.

How Captain Richard Fishes for Seatrout

• A live shrimp under a popping cork is the classic here and still one of the most effective things you can do. The cork keeps the bait above the grass and the noise pulls fish in.
• Soft plastics on a light jighead, worked with a slow lift-and-fall over the grass, cover more water and sort out the bigger fish. Topwater at first light over shallow grass is the most fun way to catch them.
• Trout have soft mouths. Captain Richard will tell you to stop setting the hook like you are snook fishing — a steady pull lands far more of them.

Rules and Regulations

Current status: Slot limit — closed November and December

• In the Indian River Lagoon region, the spotted seatrout slot is 15″ to 19″ total length, and you may not possess a fish over 19″.
• The bag limit is two fish per person per day.
• Harvest is closed November 1 – December 31. Trout caught in those months are released.
• FWC adopted a new regional management approach for seatrout in 2026, so these numbers are worth re-checking each season.

Regulations checked September 2026. Size limits, bag limits and seasons change — the current rules are always on the FWC saltwater regulations site. Captain Richard Ladrew fishes to current regulations and will tell you on the day what you can keep. On a Zookeeper Charters trip you are covered under his licence, so there is nothing for you to buy.

Trips That Target Seatrout

• Half Day Inshore Fishing — Half Day, $600
• Full Day Inshore / Nearshore — Full Day, $975
• Kids Fishing Adventure — 3 Hour, $495