Of Silvers, Sands, and Specks

trout_0By Ed Snyder/Outdoors
Rollover on Bolivar Peninsula, TX.
Speckled Trout are credibly the most popular game-fish in the Galveston Bay system, and for good reason. They offer excellent fighting qualities and fantabulous table fare when cooked properly. But the Speckled sea trout, or speck, is only one of the three saltwater sea trout species that swim within our Texas coastal waters for us to enjoy. Of these three fish called sea trout, we also have the sand trout and the Gulf, or Silver trout. But how do we tell them apart? Read On.

Speckled Sea Trout are highly sought after by most anglers

Speckled Sea Trout are highly sought after by most anglers

Speckled trout, or speck, as they are mainly referred to by anglers, are the most popular of the three fish. Why? Mainly because of the specks larger size and the fact that speckled trout is a game fish, while its cousins, the silver, or Gulf trout and sand trout, are considered pan fish. But when freshly cooked and served on the table hardly anyone can tell the difference in taste. Although there are no bag and size limits for Gulf or sand trout, their larger cousin, the speck, has a daily bag limit of ten specks per day with a 15 to 25 inch slot limit allowing but one speck over 25 inches to be retained in your daily creel.

Years ago, anglers recognized only two trout in Texas coastal waters. As far as fishermen were concerned the speckled trout, and the speck’s lesser cousin, the sand trout, were the only sea trout to be had. Texas Marine biologists, however, were relentless enough to eventually get Texas Parks Fisheries Department and its Gulf Coast anglers, to accept the concept that the sand trout and the gulf trout were separate species. Texas coastal anglers soon adopted the Gulf trout as another species of trout. Some say that party boat operators were responsible for naming Gulf trout which sounded more sophisticated than silver sea trout, as they called them in Florida, while others say that sports fishermen named them after finding so many gulf trout around offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Silver Trout -alias Gulf Trout- are mainly a Fall and Winter fish

Silver Trout -alias Gulf Trout- are mainly a Fall and Winter fish

Most coastal fishermen today use the names sand trout and Gulf trout similar, with one or the other referring to both species. But this is a mistake as sand trout are mainly an inshore summer time fish with the gulf trout fishery mostly a winter time species. The difficult part for novice anglers is being able to identify which of the two trout you have caught. Even when both are caught on the same fishing trip it is often difficult for the average angler to distinguish between the two species.

The dark spots on the upper body, fins and tail immediately set the speckled trout apart from the Gulf and sand trout. But differences between the gulf and sand trout does not exist for the average angler to ascertain when separating the other two. The best way to tell the difference between the sandy and the gulf trout is to closely examine its fins. The Gulf trout dorsal fin and ray areas are connected on the back, while on the sand trout they are separated. Gulf trout have eight to nine soft rays on the anal fin while the sand trout has eleven.

Sand Trout are plentiful in summer waters

Sand Trout are plentiful in summer waters

The Gulf trout is noted as the heavier of the two species with normal catches of the gulf weighing in at 2 to 2.5 lbs, while the sand trout seldom reach over a pound. Of these two, my vote for taste goes to the Gulf trout as they are bigger on average with thicker fillets. Sand trout become mushy if not iced down right away.

Texas Saltwater Fish Records:
Speckled Sea Trout– 15.60 Lbs
Silver Sea Trout– 6.91 Lbs
Sand Sea Trout– 6.25 Lbs

Other distinguishing factors include a more rounded tail for the Gulf trout while the sand trout has a square tail. A couple of canine teeth in the front of the top jaw of the Gulf trout also set it apart. The mouths of large female Gulf trout are yellowish-orange, (hence) yellow mouth trout, which is another name for the gulf trout. And the sides of gulf trout are bright silver.

Gulf trout and sand trout are much easier to catch than specks and are as easily taken on dead bait and live. But both can also be taken on artificial lures such as grubs, twister tails, and Berkley Gulp. Fall is one of the better times to catch Gulf trout when they come into the bays to spawn, while summer finds the Sand trout plentiful especially close to the cuts and passes.

Two other saltwater species that often confuse anglers as sand trout are the Gulf whiting, which is silver in color, and the sand perch, which closely resembles a sand trout. Neither of these two are related or really looks like a sand trout. Actually the Gulf whiting is much better tasting than the sandy when cooked properly.

Sand Perch -alias Yellow Tails- are also mistaken for sand trout

Sand Perch -alias Yellow Tails- are also mistaken for sand trout

Gulf Whiting are commonly mistaken for sand trout

Gulf Whiting are commonly mistaken for sand trout

It has been noted by experienced anglers that when the Gulf trout arrive in the bays during the fall they’ll actually fill the reefs where anglers can catch them by the hundreds. But be careful with what you reap. My first encounter with gulf trout was near Texas City Dike while fishing the Dollar Reef area, where myself and two buddies, hooked up and filled our boat to the gunnel with over 400 gulf trout. WELL, I mean to tell ya, have you ever cleaned 400 fish? So be careful!

AVOID THIS- A day's catch of Gulf Trout can be in the hundreds- Practice Conservation Folks

AVOID THIS- A day’s catch of Gulf Trout can be in the hundreds- Practice Conservation Folks

As of now Texas has no size or creel limits on Gulf or sand trout, so catch as many as you want but catch only what you can use. Preservation makes for good conservation.

Info-guide: TP&WD, and Google.

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2 Responses to “Of Silvers, Sands, and Specks”

  1. Michael says:

    When I catch and keep that many fish it’s usually to have a big church cookout feed the whole family in the church and have a good time

  2. GetReal says:

    Seriously? 400? WTH are you going to do with that many. Did it make you feel good keeping those 9″ long ones there in your picture just because there is no limit? You write how you and a buddy caught 400 and then tell others not to do what you did. People like YOU give the rest of us fishermen a bad name.

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