David Ponce's chunky trout blasted a prop bait.

After selecting a stretch of shallow flats to fish, Ponce keeps the boat far enough away from the shoreline so that he can work the skinny water first and then the dropoff as well.

“The first objective is to cast a large chugger to the river’s edge and then work it all the way across the flat. If my topwater plug doesn’t attract attention, I will continue to work it out across the dropoff and into deep water. Some of the most exciting strikes of the day will often come right at boatside.”

Ponce also fishes large chuggers that run straight, instead of with a side-to-side action.

“One of my favorite chuggers is the 5-inch Johnny Rattler,” David said. “I like it because it runs straight and not from side to side, so trout have a better chance of catching it. For straight swimming action I keep the rodtip pointed down and twitch it straight down to the water. I also try to make the chugger move four to six inches at a time. The rear propeller helps produce a unique chugging action and sound.”

David also looks for early morning, calm days, overcast skies and a light drizzle to produce the best action, much as such conditions would for largemouth bass. In fact, David also prefers to fish with conventional freshwater fishing tackle, which includes a 61⁄2-foot casting rod and reel.

“I prefer a stiff rodtip for working large topwater plugs,” he said. “That helps keep the plug working straight and with short chugs. I also spool my casting reel with 20-pound line, which helps work the plug as well.”

Like many serious topwater fishermen, Ponce also elects to swap out the standard trebles for hooks of his own choice— in this case 3X strong, No. 2 VMC trebles.

“Big specks have huge mouths; that’s why I prefer larger, extra heavy-duty treble hooks,” he explained, adding that he uses light drag when fighting a fish to prevent the hooks from pulling out of the tender mouth tissue. When a big speck begins to tire, Ponce thumbs the spool of the casting reel to apply extra pressure. Other lures Ponce favors include the Pop-R, Storm Chug Bug, Devil’s Horse and Heddon Torpedo. Color is not as important as the noise that big chuggers create, which many seasoned topwater anglers think simulates a gator trout striking a bait on the surface.

“Fishermen often ask me how a really big speck hits a large chugger,” said Ponce. “I tell them to imagine all of the water suddenly disappearing from under the plug, with the sound and splash of a large pelican diving into the water.”

Larry Miniard of Jacksonville is a successful backwater tournament pro and guide who targets the St. Johns River and ICW from Jacksonville to St. Augustine. He often fishes the shallows with large topwater plugs, particularly during tournaments.

“I look for the last of the incoming and the first of the outgoing tides to produce the best topwater action,” said Miniard.

“One of my favorite topwater plugs is the Super Spook. It has three large treble hooks, which gives the lure more flash and also increases the chance of a solid hookup. There’s also a sound chamber with a metal ball inside. But more importantly, the side-to-side action gives you a better chance of attracting a fish that has just missed the plug. You can keep the plug moving in a small area where the big speck may come back for a second and even third strike.

“One of my favorite topwater plugs for charter clients is the Bagley Stinger. I call this a ‘zip’ bait, as it makes long jumps on the surface, with a zipping action created by the rear propeller. The Stinger is easy for even the novice topwater fisherman to fish. I recently had an angler catch an 8-pound speck with a Stinger while fishing the calm, early morning hours.”

Miniard also recommends the Chug Bug when big specks are popping baits right on the surface. Color isn’t critical, but such mullet patterns seem especially productive, as they match a common forage for shallow-water specks.

“Some of my favorite spots have a deep hole or slough nearby which affords the fish security when danger threatens,” said Miniard. “During the lower tide phases, Iook for shallow sloughs, rockpiles, pilings and shell beds to hold good numbers of big specks. In Mill Cove on the St. Johns River, for example, fish normally hold in the shallows between the rockpiles and the shoreline. Specks over the 7-pound mark have been taken there on topwater plugs.”

North of Jacksonville, excellent topwater fishing is also readily available in Sisters Creek, Nassau Sound, the Amelia River and Tiger Basin. In fact, Sisters Creek and the Amelia River are virtual carbon copies of the ICW that runs from Palm Cove to St. Augustine. Both northern waterways feature shallow flats that extend out to the main channel, with a multitude of feeder creeks and sloughs.

Once again, the high outgoing tide is often the key for taking giant specks. During a summer fishing outing, my son Terry David Lacoss guided bass fishing pro Shaw Grigsby on some of Amelia Island’s best trout flats.

On the trip, Grigsby asked Terry David about the best time of year to fish topwater for specks.

“Actually we have excellent topwater fishing all year long, particularly if we have a warm winter,” Terry David replied. “However, my favorite topwater speck fishing comes in the fall when there are plenty of baitfish in the shallows.”

The words had barely escaped my son’s mouth when a big speck sucked all of the water out from under his Chug Bug. Seconds later, a much larger seatrout engulfed Grigsby’s lure.

“Terry David, look at this, this big trout is taking out drag like a big bass,” he remarked. “I can’t do anything but hold on!”

Minutes later, both fishermen were admiring their catches, which was topped by Grigsby’s 5-pound speck.

Grigsby asked, “Now when were you telling me is the best time of year to catch big specks, before we were interrupted?”

“Anytime, just anytime of the year!” Terry David exclaimed.

They had originally planned to target shallow-water redfish, but found themselves enjoying great topwater action for seatrout. Like many redfish anglers in this region, they discovered that trout are also waiting in the shallows to attack topwater lures.

The way things are looking in northeast Florida, if trout continue to strap on the pounds, in a few years the reds might be considered the bonus catch in the shallows.

FS