This community hole gives up loads of spring trout
There’s an outstanding place to catch speckled trout, wind and water conditions permitting, in April.
Veteran charter boat captain Tommy Pellegrin, who owns Custom Charters LLC, said as much during the last week of February while talking about fishing prospects in his region. His go-to place now is the same as that of so many other saltwater fishermen — the Sulphur Mine in Lake Pelto. It is a community hole, he confided, but it is a dang good community hole that consistently gives up speckled trout, mostly, and redfish.
“The Sulphur Mine,” Pellegrin said. “That’s a good place in April. It’s a fantastic place to fish. Clear water with incoming tide or outgoing tide.”
The “hotspot” is located on Lake Pelto’s eastern side about 2.8 miles north of Trinity Island and East Island.
But there are storm clouds over its future.
“The federal government wants to remove it. Not far away they put a new reef,” Pellegrin said, noting he is on the side favoring keeping it where it is and intact.
Some people call it a navigational hazard, incredulously, he said, adding, “It’s been there forever.”
Based on the most recent information, Pellegrin said, there are indications the legendary Sulphur Mine may not be totally removed from the face of the Sportsman’s Paradise. Many, many sport fishermen are hopeful for a hands-off approach to let the storied saltwater fishing mecca remain the same.
What to use
Anglers certainly have appreciated the Sulphur Mine for several generations. Those who fish a number of techniques are ultra-successful for speckled trout, as well as redfish and sheepshead around the edges.
This is a great time of year to dunk live shrimp hooked on a No.4 treble hook under a sliding cork (also known as a slip cork) in 2- to 3-feet of water on the shallow southwestern side on an incoming tide, specifically targeting the downside of the reef shell and whatever rocks are there, according to Pellegrin. Speckled trout ambush the crustaceans (as well as soft plastics on a leadhead, which tend to hang up more often) as they drift with the tidal flow and drop across the reef shell.
“The deeper side (southeastern part during outgoing tide) is a little more conducive to fishing soft plastics. You can throw over the reef shell, bring it back and let it fall before feeling that telltale but light tap,” he said, noting the water is about 8 feet deep on that side. He also uses shrimp under a sliding cork set around 4 feet deep.
Hit and run
The Sulphur Mine’s north side gives up speckled trout, too, Pellegrin said, with more oyster reefs, reef shells and visible structure than anywhere else in the area. It’s hottest on an incoming tide, he added.
His go-to soft plastics include the Berkley Rattle Shrimp, with the top color Coastal Candy, and the new Berkley Saltwater Powerbait CullShad, a 4-inch soft plastic that generally triggers bites from larger speckled trout. The No.1 color for the CullShad is the color of foam on top of a freshly poured cold beer.
Pellegrin practices “hit and run” in and around the Sulphur Mine. In other words, if he or a client catches one, the poles go down. And if someone on board doesn’t catch one in, say, 10 or so casts, he’s on the move again.
He uses a Penn Battle 2500 spinning reel seated on a 7-foot long fishing rod and spooled with 15- to 20-pound test braided line with a 3-foot monofilament or flourocarbon leader. The new Penn Battle IV, which he tested last year, is “one helluva reel,” he said.
