ornella juran wearing blue fishing shirt holding keeper size speckled trout in boga grip

“Remember that time we pulled up on those birds working bait and had a three person limit of speckled trout in twenty minutes?” That is the type of fishing trip we talk about for years to come. Every cast, you catch a fish. On those magical days, it feels like the resource is infinite. In reality, factors like human fishing pressure (commercial and recreational), short term weather patterns, and habitat changes can all affect fish population health.

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Fishing Sustainability

I am a huge fan of fresh fish filets for the fryer, but we all should balance the desire to maximize our fish catch per outing with the question – is this sustainable for the species? While it is currently legal in Texas to keep one redfish per season above 28 inches and one speckled trout per day above 25 inches, I personally choose to catch, photograph, and release these fish. These are the large, prolific breeding females of the species that generally require five years or more to reach that size and maturity. It doesn’t feel sustainable to me to keep these big breeders when I can keep a couple 17 inch specks that took two years to develop. Completely scientific? Probably not, but it feels right to me.

While I choose to self-regulate my fish take, our best resource to understand fish population health is our state agencies that are responsible for managing and protecting wildlife resources. These agencies perform population assessments through actions like gill netting, electrofishing, trawling, habitat assessments, tagging, and angler harvest analysis. The data is used to track population health over time and influence one of our most realistic control levers, fish bag limits. If a fish species population data is showing a strong trend up or down, I hope and expect my local agency would look at altering bag limits.

Recent Texas Speckled Trout Regulations

Speckled trout populations specifically have been a hot topic for Texas anglers in recent years. A winter freeze event the week of February 14th, 2021 led to a fish kill event along the entire Texas coast resulting in an estimated 3.8 million fish killed (Source: TPWD News Release). 91% of the kill was non-recreational species, but important game-fish food sources, like silver perch and striped mullet. An estimated 164,000 speckled trout perished, predominantly along the lower Texas coast in the Upper and Lower Laguna Madre bay systems. In response, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission enacted an emergency ruling to temporarily reduce the bag limit down from five fish 15-25 inches to three fish 17-23 inches. 

On January 26th, 2024, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved additional changes to the Texas speckled trout regulation which modify the limit from five fish 15-25 inches to three fish 15-20 inches. Additionally, the daily allowance of one oversized fish above 25 inches is changing to above 30 inches (Source: CCA Press Release). Will this frustrate many anglers? Absolutely. No one likes for the fun to end prematurely on those days the bite is on.

TPWD estimates these changes will result in a 27% increase in spawning stock of Spotted Seatrout over a seven-year generation. While these changes are significant, their intent is to promote population sustainability by protecting breeding females. Speckled trout generally live to 9-10 years old with males reaching 20 inches at around 7 years old with females reaching 20 inches around 3 years old. This regulation means anglers keeping specks will generally be keeping mature males or juvenile females.

Closing Thoughts

A common pushback on increasingly restrictive regulations is that “what is taken away is never given back.” I think this is a valid concern based on the track record of regulations but I don’t think that issue should stop us taking immediate action to protect fish populations.

If keeping marginally fewer and smaller fish helps promote a sustainable fishery for years to come, count me in. I want to ensure my five month old son has quality fishing opportunities as he grows up.

Like catching speckled trout? Check out some of our relevant gear guides and fishing techniques to help you catch more specks:

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andrew juran holding speckled trout caught with daiwa rod and penn battle III reel

Written By: Andrew Juran

Andrew is a seasoned angler with over 25 years of experience fishing across the United States. He has caught hundreds of speckled trout using various techniques and mentored many in the art of fishing. An advocate for sustainable fishing, Andrew is an active member of the Coastal Conservation Association, an organization committed to marine conservation.

For frequent fishing tips, behind-the-scenes looks, and real-time catches, connect with Andrew on Instagram