A trophy speckled trout is tough to catch. Generally the minimum length of a trophy trout is 30”. They are rare. It is equivalent of a deer hunter taking a Boone & Crockett whitetail. Luck does play a part in it. But skill and knowledge of these toothy yellow mouthed monsters is much more important.

We had the opportunity to interview some of the best speckled trout anglers in Texas recently at the Trout Masters fishing tournament held in Galveston. Trout Masters is an organization consisting of members that are serious about catching trophy trout.

Targeting trophy trout is a serious matter. According to these die hard anglers it is different than simply going fishing. Trophy trout are seldom found bunched up in deep water. Rather they tend to roam the shallow flats alone or in small groups. Trophy trout aren’t found where the small schooling trout are. They are completely different in their behavior. The reason why these Trout Masters are so effective at catching big trout is that they fish differently than most trout fishermen. Plus, they use the right equipment. Rather than fish from a boat, they choose to wade the shallows. Slowly and quietly they hunt for these big trout using lures, not live bait. Topwater lures like Normark’s Skitterwalk are by far the most popular lure. The second most popular lure is a soft plastic jerkbait like the Berkley jerkshad.

Most trophy trout anglers wade with two rods. Each of them rigged as mentioned above. Starting with the topwater, they fan cast to where they believe a trout to be hiding. If this doesn’t work or a fish misses the lure they quickly follow up with the soft plastic. To do this they must have their other rod readily available. That’s where a wade belt comes in.

Wade belts are as important to these Troutmaster anglers as their lure selection. They are simply another tool needed to do their job. We didn’t see a single angler competing in this tournament that was wading without a wade belt.

A popular wade belt now being used is called the Wade Aid. This wading belt features two rod holders, a hook removal device, an adequately sized box for tackle, an adjustable belt with sturdy buckle and a lot more. But the most impressive feature this product has over other belts I’ve seen is that it provides the angler with a bit of floatation.

Floatation is a huge safety feature. The Wade Aid looks like it was built over a ski belt. Although it is not intended to be used as a personal floatation device, it does help. It sells for around $85.00.

During the tournament there were some huge trout caught with the largest weighing over 9 lbs. It was caught wade fishing. According to wade fishermen, they can cover the water much more thoroughly and quietly than from a boat. Once you are in the water, trout fishing takes on a different perspective.

For more information on Troutmasters visit www.gulfcoasttroutmasters.com for more information on the Wade Aid visit www.wadeaid.com.