I’m just geting into speckled trout fishing, and was wondering about basic tactics?

Welcome to the fantastic world of spec fishing! When it comes to basic tactics for catching speckled trout, really it is a matter of trial and error until you find what works for you in the areas and conditions in which you will be fishing, but these simple tips and techniques should get your headed in the right direction until you can find a winning combination for yourself. If you want to fish at night and the specs are feeding on the surface, use a silver sided minnow and fish under lighted structure using a freelining method. If they are feeding on the bottom, use a Carolina rig or a bottom drop leader rigging. An alternative to fishing lighted structure would be to fish other structure and use submersible lights or other lighting of your own to create lighted structure. Night fishing for specs is fine indeed, and if you have never done it, I highly recommend it. It is important to hook your bait properly, because specs generally hit your baits head on. For this reason, you should hook your bait in the mouth just ahead of the eyes, and once the spec takes your bait, keep your line loose and let it run before you set your hook. You will want to use a slightly larger hook to accomplish this, but use a thing guage. About a 6/ or 7/0 size with a long shank would work well. Now, perhaps the most important thing you can do is present your bait or lure in such a way that it looks real. These specs can be very wary, and unless you present well, they will not take your bait. For this reason, don’t ever use anything that could restrict your baits movement such as steel leaders, snap swivels, or heavier line.