Trout Coral
name: Trout Coral
other names: Speckled Trout
Coral trout are often red or orange in colour, but they can also be black, through to brown-green, tan and pink. The colouration normally depends on their habitat as these fish for protection tend to take on a overall colour to match their surroundings. All individuals have a profusion of small blue dots covering their entire upper body.
Although basically a bottom-dwelling fish, Coral Trout frequently cruise and hunt well off the seabed and are capable of bursts of great speed. Generally the largest Coral Trout are found well offshore. They occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West Pacific. In Australia the Coral Trout is known from northwestern Western Australia, around the tropical north and south to the southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
They feed during the day and exhibit different feeding strategies. At dusk they ambush their prey, whereas at dawn they prowl. Juveniles feed on crustaceans living amongst the corals, while adults feed on reef fish.
The Coral Trout is a protogynous hermaphrodite, that is, the individual becomes sexually mature first as a female and then later changes its sex to a male. It is only one sex at a time and cannot self fertilise. They grow to about 110cm and can weigh more than 20kg.
Coral Trout can be usually caught on a wide variety of cut fish baits, but they will also take trolled lures, jigs and live baits.
Light to medium tackle is all that is needed for these bold fighters. Balance your tackle and fishing for these fish can be great sport.
