Its best when the surf is slightly active and stirring up the crustaceans on the bottom. Charter Fishing Neither super clear water nor really stained water are ideal for pompano. Fresh shrimp and Fishbites are good options when the surf conditions are rough. There might be a lot of food around. I challenge you to lift a 20lb dumbbell off the ground with a surf rod the way you might fight a fish. It doesnt make a lot of sense to fish somewhere that has no fish. That makes a lot of sense right? Pompano migrate in schools, heading south in the winter and then back north as the weather warms. But, they will also feed on all sorts of small crabs, shrimp, and even small fish. This method will also keep them lively for quite a while. Use a 20-pound test line with small fiddler crabs as bait and drop extra bait or fish parts into the water every 15 minutes to attract the pompano. Speaking of transient. When you find an area with a lot of sand fleas running around, there are sure to be hungry pompano feeding not far behind. But, they will also feed on all sorts of small crabs, shrimp, and even small fish. Privacy Notice: We use cookies on our website to enhance your experience. Simply find a nice section of beach, and locate the best area (discussed below) along that stretch, and you should be in business when the pompano are running. Net Fishing. The cheapest sandflea rakes Ive seen were at local wally worlds near the beach. T he lifespan is commonly only 3 to 4 years. There are other baits that will work great as well, but if you are able to obtain live sand fleas on a given day, thats what you should use. Where do you catch stripers in NS? This is when a long surf rod comes in handy, so you can probe deep holes and troughs further from the beach. Fast-action rods that recover quickly after the cast tend to throw farther than slow-action rods. But by the time Id reached the water and saw just how far away the channel marker was, I began to doubt my long distance casting ability. I sat for a while, casting occasionally, but mostly listening to the boat fishermen catch what sounded like very big stripers. Surf fishing is tons of fun and I hope that this article helps you catch more fish. If you want more info about other bait options for pompano, you can refer to my article here: Best Baits For Pompano. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. Switching from 50- to 40-pound-test braided line sacrifices a little strength, but can add significant casting distance. It depends on where the sand bar is. Unlike some of the species we target in the surf, pompano are adept at spotting different colors, so use that to your advantage. The 2021 Minimum Size Limit for Pompano caught in Florida is 11" from the tip of the jaw to the center of the fork in the tail. SurferToday brings you an exclusive guide to start surfing in less than 24 hours. In the springtime, pompano are ready to head north for the summer. These over-sized tires work especially well on the Florida panhandle, and anywhere the sand is very soft. Pompano are in schools so once you find one, you will probably find a lot more. Like those stubby needlefish. This article has been viewed 136,722 times. Sandbars usually require an onshore wind to create the white water where stripers love to feed. If you find an area with a lot of fiddler crabs or sand fleas, you can be sure hungry pompano are close by. Look for areas with deeper sections than surrounding areas. Move to a location where sand fleas are plentiful. I usually only do that when targeting whiting. Try to figure out what the fish are eating and use that as bait. You will likely experience an influx of pompano in the spring and then again in the fall. But the back pain wont be trust me. Best Hooks. Your best bet is to try multiple placements and see what gets the strikes. For these reasons, pompano are a great fish to target for tourists and beginners. Pompano will be on one side of the bridge when the tide comes in and the other side when the tide goes out, so you will have to move your boat if the tide changes. But if you are going after much larger fish with big pieces of cut bait, you can go all the way up . I would break that apart into 3 separate fishing zones. Heavy, long-casting lures that sink too quickly will drag bottom or pick up weeds. The fish wait for sand fleas, also called mole crabs, and other small crustaceans to be washed off the beach and carried to them by the wave action. They can be found from Massachusetts all the way around Florida, throughout the gulf, and down towards South America. This gives your hook two firm surfaces to hold on to, and this minimizes how often you throw the bait off the hook. If the beach doesnt look good for fishing, you will need to cast further out to find the pompano. If your shrimp are too large, you may have to use smaller pieces.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'riversearch_com-leader-4','ezslot_14',167,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-riversearch_com-leader-4-0'); Pompano are also known to feed on fiddler crabs, which is why using these is bait works so well. But, I found that I prefer the sand spikes available from Dicks or Academy Sports that are made a little more lightweight. Let's say that the sand bar is 60 yards from the beach. When going long for surf stripers, lure selection plays a huge part in reaching the fish. I was considering a move to somewhere the bass might be closer when the sound of Daves screaming drag made me reconsider. Soon thereafter by November the proverbial coconut telegraph will ring with the news that the fish are in around Sebastian, Vero Beach and Fort Pierce. They are made with circle hooks, which is my preference. Even in locations like the Cape Cod Canal where big fish frequently break water 100-plus yards off the bank, many bassmany very large bassare caught just a short lob cast off the rocks. Required fields are marked *. So, I know they work very well. Use sand fleas for bait on the end of a spinning rod with a circle hook. It takes 50 turns of the reel handle for the spool to complete one oscillation. Great tips though! When Im after pompano, I like to take 3 thin-wall pvc surf spikes and space them 5-7 yards apart. For best results, look for areas that are deeper than the surrounding water. Here's a quick rundown of the styles of fishing you opt for. The best leaders for pompano are 2 hook pompano rigs. There are other baits that will work great as well, but if you are able to obtain live sand fleas on a given day, thats what you should use. Last Updated: August 18, 2020 If we didnt hook up in the first few cranks, the rest of the retrieve was over dead water. Because of this, the timing of thepompano runwill obviously vary depending on your location. You would want the bait of another rod to be in zone 2 and you would want the bait of the third rod in zone 3. If you can find an area of beach that has a lot of small clams (coquina claims) lying around, that is a great spot to start fishing. 2,254 views Jun 13, 2019 fishyourassoff.com 4.29K subscribers How far out do you have to throw for surf casting?. Also, while targeting pompano, there is a great likelihood that you will catch other desirable species such as whiting (kingfish) and redfish. From charter fishing and renting a kayak, to surf fishing and hitting up the piers and docks, there's something for every type of angler. If you memorize just a few of these, you should be able to tell them apart. . VISIT FLORIDA is a service mark of the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, d/b/a VISIT FLORIDA, registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Additionally, if the stretch of beach has an abundance of sand fleas, then thats obviously a good sign that you are in the right place. These are most common for inshore fishing but can also be used in the surf if the conditions aren't too rough. In other words, the quick answer is that it depends upon the conditions. But you can still find pompano in their usual places: the surf, grass flats, and deep inshore channels. It's important that the teaser is threaded onto the loop knot first so it sits above the jig in the loop knot. Simple. In the mouth of the big striper was a 2-ounce bucktail, tipped with two pork rinds. Use a 6- to 12-lb test line that can comfortably cast a 1/2- to 1-oz egg sinker, depending on surf conditions. Just try to use smaller shrimp if you can. Myrtle Beach Tarpon average around 100 pounds, but they can often top the 150-pound mark. Its actually a 3 part series thats well worth your time if you are lacking skills in this area. You just never know really. AND it makes it harder for them to find your pompano bait and lure offering as well. That is what makes pompano fishing so much fun. legal information contact me privacy policy. Finding your rods sweet spot is a matter of feelthe rod will load smoothly on the cast and the lure will take off like a rocket. Most commonly you will probably want to use either a spinning rod and reel, baitcasting rod, or fly rod. 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If youre fishing a rough surf, you may want a faster action rod.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'riversearch_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_17',164,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-riversearch_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'riversearch_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_18',164,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-riversearch_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0_1');.mobile-leaderboard-1-multi-164{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. These give off an odor that can attract pompano. Avoid trying to set the hook. Pack a surf rod or three and check out these surf fishing tips if you're headed to the beach along Florida's Atlantic Coast and want to learn how to catch pompano. One of the greatest things about pompano is that they can be found running fairly close to the beach, and within easy casting range. A good 7-foot medium-action rod is a safe bet and can be used for most situations. If you memorize just a few of these, you should be able to tell them apart. ? For smaller bait, I recommend a 1/0 or 2/0 size hook. Your email address will not be published. You can also look for them in troughs between sandbars. I like to look at it the ocean as a grid. They are also toothless and have elongated dorsal fins. Get a rake. You can encounter pompano on the beach, off of ocean-facing piers and even inshore. Pompano regularly eat crabs, clams, shrimp, mussels and small fish. You have to remember to keep your drag loosened any time you have a rod in a rod holder. really? I just got word that surf fishermen on Amelia Island are intercepting the first of the fall pompano run. Surf Side Resort. It may happen only once or twice a season, but its as close to a sure thing as surf fishing gets. You will usually need to use between a 1-4 ounce pyramid sinker, so you should have a selection of weights in that range. CREATURE FEATURE: COQUINA CLAMS Watch as they use their foot (the small appendage coming out of their shell) to dig themselves back into the sand.