Pompano Question

xXLoneBowmanXx · Post by **xXLoneBowmanXx** » December 5th, 2016, 1:50 pm

This time of year most folks are looking forward to Christmas and New Years as an opportunity to spend time with family, eat, drink and be merry. I look forward to those things too. However, if anyone is like me they are likely looking forward to get through the holidays as it's the last major hurdle before we can start looking forward to Spring fishing! With that in mind, my brain has been wandering a lot lately thinking of new things to do next year. In the 2 and 1/2 years that I have lived in Florida, I've never caught nor seen a pompano. I've been told that they can be found around St. George Island certain times of year, but it seems that there isn't a lot of good local knowledge about these elusive fish. So, putting it out there for the fishing gurus, how should one go about targeting pompano? Are there specific depths or structures that you focus on? Also, what time of year do they move into the area, if at all? I've heard that a lot of people fish from them from the beach, but is it possible to target them from a boat?

Any info would be appreciated. So far, I've caught all of the popular N. Florida inshore species, except for these "faux permits".

bbb · Post by **bbb** » December 5th, 2016, 2:48 pm

Only place I've caught them in good numbers was at the Cut on St George. Beach side on the rocks facing the rising sun. We had a permit to get into the plantation but it was still a mile walk from the parking area. We had to be on the rocks before sunrise as the fish bit from the time you could barely see your rod tip to when the sun peaked over the horizon. Once the sun was in full view, it was about over. If the fish are there, so are the people. Expect to have 20 of your closest friends on the rocks with you. Good news is most of them are locals so if you know how to fish and be courteous, they will welcome you.

Boats would also come in and anchor in front of us about 100 yards away and do well too.

Bait was nylure's jigs tipped with fresh sand fleas caught the evening before. 10# test line on a spinning reel. Long handled net to net the fish before they got into the rocks.

Water needs to be calm and clear. If any wind it needs to be out of the North, NorthWest or West.

Disclaimer. This was 16 years ago so this intel may not be current anymore.

4/2000

xXLoneBowmanXx · Post by **xXLoneBowmanXx** » December 5th, 2016, 3:23 pm

Wow! Can't argue with those results! I've heard people mention "the cut" in passing. Do they seem to be more present in the spring or fall? Also, are the sand fleas more prevalent at different times of year? The first time my family and I went to SGI was in May of 2014 and the sand fleas were EVERYWHERE, but I haven't seen any there since that day.

bbb · Post by **bbb** » December 5th, 2016, 4:02 pm

I've only fished the spring run.

When sand fleas were plentiful in the surf, the fish didn't bite well. When we were out chasing fleas til midnight, they bit good.

Honestly we had more bust trips than banner trips. 1 out of 5 trips would result in decent catches. Tides, wind, water clarity and available bait has to all come together for the fish to be there. Also it helped to fish during the weekdays as boat traffic in and around the cut also seemed to affect the bite.

The Pompano fight very good on the right tackle. Stradic 1000's and 1500s, with 10# test was a good combo for us. No wire or leaders. Fish the bait slow on the bottom. Fish will basically hook itself when it takes off with the bait. Expect 2-3 runs of 10-15 yards of line.

Its been 10 years since I chased them but since the kids are old enough to go, I'll probably add Pompano season into my spring schedule next year.

xXLoneBowmanXx · Post by **xXLoneBowmanXx** » December 5th, 2016, 7:17 pm

Great info! A bad day fishing for pomps will still be a better than a day at work. Thanks a bunch for all the info! Now I just have to count down the days until spring, lol

Post by **onefishtwofish** » December 6th, 2016, 6:33 pm

I used to chase them every year. I have done very well at the East End, but the whole bottom structure out there has changed over the years. I quit chasing them when I started chasing turkeys. Had to chose one or the other and turkeys won.

They are just okay to eat to me. I don't get the love of them. I mean, they are mild, but I prefer a redfish by a mile. Or a flounder. But they are fun to catch.

xXLoneBowmanXx · Post by **xXLoneBowmanXx** » December 7th, 2016, 11:45 am

onefishtwofish wrote:I used to chase them every year. I have done very well at the East End, but the whole bottom structure out there has changed over the years. I quit chasing them when I started chasing turkeys. Had to chose one or the other and turkeys won.

They are just okay to eat to me. I don't get the love of them. I mean, they are mild, but I prefer a redfish by a mile. Or a flounder. But they are fun to catch.

Redfish is by far the best eating fish out there. I'd like to get into some pompano just to scratch it off my list.

BeeeReady · Post by **BeeeReady** » December 8th, 2016, 11:28 pm

In the 20+ years I've fished St Marks Ive only caught a few. I caught three in excess of 4 lbs east of the lighthouse in a creek this year..an anomoly to say the least..I do know how to target them by boat, and do it if I'm somewhere like Destin or PC. Run close to the beach (watch for swimmers). Have someone face the stern and you will see them skip in your wake if you're around them. Stop and throw small bucktails or skimmer jigs tipped with shrimp. Its a fun way to fish and you can run onto alot of other stuff while you're doing it..Ive done it spring, summer and fall and have always done pretty well. Good luck to you.

xXLoneBowmanXx · Post by **xXLoneBowmanXx** » December 11th, 2016, 1:57 pm

Awesome! Thanks!

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