Known for its leaping acrobatics, the "Silver King" is one of the hardest-fighting fish out there. 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. One of my favorite things about fishing for pompano, whiting and other beach dwelling fish is just that they can be caught from the beach. by Tyler Spader July 30, 2022. The name, Florida Pompano, is deceiving as this fish ranges quite a distance beyond the state of Florida. Pompano might be honed in on a different color for the day. If the current is moving your offering along too fast, I would change back to the tried and true pyramid weight. But, they can live longer and grow to over 8 pounds, which would be a giant pompano. You just have to figure it out. I like fishing from a boat or kayak as much as the next guy, but there is something special about pursuing a favorite pastime, and doing so while on a beautiful beach. For me, no other bait has proven to have a better combination of being both convenient, and effective for pompano. During the right time of year, they are easy to catch and they taste great. You can typically scoop sand fleas with your hands to use as bait. The GPS tracking device has delivered data for the first waves of the season. This can happen in October or December, depending on how cold it gets. These are the 3 baits Ill focus on below. I typically tie my own so I can get them just like I want. Finding an abundance of bait oftentimes means that you have found the fish. This behavior is often used by boating anglers to locate schools of pompano in and near the surf. Tie a dropper loop about 10-12 inches up the line. Place some rags in a bucket and just cover the crabs with seawater. 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. You can catch your own or buy them at a bait shop. I always stash a few bottle plugs in the bag as well, provided Im fishing somewhere with enough current to make them effective. Using 12 FOOT RODS SURF FISHING to REACH and CATCH POMPANO 25,412 views Nov 29, 2019 These pompano were way out there! Typically when Im using multiple rods, I like to have 1 bigger rod with me. Pompano are a flat, silvery fish with a wide forked tail, which makes for a very powerful swimmer. It depends on where the sand bar is. We recommend circle hooks for fishing pompano. Many anglers also just begin to reel in their bait when they feel action. It might be sandpipers and plovers digging for sand fleas. Those are really nice, but they are also REALLY expensive. Live shrimp is always a good option. I would really appreciate it. These are where sand fleas have washed ashore and are digging into the sand. Their coloration varies between fish, with some being more yellowish on the undersides than others. You can make your own surf spikes out of pvc from the hardware store, and I have done that. Even a 5 foot medium light rod would suffice most of the time. If you go this route, you do have to take care so that you dont kill your hoard of fleas. Fast-action rods that recover quickly after the cast tend to throw farther than slow-action rods. Net Fishing. You have to cast out to the sand bar during the lower parts of the tide and you can literally catch pompano at your feet during the highest parts of the tide. These jigs come in various styles and colors. More about pompano rigs later. ?LOL tuff one my friend. You need to find a beach with some life on it or you might be in for a bad day of fishing. Some of them have colorful skirts, others are designed to imitate shrimp and other foods that pompano eat. Below is the sandflea rake that I have, which I purchased from Amazon. Before you can catch pompano, you first have to find them. Privacy Policy. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear())2021 VISIT FLORIDA. Hope you enjoyed these Florida surf fishing tips! A dressed tail hook will add to the action. You would want the bait on one rod to be in zone 1. All of the pier-house staffs offer expert advice on what's biting and how to catch it. A good tactic for locating good fishing spots is to go to the beach during low tide and search out deeper (darker) areas. #beach #waves #padreislandnationalseashore #padreisland #northpadreisland #nps #usinterior #corpuschristi #southtexas #gulfcoast pic.twitter.com/94MCJkpp1A. Fish will move until they find suitable water temperatures. You could instead try to match the prevalent color of any coquina clams you see on the beach. Ultegra is slow oscillation. That makes a lot of sense right? One of the best sources of surf fishing reports and tips is the Florida Surf Casters Club. Fishing pompano with squid is ideal on days where the seas are rough. When fishing with multiple rods, I always use pyramid or sputnik weights to anchor my baits in place. Of course, many spots depend on an in-your-face breeze to bring in the stripers there. Unsubscribe at any time. Welcome to Surfside Resort, a nice option for travelers like you. Get a rake. Just starting out on this sea fishing. Long-distance casting stubby needlefish like the Super Strike Bullet merit extra consideration when targeting far-out fish. This method will also keep them lively for quite a while. Ill provide a list for each so that you can cobble together your own list. Some of the other alternatives are, scooping them with cheap metal collanders, toy plastic shovels, or buckets with holes drilled in the bottom. In Snapper Rocks, Mick Fanning is currently the fastest surfer. In other words, the quick answer is that it depends upon the conditions. Then, choose a surfboard that fits your height and weight. This could be deeper holes, or cuts through the sandbar. If you dont wish to tie your own, these Sea Strike 2 hook rigs on amazon look pretty good, A 2 hook rig serves several purposes. The key here is it being fresh. To this point, knock on wood, I have caught bull reds and sharks, and they never pulled my lightweight sand spikes out of the sand. It's important that the teaser is threaded onto the loop knot first so it sits above the jig in the loop knot. So, I prefer a 2nd small soft sided cooler for that. In this video Capt. Pompano migrate in schools, heading south in the winter and then back north as the weather warms. So, the timing of their arrival and exit will be dictated by the weather. It is harder to cast a 14 foot surf fishing rod than a 10 foot surf fishing rod. Because of this, the timing of thepompano runwill obviously vary depending on your location. Following are some of the differences between the twoin case you happen to run across a permit in the surf. Unfortunately, without a stiff wind at my back and an extreme low tide that allows me to wade closer to the drop off, I cant get an eel anywhere near the structure. Shimanos Ultegra XTD, part of their Long Cast Surf System, lays line perfectly flat on the spool by using super slow oscillation. Step 2: Tie on the snap swivel to one end (I like to use a clinch knot here) Step 3: Snap on your sinker. Sign up now and get your first one today. Country-mile casters like metals and pencil poppers put stripers on the beach for daytime surf-fishermen throughout the Northeast. Aero technium is super slow oscillation 100. With practice, you can spot them before you even bother to scoop. Learn how to catch more fish off of the beach. There might be no predators in the area. The tide is very important for beach fishing because more water allows more fish to come close to the beach. Place your bait in each section and see if the pompano are biting. Not only do theyincrease your odds by having more baits in the water at the same time, they also help you to more quickly dial into what the fish prefer on a given day. 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. Look for areas with deeper sections than surrounding areas. By placing different baits and different colored beads and floats on each hook, you can eliminate less preferred options quickly. Less water means that some of the bigger fish cant get too close to the beach. For these reasons, pompano are a great fish to target for tourists and beginners. A lighter setup is much more fun when you hook up. 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. Oh well, i still surf nearly every weekend, gas just gets expensive, but its worth it. Though I couldnt see the fishermen, I could hear them. But the back pain wont be trust me. However, you can certainly find better and similarly priced rakes online (Amazon) or in local tackle shops. Also, while targeting pompano, there is a great likelihood that you will catch other desirable species such as whiting (kingfish) and redfish. Watch the video below to learn more about where to fish when you are surf fishing. Fish are cold blooded just like a lizard, snake or turtle. When it comes to casting distance, more important than length or action is using a rod that is rated for the lures you plan on throwing. I just got word that surf fishermen on Amelia Island are intercepting the first of the fall pompano run. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Anglers in far South Florida--all the way to Miami Beach--reap the run on winter's coldest days. Since I typically only use circle hooks, I dont set the hook. Another added benefit is that, because of the thin mesh material found inside Fishbites, they stay on a hook very well, even through multiple caught fish. A couple of nor'easters will send the fish further south past Playa Linda and around Cape Canaveral. As long as the current isnt too strong, I might use some other style of sinker (bank sinker) that allowed my bait to slowly move along the bottom. Also, while targeting pompano, there is a great likelihood that you will catch other desirable species such as whiting (kingfish) and redfish. Ive only fished for the past 10 years but in my opinion Super Strike plugs seem to effortlessly soar through the air with the smallest flick of my rod. Some braids have a slick coating that helps the line leave the spool and shoot through the guides with less resistance. Learn more Pompano is a popular food fish that can sell at a higher price per pound than beef. Baitcasting rods and reels take a little more mastery to use but are ideal when you want to cast further distances. Fresh shrimp and Fishbites are good options when the surf conditions are rough. There arent many places Id rather be. Pompano migrate in schools, heading south in the winter and then back north as the weather warms. Speaking of transient. How to Tie a Pompano Rig. Use something between and ounce. For smaller bait, I recommend a 1/0 or 2/0 size hook. The way the line lays on the reel also affects distance. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/65\/Catch-Pompano-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/65\/Catch-Pompano-Step-1.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"