Pompano Surf Fishing

Fishing The Surf For Pompano

Traditional pompano surf fishing with bait is far and away the deadliest way to nail pompano numbers, though in some locales, high tide puts pompano up close in the trough, where you can take fish on light spinning gear and jigs, Which is very sporty and extremely fun. At first glance, traditional heavy action, 10 to 14 foot surf rods seem like overkill for such a small fish, but they are designed to load up and cast the 4 to 6 ounces that it may take to hold baits in one place, just off the bottom, when the surf is up. The big rods also throw the heaviest weight for maximum distance, and ensure that the hooks will be buried when fish take the bait and weight against tight line from a rod set in a sand spike. Another advantage to long rods is that they hold line high over breaking waves close to the shore, which keep your line from being scraped on the bottom. 

Best baits for pompano include sand-fleas (fresh -caught or frozen), cut claims and fresh shrimp. Baits are fished two or three at a time via dropper rig consisting of wide gap hooks (such as kahle) that facilitate hook penetration in a sand spike. Specialized sinkers for surf fishing include, flat bank sinkers (for calm surf), pyramid sinkers (sharp pointed sinkers to dig in and hold in the sand) and spider sinkers that have retractable legs.

Most veteran pompano surf fisherman prefer casting over spinning tackle for maximum casting distance, though spinning gear is fine, and more forgiving in headwind for beginners until they master "thumbing" line with conventional reels.  These days the spinning gear is plenty sufficient, they are now made just as sturdy as  the casting reels and hold enough line for the long distance casting.

Pompano Facts:

Also called Carolina pompano, the Florida pompano is often confused with small permit. Like permit, they spend their most vulnerable stages along wind-ward beaches hiding in the noisy wash from predators such as bluefish. A pompano lacks the permit's black blotch under the pectoral fin, and its body isn't as deep, nor are the fins as long, or the tail as sickle-shaped. Average size is one to two pounds, with the occasional fish reaching six pounds.