How to Catch Pompano in the Surf: Fisherman's Guide

Fishing for Pompano in the Florida surf is lots of fun. Pompano are a dish shaped tasty little fish found on both coasts of Florida. These fish are highly sought after by fishermen for their table qualities. In other words, Pompano are mighty good eating. I have been fishing the Treasure Coast area of southeastern Florida since 1988. In the next few paragraphs you will learn more about how to surf fish for Pompano.

Pompano fishing usually is done on the beach. There are some bridges and piers where Pompano are also caught up and down the coast. In this article we will speak mainly about surf casting for Pompano from the beach. The best Pompano fishermen use specialized equipment that may be thought as being too heavy. Pompano only get to be about five pounds tops.

The better Pompano fishermen use fishing rods from 12 to 14 feet in length. A longer rod is necessary most of the time to enable the fishermen to cast a long distance of about 100 yards. You have to be able to reach the sandbars that the Pompano cruise in search of food. The exception is that in late April and May pompano sometimes can be caught closer to shore in the first wave. If you see a car with rod racks on the roof , you probably have found a Pompano fisherman.

The reels used are usually conventional Abu Garcia reels capable of holding a lot of fishing line. Some of the guys use large spinning surf reels. You definitely need a good fishing reel that holds a lot of line because you are casting 100 yards. Long fishing poles and good reels are a necessity if you want to catch Pompano consistently.

A sand spike made out of a pointed 3 foot piece of #40 PVC plumbing pipe holds each pole. The Pompano rush at the bait so hard that they hook themselves and your line goes slack. Then you simply reel in the fish and stick it in your cooler. The Pompano fight hard in the surf even on these large poles.

Most of the fishermen use a three hook rig in the surf. A 6 ounce pyramid sinker is used by most of them in order to hold bottom in the surf. I simply take 30 or 40 pound test monofilament and tie a 7 inch dropper loop every foot or so and tie on a fish hook. At the bottom of the rig you attach the 6 ounce sinker. A special hook called a Kahle hook is favored.

The bait used and preferred is a live sand flea. They are also called mole crabs. You use a special rake to catch sand fleas. You see a bunch of inverted vees in the sand, wait until the next wave, and quickly put the sand flea rake into the sand and pull it towards you. Hopefully you'll get enough sand fleas to last for a day of fishing. Just keep the sand fleas in some wet sand in a plastic cool whip container. You can also dip sand fleas into boiling water for 10 seconds and freeze them for times that fleas are scarce and the Pompano are hungry and biting like crazy.

Pompano in my area are caught in anywhere from Jupiter to the Fort Pierce area. Look for other cars with rod racks parked along the sandy beaches. The beach at the end of Bridge Street in Hobe Sound is a good spot. Also try the beaches near the nuclear power plant in Stuart.

The best time to fish for Pompano is from November to late May in this particular area. Pompano migrate up and down the coast with the seasons. Winter and spring is the best time in this area for Pompano fishing. So if you have the right spot and the right tide you might have some fun catching Pompano in the surf.