The resulting perfectly flat line lay minimizes friction during the cast. The best leaders for pompano are 2 hook pompano rigs. But you can still find pompano in their usual places: the surf, grass flats, and deep inshore channels. They are also toothless and have elongated dorsal fins. A 10 foot surf fishing rod can be cast more precisely and accurately but it will cast less distance than a longer rod. It doesnt have to be clear but you will find that most of the pompano that you catch will be in water colors ranging from the emerald green to turquois blue. Several reel manufacturers have been giving the line lay more attention in recent years. They rarely ever get over 4 pounds, and big ones typically fall between 17-25. Before you can catch pompano, you first have to find them. Pay attention to fishing reports to get clued in on when this activity begins. Many anglers also just begin to reel in their bait when they feel action. Ill take a rubber mallet to tap them securely into the sand. Pompano will travel as far north as Massachusetts as far south as Florida in the United States of America. How to Fish in Boca Grande There's a plethora of ways to fish the prolific waters around Boca Grande. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.). On one hand, I really like my long 12 foot rods so that I can really get the bait out there when necessary. Rather than tossing that little fish back, Ill put it on a hook and throw it back out on my larger rod. The key here is it being fresh. Usually either a size #1, 1/0, or 2/0 circle hook for most situations. Thats when your long rod and heavy pyramid sinker come into play. You can even tip your jigs with small chunks of whatever the fish are feeding on in the waters you are fishing. ( only took 40yrs to figure that out), casting 40 lb Power Pro braid with a 11 St.Croix Mojo Rod with virtually any Super Strike plug whether needle or bottle plug makes the lure fly through the air like a small rocket ship. 17 to 21 dorsal rays, and 16 to 19 anal rays, The beginning of the anal fin is in line with the beginning of the dorsal fin. Great article! You would want the bait on one rod to be in zone 1. Tight lines! Do you like how to fishing articles like this one? You need to find a beach with some life on it or you might be in for a bad day of fishing. It might be sandpipers and plovers digging for sand fleas. The 14 foot surf fishing rod will cast farther but are harder to control. The reason orange is so prevalent is that it mimics the orange eggs found on the underside of some sand fleas. All Rights Reserved. These are the ones, available from Amazon, that I use most often: Unhook A Stingray Without Getting Stung By The Barb, Places To Fish From Shore In Pensacola Without A Boat, Top 9 Criteria to Evaluate When Choosing a Surf Rod. 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. These folks are more than happy to share tips and tactics. You can still find. Lets talk about those fishing zones again. If you decide to do so, I would not necessarily use pyramid weights as my first sinker option. 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. Approved. A bag full of pyramid sinkers of varying weights will keep in you in the game no matter how rough or calm it is. othing is more efficient and easier to use than a proper rake. It is harder to cast a 14 foot surf fishing rod than a 10 foot surf fishing rod. When fishing with multiple rods, I always use pyramid or sputnik weights to anchor my baits in place. Watch the video below to learn more about where to fish when you are surf fishing. When it comes down to it, any rod will work fine for catching pompano. These jigs come in various styles and colors. We recommend an 8-to-10 foot fast action casting rod. Thats a tell tale sign that you have a pompano on the end of your line. There is a great YouTube resource, inserted below, that will teach you how to read the surf . You'll need a rash guard and a wetsuit to keep you warm and confident. To be clear, you dont typically need long casts to catch pompano. When it comes to rods, Im usually torn about the issue. Sometimes I use beads, sometimes I dont. I briefly clipped on a 2-ounce bucktail, which got the distance I needed, but became immediately buried in weeds. Pompano will stay put if there are no predators around them and plenty of food for them to eat. Sign up for our FREE Fishing Reports Today! Sure, I have longer rods in my collection but I never use them anymore. It doesnt make a lot of sense to fish somewhere that has no fish. Even a 5 foot medium light rod would suffice most of the time. Position yourself in your sweet spot and get ready to paddle for the wave using long, smooth, deep strokes. And, those work just fine. Fishbites also work well when combined with natural bait on the same hook. These give off an odor that can attract pompano. The water temperature might be just right. You could go bigger, but I try to minimize the weight of my beach gear whenever possible. My casts with eels, metal lips and light bucktail jigs fell considerably short of 200 feet, and as I prepared to leave, a boat motored up, lights off, and began drifting just off the channel edge. Their undisputed favorite food is sand fleas (mole crabs). When it comes to weights, you want to use the lightest weight that the current will allow. 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. Pompano is a popular fish you can catch off the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. Instead, just start reeling when you feel the fish bite. You have to test out the stretch of beach where you are fishing to find out where the feeding fish will be. Casting to Spanish mackerel from shore is an exciting way to catch these strong, fast, toothy and tasty migratory specimens. For these reasons, I prefer to tie my own pompano rigs. Florida pompano do not have teeth on their tounge, A pompano's head slopes back gently with no abrupt change in angle - no hump, Pompano have more rays than a permit; 22 to 27 dorsal rays and 20-23 anal rays, The beginning of their anal fin starts further back than the beginning of their dorsal fin, Pompano sized permit have teeth on their tounge, Permit have dorsal and anal fins that are longer and drape back toward their tail, Permit have sort of an appearance of a bump on their forehead, due to the change of angle to the slope of their head, Sometimes they have a dark spot under their pectoral fins, Have fewer rays than a pompano. But, they will also feed on all sorts of small crabs, shrimp, and even small fish. You want real distance with little effort? Flies are another great choice. 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. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 136,722 times. Any bigger and you will miss most of the bites and lose your baits. When pompano fishing, you will undoubtedly catch some sort of small non-targeted species. If you plan to use a surf cart, live shrimp is a great option. Step 1: Pull out about 5 feet of line. But the back pain wont be trust me. Try to cut the squid into pieces about an inch long. I sat for a while, casting occasionally, but mostly listening to the boat fishermen catch what sounded like very big stripers. Look at the fishfinder! one of them said. It might be pelicans and terns diving in the water for food. Anglers in far South Florida--all the way to Miami Beach--reap the run on winter's coldest days. Fresh shrimp and Fishbites are good options when the surf conditions are rough. Value 4.4. This article has been viewed 136,722 times. % of people told us that this article helped them. That is what makes pompano fishing so much fun. But, such large poles mask much of the strength of these spirited little fighters. I was considering a move to somewhere the bass might be closer when the sound of Daves screaming drag made me reconsider. Other very productive baits are small shrimp, and Fishbites. That water color will probably not yield very many pompano for the dinner plate. {"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":"