For smaller bait, I recommend a 1/0 or 2/0 size hook. This website is owned by FYAO Saltwater Media Group, Inc. Flies are another great choice. If you dont wish to tie your own, these Sea Strike 2 hook rigs on amazon look pretty good Sea Strike PPR20 2-Hook Pompano Rig. Some of the other alternatives are, scooping them with cheap metal collanders, toy plastic shovels, or buckets with holes drilled in the bottom. Instead use a gentler flick of the wrist to set your hook. For pompano, you generally want a fast sinking fly. Rigging for pompano and other species such as whiting that occur in the surf isn't difficult. Pompano regularly eat crabs, clams, shrimp, mussels and small fish. In addition to using sand fleas, I usually. 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. As far as hooks go, I pretty much stick to 1/0 circle hooks. Small, live shrimp would be better, but Im not usually up to the task of carrying a bucket of water and keeping them alive. This should give you plenty of power to cast far enough to reach pompano. If the beach doesnt look good for fishing, you will need to cast further out to find the pompano. This will happen quicker than you might imagine. This can happen in October or December, depending on how cold it gets. If you can't find any sand fleas, it's likely that you won't catch any pompano. You can even tip your jigs with small chunks of whatever the fish are feeding on in the waters you are fishing. But, I found that I prefer the sand spikes available from Dicks or Academy Sports that are made a little more lightweight. We recommend an 8-to-10 foot fast action casting rod. Its actually a 3 part series thats well worth your time if you are lacking skills in this area. For more tips, including how to keep your bait from returning to shore with the waves, read on! I would really appreciate it. T he lifespan is commonly only 3 to 4 years. In Snapper Rocks, Mick Fanning is currently the fastest surfer. It all depends upon the tide levels when determining how far out to cast to catch pompano in the surf. But, even the cheapest rakes are much better than non-rake alternatives. Go Australia! Simple. It takes 50 turns of the reel handle for the spool to complete one oscillation. If the water is dingy, you can still catch pompano, but you should probably use a bait that has some smell to it. One bait I always take with me to the beach is Fishbites. Long-distance casting stubby needlefish like the Super Strike Bullet merit extra consideration when targeting far-out fish. Finding your rod's sweet spot is a matter of feelthe rod will load smoothly on the cast and the lure will take off like a rocket. Dont leave feeding fish to find more feeding fish. Casting to Spanish mackerel from shore is an exciting way to catch these strong, fast, toothy and tasty migratory specimens. You might have to modify your casting distance from the beach out into the sea. on the Treasure Coast of Florida. Ideal surf conditions for pompano are when there is just enough wave action to stir up the sand near the shore, but not so much that it dirties up the water too much. One of the greatest things about pompano is that they can be found running fairly close to the beach, and within easy casting range. You have to test out the stretch of beach where you are fishing to find out where the feeding fish will be. Your best bet is to try multiple placements and see what gets the strikes. On average most pompano that are caught weigh less than 3 lbs and are less than 17 inches long. You want real distance with little effort? Less water means that some of the bigger fish cant get too close to the beach. | Contact Us. It might be a great blue heron or a snowy egret standing on the beach. Also, while targeting pompano, there is a great likelihood that you will catch other desirable species such as whiting (kingfish) and redfish. Their undisputed favorite food is sand fleas (mole crabs). For these reasons. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.). When going long for surf stripers, lure selection plays a huge part in reaching the fish. If you can stomach the up front investment, and you have a vehicle (truck) that can transport it, I highly recommend one. If you do this, there is much less pressure needed to land the fish, and thus less of a chance of pulling the hook free. It looks like we'll have a big run this year. The fish is about 18 inches (45 cm) long and weighs about 2 to 3 lb. If youre going to target pompano, you might as well learn about whiting. 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 throw this extra rod out with a larger bait to target bigger fish, like bull reds. A 10 foot surf fishing rod can be cast more precisely and accurately but it will cast less distance than a longer rod. These lures, dressed up with feathered tail hooks, can have a wiggling, pulsing action that rivals soft plastics or bucktails, giving you the fish-attracting moves of those lures and the distance-casting benefits of a needlefish. A good 7-foot medium-action rod is a safe bet and can be used for most situations. I have fished the beaches, mangroves, grass flats.. all over Florida for more than 40 years. 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. Below is the sandflea rake that I have, which I purchased from Amazon. {"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":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/65\/Catch-Pompano-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/65\/Catch-Pompano-Step-2.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e7\/Catch-Pompano-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e7\/Catch-Pompano-Step-3.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Catch-Pompano-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Catch-Pompano-Step-4.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Catch-Pompano-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/da\/Catch-Pompano-Step-5.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/53\/Catch-Pompano-Step-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/53\/Catch-Pompano-Step-6.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4e\/Catch-Pompano-Step-7.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-7.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4e\/Catch-Pompano-Step-7.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-7.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Catch-Pompano-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f6\/Catch-Pompano-Step-8.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1c\/Catch-Pompano-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1c\/Catch-Pompano-Step-9.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bf\/Catch-Pompano-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-Catch-Pompano-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/bf\/Catch-Pompano-Step-10.jpg\/aid1422870-v4-728px-Catch-Pompano-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

License: Creative Commons<\/a>
\n<\/p>


\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Before this i lived like 1 block from the beach so it was hard to get used to. You can also regularly find them in the Gulf of Mexico ranging from Florida to Texas. But the back pain wont be trust me. I would break that apart into 3 separate fishing zones. To immediately improve casting distance with every lure, rod and reel you use, downsize your line. and no pic I bet? There might be no predators in the area. One of the best sources of surf fishing reports and tips is the Florida Surf Casters Club. Cut about five or six feet of line. I prefer to use 2-hook pompano (high-low) rigs similar to my image below. They also tend to stay on the hook in rough waves, which makes it great for fishing the surf. Look at the fishfinder! one of them said. An offshore wind helps put offshore spots within range, especially with lures and baits that dont cast very welllike metal lips or eels. A 2500-4000 sized reel with 10-20 pound mono, Collection of pyramid sinkers varying in size, Tackle bag or bucket to hold your terminal tackle, These items are in addition to the "light" list, Extra fresh water to rinse any accidentally dunked reels, Scissors for cutting braid or baits (Fishbites). This article has been viewed 136,722 times. Try to figure out what the fish are eating and use that as bait. Pompano fishing is popular in the western Atlantic Ocean from Massachusets down to Brazil. If the water has too much freshwater runoff, then it will have brown hues to it. They might be hot and heavy on your beach one day and the next day that school might be 10 miles North or South of you for some reason. Ill break down all aspects of when, where and how to catch them so you can taste success when targeting Florida Pompano. The distance between each wave in the group (the wavelength) is 100 m, so the length of the whole group is 400 m. Therefore, if you caught a wave at the back of the group you'd be able to ride it for 800 m until it fizzled out at the front of the group. Try to cut the squid into pieces about an inch long. For best results, look for areas that are deeper than the surrounding water. Slow down and let the rod do the work, and youll see a marked increase in casting distance. Though they can reach sizes upwards of 8 pounds. The lifespan is commonly only 3 to 4 years. Sign up for our FREE Fishing Reports Today! Now that you have a terrific article on long casting reels what about rods? My go-to circle hooks are the Owner Mutu Light and the Gamakatsu Octopus hooks. T-Hex and Ava Diamond Jig, are the most productive metals. You can make your own surf spikes out of pvc from the hardware store, and I have done that. Copyright 2023 FYAO Saltwater Media Group, Inc. | All Rights Reserved | Powered by. Use a 6- to 12-lb test line that can comfortably cast a 1/2- to 1-oz egg sinker, depending on surf conditions. My favorites are the orange sand flea flavor, and the pink shrimp flavor. Thanks! Some say that catching a Tarpon is the ultimate inshore fishing achievement. Most hardcore surf anglers use carts with tires that float over the sand to get their gear into the zone. Heavy, long-casting lures that sink too quickly will drag bottom or pick up weeds. If balloon tires are not in your budget, thats OK. A cart like the one pictured below is much more affordable and will work just fine. Youll probably get a few bites from other fish as well, but is that really a bad thing? I have, in fact, taken ONLY Fishbites to the beach before and easily limited out on pompano. Anglers in far South Florida--all the way to Miami Beach--reap the run on winter's coldest days. really? You can usually catch your own, or you can buy them at a bait shop. If youre fishing the surf in fall, wind and giant waves can push the pompano either close to shore or far offshore. I have an entire article about all the baits that can be used for pompano, if you are interested: The Best Baits For Pompano. Finding an ideal quaint motel in Pompano Beach does not have to be difficult. I see the water in front of me as vertical and horizontal lines. You just never know where the pompano or whatever species of fish you are targeting will be from one day to the next. Ill stick to beach casting from the Norfolk UK coastline. There are, of course, levels of rough water. If you decide to do so, I would not necessarily use pyramid weights as my first sinker option. That is why I chose this one over the larger size. Its often said that they are even more powerful than a jack crevalle of the same size. Speaking of transient. . Stacked up on the edge, just like last night, the other answered. Thats when your long rod and heavy pyramid sinker come into play. You just never really know what they are going to do next. Tight lines! Some anglers also like to use fly rods for fishing pompano. Water temperatures are often the key to catching pompano and just about every other fish for that matter. Intro How far out do you have to cast to catch pompano surf fishing? When using dead shrimp, break them in half, or about the size that will cover a 1/0 circle hook. Pompano fishing is more popular in Florida though, due to the high number of fish in this area.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'riversearch_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_3',157,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-riversearch_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0'); If youre trying to locate the pompano in the waters you are fishing, they are usually targeted by fishing in the surf. Tie a dropper loop about 10-12 inches up the line. They are known to be one of the best-tasting fish, they arent very difficult to catch, but they still put up a good fight, which makes it enjoyable to fish them.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'riversearch_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',155,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-riversearch_com-medrectangle-3-0'); If youre fishing for pompano you need to read this guide. You can even tip them with dead bait to make them even more effective. These can be bought pre-made, or they can be easily hand tied yourself. The way the line lays on the reel also affects distance. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Generally, the best fishing times in a day will be during tide movement. Look for bridges and piers over deep channels. Look for the fish on the down current side of the bridge. This method will also keep them lively for quite a while. I always stash a few bottle plugs in the bag as well, provided Im fishing somewhere with enough current to make them effective. 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. Besides focusing your efforts around the ideal water temps and tide movements, the next thing to consider is the surf conditions. Sometimes I use beads, sometimes I dont. Sure, you can catch a pompano in 64 degree water or 81 degree water but it will be hard to catch large numbers of them in water that is uncomfortable to them. 9 w mullet head and 4 oz weight is fine for bull reds . Larger reels hold enough line to have a reserve left to be able to fight a large fish at the end of such a cast.