# Pomp fising in OB



## Surfslayer (Oct 24, 2015)

Is there a reason people are consistently catching pomps east of OB and not in town? It seems like the bite in OB is much slower than the panhandle of Florida. Is there a water temp difference, beach topography difference, etc? Just trying to figure this out as this is my first year as a resident of OB. So far I have tried everything I could think of including what I have learned on the forum and still not catching any pomps.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Could have something to do with all that tannic water pushing out of the pass.


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## tignokp (Oct 7, 2012)

I'm right there with you. I fished OB this morning and I'm headed to Pensacola Beach next time


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## SurfFishingMeister (Aug 18, 2015)

What kind of Rigs do you use? What other fish have you caught this far on the surf? I didn't have a single hit last week when I went. This week We caught 12 Pomps in 2 days.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

I was going to go at first light tomorrow, but 20+ knot winds sucks.


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Destin, they're all in Destin ! They're running so thick over there, that they just use rubber mallets on them. They just pick out the ones they want and knock'em in the head. It's just too easy over there. Lol. 
That's disappointing to hear about O.B. as I had intended on going to one of my spots over there next Friday.


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## Surfslayer (Oct 24, 2015)

Using 2x pomp rig, orange beads, kahl hooks and 3-4 oz pyramid sinkers, usually fish shrimp and even tried fish bites this weekend. Typically fish three rods at different distances and fishing a few hours both sides of high tide. Generally fishing breaks in the bars or in the channels between the bars. So far this YEAR I have caught two bull reds, two pomps, hardheads, and a few small blues. Got skunked last week and past two days. Fishing beaches east of Perdido Pass to avoid crowds. 

I would appreciate some guidance.


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

MrFish could be right. Lot of fresh water pouring out the passes.


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Surfslayer said:


> Using 2x pomp rig, orange beads, kahl hooks and 3-4 oz pyramid sinkers, usually fish shrimp and even tried fish bites this weekend. Typically fish three rods at different distances and fishing a few hours both sides of high tide. Generally fishing breaks in the bars or in the channels between the bars. So far this YEAR I have caught two bull reds, two pomps, hardheads, and a few small blues. Got skunked last week and past two days. Fishing beaches east of Perdido Pass to avoid crowds.
> 
> I would appreciate some guidance.


 It sounds like you're doing it right. Are you de-heading and peeling your shrimp ? Also are the shrimp that you are using fairly fresh or at least not funky ?


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## Penn720 (Nov 1, 2013)

They're migrating east to west. Usually by late May the bite will have slowed in the panhandle but will still be strong in gulf Shores/OB. the key word here is 'slowed' not 'stopped'.

There's been some caught in OB, but it's a ways from peaking.

Mike


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## Surfslayer (Oct 24, 2015)

Deheading but not peeling. Have issues keeping bait on the hook when I peel the shrimp. 
Shrimp usually frozen or thawed. Will circle hooks help keep peeled shrimp on when casting?


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Peel 'em. I've tried both on the same stick and they like the work to be done for them. Lazy ass fish....


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

I use circles, I'm not real fond of the Khale hooks. Also if you are using large shrimp, cut them in half. It makes no sense to me why pompano like their shrimp peeled, but they do. Years ago when I first started pomp fishing, I was struggling to catch pompano. I finally asked an old pomp guru for some pointers. He told me to lose the Khale hooks and replace them with circle hooks. He then told me that if I couldn't catch any sandfleas and had to use shrimp, to make sure that I peeled them. I also asked him if I was throwing out far enough, I told him that I was wading out a little past knee deep to throw. He then preceded to tell me that he could wear his Sunday church going shoes and never get wet, cause you can reach'em from the shore just fine. Back then I didn't use the bright little corks on my pomp rigs, cause I thought that was something that only a naive tourist would use. He said the pomps love those gawdy little corks. So I started doing it his way, except I didn't peel the shrimp cause I thought that was just silly. I mean if they eat shrimp as part of their diet they know they come with a shell. Well, my catch rate went up some but not great. I finally got the opportunity to go fishing with him one day. We were fishing side by side and he was kicking my butt. He could tell I was getting a little irritated,so he said "you might want try peeling those shrimp." Reluctantly I did ,and guess what it works ! I've been peeling them ever since. I'm not saying that you can't catch'em on unpeeled shrimp, I'm just saying that you will catch more with peeled shrimp. Hope this helps.


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## Destinartist (Apr 24, 2013)

GROUPERKING said:


> Destin, they're all in Destin ! They're running so thick over there, that they just use rubber mallets on them. They just pick out the ones they want and knock'em in the head. It's just too easy over there. Lol.
> That's disappointing to hear about O.B. as I had intended on going to one of my spots over there next Friday.


No I think you misunderstood the mallet is for the tourist and size reference :thumbsup:


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## domci08 (Apr 9, 2013)

Dear OB fisherman.
I have been fishing in destin for pompano only for the past 8-9 years , but I've learn that every year they prefer different rigs, jigs and bait as well as the bite could be a very good or poor one according to the wind , water conditions and temperature . The major disadvantage in our area is all the tourist that are swimming in fairly chili waters while the pompano is trying to stay inshore and feed on any type of Crustacea . As soon as spring break is over they are so hungry that you literally walk along the beach and see hundreds and hundreds of pompano schooled up being chased by dolphins or hungry fisherman. Choice of bait : at this point it almost becomes a personal preference , anything will work more or less . Fish bites of any color as long it's bright so it gets attention in the water, my all time favorite is last years sandfleas . Mine have a tent of orange with a light white color due to a 30 second boiled water bath, and then dried out pretty good and freeze them in ziplock bags. Has a good fresh smell and nice attractive color, it's pompano candy next time I'll prep som up will post a picture titled "Pompano Candy!"
As my last resort or cold water bait( during winter time) I use only fresh peeled shrimp, if you find shrimp that are only 1"-1.5" long don't worry about peeling it, other wise due to small mouth pompano prefer smaller and softer baits. 
Also as most of you guys know pompano is a migratory fish with only a few local that usually get lost in our harbor or ICW, by getting chased from Dolphins pompano are running anywhere and everywhere they can. Friends of mine can see them in the winter on the Egliin and hoghtown flats chasing shrimp, they are very spooky and smart .
I hope this info was very helpful and be patient they should be there within a week or two . Our last week of pompano run is usually first or second week of May.


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## Surfslayer (Oct 24, 2015)

Thanks guys for all of the info. Hopefully next week wont be so rough and I can try circle hooks with fresh peeled shrimp. i may also be casting out too far, even with my short casts. 
I may try Perdido beach just past Florabama, seems to be fewer people on the beach.


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## SurfFishingMeister (Aug 18, 2015)

I agree with grouperking on the freshness of the shrimp. I usually go to the bait stores and ask for them to pull "fresh dead shrimp" from the live shrimp well. It's best to go right when they open. Pompanos seem to have a keen sense to know when the bait is aged. I have tested this on double rigs where I put on a thawed frozen on one pole and live shrimp on the other. They would not touch the thawed frozen. They hit the freshest ones. If you can find the sand fleas that's the ticket. Let me provide you with a simple pomp bait tool keeps it simple and increases your chances of catching a pomp. Here's three ways to look at it:

Pompano bait based of natural preferences:

Mud lobster > Sand flea > live shrimp > fresh dead shrimp > fiddler crab> frozen shrimp. 

Cross this list by how easy the bait is to obtain to fish.

live shrimp, fresh dead shrimp, frozen shrimp > sand flea > mud lobster > fiddler crab. 

Finally, 

Cross that list by how durable the bait is at staying on the hook:

Fiddler crab > Sand Flea > shrimp > mud lobster. 

So this tool says sand fleas and live shrimp are best however we cannot deny how much pompanos love mud lobsters aka ghost shrimp. If you've ever seen one know that the pompano jig is modeled after their colors. The upper body is white where the claws are and the rest of the comes in either burnt orange, bright yellow, red/pink, or deep red. So work these different colors into your sand flea or shrimp (live or fresh). One pole has all orange, one pole all yellow, one pole red/pink. 

Key tip to remember: when fishing for pompano make sure your hand have been COMPLETELY clean/washed/scrubbed of ALL sunscreen residue. It wil kill your chances at catching pompano because you have transferred waterproof chemicals to your bait that the people Pomps can smell.

Hope this helps,

I just learned all this this weekend and it helped me!!!!


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## SurfFishingMeister (Aug 18, 2015)

One more thing: I always open the stomach of a pomp when I am cleaning the fish. I have never seen a shrimp in the stomach. Ever!!! I have squeezed out either a sand flea or mud lobster. That should tell you a whole lot.


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## Chechem (Mar 20, 2016)

SurfFishingMeister said:


> One more thing: I always open the stomach of a pomp when I am cleaning the fish. I have never seen a shrimp in the stomach. Ever!!! I have squeezed out either a sand flea or mud lobster. That should tell you a whole lot.


Ever see any FishBites? :no:

Pompano are 'opportunistic predators' and 'generalists'. They eat a wide variety of foods, from worms to small fish. But crustacea make up their primary diet and preferred foods. They certainly eat shrimp, but commercial shrimp infrequently are inshore (along the beaches). When present, certainly they're eaten by pomps.


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## SurfFishingMeister (Aug 18, 2015)

I am sure I would see a fish bite in the stomach if they fell of the hook! Great analysis on pomp feeding. It is interesting to note that the world record was caught on a orange clam fish bite. 8.8 pound pomp that was weighed gutted. The guy did know it was a record so he took the guts out.


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## Chechem (Mar 20, 2016)

SurfFishingMeister said:


> *I am sure I would see a fish bite in the stomach if they fell of the hook! *Great analysis on pomp feeding. It is interesting to note that the world record was caught on a orange clam fish bite. 8.8 pound pomp that was weighed gutted. The guy did know it was a record so he took the guts out.












Of course, I meant 'there are limits on knowledge gained by stomach-contents analyses'. I've published on them; taken much criticism and fought the fight. Still, your observations add to our knowledge and I appreciate them. Thanks for the posts. :notworthy:


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## froggy (Feb 7, 2014)

ghost shrimp are all over perdido bay for sure. only takes a few minutes to grab plenty for the day. the gizmos cost about 15-30 in parts depending on how fancy you prefer. i aint been able to net bait yet but this thing works year round on the funky little skrimps


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## DuneGoon (Apr 21, 2016)

It's interesting how they will hog a crunchy sand flea but prefer their shrimp peeled & "fresh dead" out of the tank. I'm a tourist still but moving to Perdido soon. 
First thing I do (will be there the 2nd) is start at far end of Johnson beach and check all the beach accesses all the way to the river pass, looking for spots where the trough is narrow because the sand on the rise is shaped differently. I like those tight spots, they usually have deeper holes on each end as well to soak live bait for reds/etc. 
I don't like shrimp because of catfish so I try and find fleas and if I do I catch enough to last several days and freeze them in water in baggies. 
In wal-mart they sell ear plugs in the shooting section that are the exact same color orange as sand flea eggs and are tough and spongy. I cut them into disks and put a piece on both fleas and shrimp. They last a long time. 
I use four rods, soak a live bait on one, the other three I spread them out, one right on the beach, then middle, then out along the sand berm to find them. If I catch more than one in any of those spots I change all of them to that area. 
OK tourist all done explainin stuff he don't know about.


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## Chechem (Mar 20, 2016)

DuneGoon said:


> It's interesting how they will hog a crunchy sand flea but prefer their shrimp peeled & "fresh dead" out of the tank. I'm a tourist still but moving to Perdido soon.
> First thing I do (will be there the 2nd) is start at far end of Johnson beach and check all the beach accesses all the way to the river pass, looking for spots where the trough is narrow because the sand on the rise is shaped differently. I like those tight spots, they usually have deeper holes on each end as well to soak live bait for reds/etc.
> I don't like shrimp because of catfish so I try and find fleas and if I do I catch enough to last several days and freeze them in water in baggies.
> In wal-mart *they sell ear plugs in the shooting section that are the exact same color orange as sand flea eggs *and are tough and spongy. I cut them into disks and put a piece on both fleas and shrimp. They last a long time.
> ...


You made my day. :notworthy:
I have a bag of those, and will take extras to share next trip to Ft Pickens.


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## DuneGoon (Apr 21, 2016)

Who knows if they help but they make me feel better about it anyway!


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## sabinelakehustler (Apr 24, 2013)

Im seeing North wind in gulf breeze may 2nd and 3rd.... I heard north wind kills everything... is this true?


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

It doesn't help much . But they can still be caught. Some folks are better than others at catching them when it's flat and calm. I'm not one of the better ones at it. Lol I prefer a decent surf.


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## Chechem (Mar 20, 2016)

sabinelakehustler said:


> Im seeing North wind in gulf breeze may 2nd and 3rd.... I heard north wind kills everything... is this true?


Not the best conditions, but this time of year the north wind usually doesn't last long. And it could mean an increase in currents (which is good) as water is pushed out of the estuaries by the wind. Don't give up on it!


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## sabinelakehustler (Apr 24, 2013)

Chechem said:


> Not the best conditions, but this time of year the north wind usually doesn't last long. And it could mean an increase in currents (which is good) as water is pushed out of the estuaries by the wind. Don't give up on it!


I dont have a choice to reschedule. 2,3,4,5 looks like 2,3 raining 4,5 nnw 25mph. 


If I cant a couple it be worth the trip! I love eating them, Season throw on pit and take the meat and make spring rolls!!


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## gatoryak (Mar 14, 2011)

Abrupt change in success at the state line?... three guesses... gillnetters, gill netters, gill netters!!!


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## Surfslayer (Oct 24, 2015)

I have heard about gill netters in the area but I haven't seen them yet. Its a shame they can net so close to the beaches. I would think there would be some regs against being so close to shore.
The Pomp bite has been very consistent since the third week in April, for me. Peeled fresh shrimp really changed my catch rate. Havent caught anything on sandfleas yet, only peeled shrimp. Caught two keeper pomps today plus a nice whiting. Just finished dinner and the whiting was better than expected.


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