# Pompano Experts



## Hook line stinker (Jul 19, 2012)

I am new to pompano fishing to the extent that I haven't caught one yet. I have surf fished a bunch of times but I am interested in learning how to target them. I am pretty sure I have been using much too large bait and hooks for their liking. I have read plenty but would love to learn hands on from someone who has been around the block. Let me know if any of you pros are willing to divulge a few of your secrets. 
PM me so we can set something up. Thanks.
Also I have a few surf set-ups but what would be some of the ideal pompano rod/reel combos you would recommend?


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## PaulBoydenCustoms (Dec 3, 2008)

small hooks, and sand fleas or peeled shrimp do the trick. its a hurry up and wait kinda thing. usually the bite is a little better when there is a little surf


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

I prefer size one light wire circles. Ive even caught dozens of bull reds including my largest at forty five inches on these hooks. They are just fine.

I use a double dropper rig with orange beads or floats made of twenty pound fluro.

I prefer fleas when its clear, fresh peeled shrimp when its a bit murky but always bring both.

The trick is reading the surf. Fish in cuts. Also bring at least four rods and position them in different depths in the cut, maybe even one beside the cut on the bar. If you start noticing one is getting ate more then others, put a few more baits in that spot.

If that cut isnt producing, move.

Im not as good as most of the harcore surf guys but I generally can put a pomp or two in the box.


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## the finisher (Jan 22, 2013)

go to tight lines bait and tackle store....get a sea striker rod....medium action....at least 8 foot....9 or 10 even better....25 bucks....go to rod and reel depot...get a daiwa b g 15.....for the 8 footer or b g 20 for 9 or 10 footer.....tight lines has a super pompano rig for 2.50 a piece...20 lb test line ...any kind ....3 oz.p. weight..


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## coin op repair man (Aug 28, 2012)

I've caught them in the surf where it is churning the sand up with a 3/8 oz. pink and white jig tipped with a thumbnail piece of shrimp hopping it on the bottom. I use a spinning reel with 10lb. mono on a 7' med. light rod.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

There are many variants in pompano tackle. Some like circle hooks, others like long shanked J hooks. I prefer a #6-#4 Kahle hook. I use single drop rigs with a micro float on the dropper above the hook. I always carry different colors of floats as well. There's days where certain colors will work far better than others. I use 15-20 fluoro or mono for my leaders and tie them directly to my main line. For bait, I use a variety like most and prefer to bring a few different types with me. Live and dead shrimp, sand fleas, ghost shrimp and fiddler crabs will all take pomps but there will be times when one or two is preferred so it pays to have a variety of bait. Rods and reels is something that could be debated for days on end so I won't go there, but you'll want to use good quality rods that are light and are more efficient for casting long distances. 

Variances in the beach or sandbar are what to look for when picking a spot. Washouts can be spotted from a distance by turbulence on the surface. Areas where the outer bar swings close to the beach forms choke points that funnel pompano into narrower channels. When the surf zone is relatively uniform with few points or washouts, then you need to spot any spot that offers something different for fish to relate to. It could be slightly deeper water or a spot with a couple shallow humps.


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## Hook line stinker (Jul 19, 2012)

Thanks a lot for all the timely responses. Seems like everyone does something a little different. I will try all of the stuff mentioned over time, but would love a one day crash course on the sand if anyone is interested in teaching. I'll buy the bait and bring whatever I need.
PM me to set it up.


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

They're everywhere.  Each with something 'a little different'. C2


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## Magic Mike (Jun 30, 2009)

Most effective equipment: comfy beach chair, 12 pack of cold brew, sunglasses, sand flea rake and a couple long rods (8'+) w/reels....

Double drop setup and least amount of weight to hold in surf (try spider weight/spudnik weight with high surf) and either peeled shrimp (really half pealed) or sand fleas. I try to keep my rigs as simple as possible, but know some people swear by the wal-mart orange float rig deals.

Casting distance doesn't seem to make much difference in my experience; have caught them 15' from shore and past 2nd sandbar. They're visual hunters... they cover lots of ground searching for food. 

Have fun and enjoy the beach. Keep an eye on water temps and tides... record when you catch and when you leave empty handed. Bet you start to see patterns


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## jcallaham (Dec 13, 2009)

Chris, I have a story for you . I've had a few glasses of wine , hope i can make sense.
I have learned about reading the beach ,looking for cuts and washouts ,beach structure,ect.
when I fish byself I move I f iam not getting any thing.
Johnson beach is my favorite place ,just close to home and I just like going there.sometimes the fishing is not so good so I try something different. along perdido key there is a cross over right across from where they are building a new fire station. about 1/4 west of that cross over is a sand point that is pretty consistantly there. fished there a few times and got some big whiting and nice flounder. good cut running right along the beach with edges to cast to ,really fishy lookin spot.
So one morning last fall I walk over the cross over with another fisherman and what is right in front of us is dead flat surf, no water moving,no struture. But down the to the west is my point ,small waves breaking over it and I can see current moving along the beach, so off I go. the other fisherman just wants to relax and fish right there . Two hours later I have 2 small flounder in my box, only kept them because they swallowed the hook. As I get back to the crossver the other fisherman is packing up and ready to go. He has 5 pomps in his box, two big ones and 3 mediums. So do I just suck as a fisherman, or does this guy just know something that i don't. any way I'll be wondering about it for a long time


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

I have been fishing for the 'Silver Ghost' for many moons and quit trying to figure it all out.

I fish with what I know was successful in the past in places where I caught fish. I always have a cast or two for unknown waters. Sometimes; surprised at what I find.

I just keep 'chunking and hoping'. I like to try new and different things. That's what makes it interesting.

Don't let it get you down! You'll probably limit out on your next trip. :thumbup: C2


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Jcallaham, sometimes it can be a matter of 10ft of positioning. I've fished a point with a washout running to the SW across it and between me and a friend had 6 rods spread across the point from close in to about 70yds out. The only two rods that continuously got hit were the mid distance rods. The depth along our baits was similar, but there was a slight variance that held the fish in that one area. This has happened on many occasions. I say move around if the bite doesn't happen but make sure you commit enough time to a fishy looking spot and fish it at different distances and depths. 

I'm one who swears by the floats, but I don't add the "wal mart" adjective in front of mine. The store bought rigs usually have too heavy of leader material and too big of floats as well as the wrong sized hooks most of the time.

There's no rules to any kind of fishing, so experiment away until you have your own set of "rules"!


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## Dynamic (Oct 3, 2007)

Does sam's sell the micro floats?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Dynamic said:


> Does sam's sell the micro floats?


Yes. We carry several different sizes and colors


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Floats*

In my early days of Pompano Fishing, I hung onto a cinder black with snorkle and mask to try to observe and learn something about the fish behavior.

If you watch a school of Pompano in a feeding mode, they are like a herd of cows, checking on everything in their range. When one discovers something; the others will flock to this location.

A sand flea, by nature, tries to stay at the edge of the wash to eat the tiny micros that live there. They will burrow and when the water rises/recedes, come up out of their burrows? and swim to a new location. This happens in a heartbeat.

This is where they are the most vulnerable. Pompano like to catch them in mid-range but I have seen them burrow nose down after one that they saw hide itself.

It's what you're trying to emulate with a float. The bright color does attract fish even though some of my most effective have been sand flea color while allowing the bait(flea) to suspend/sink slowly. The expensive ones look the same both in size and color as a lead lead jig except for the weight.

I have been fishing exclusively with jigs/teaser/flies and find that the bottom jig(digger) creates the 'Magic Puff of Sand' that I often refer to. It brings the fish over to investigate where it finds the teaser/fly combo. Very effective.

I do use a 'sweetener' to make the fish hold onto the jig longer. They can taste it and spi tit out rather quickly.

When I did use bait, I used the smallest float that I could find/make to let the bait slowly sink and remain in the strike zone longer.

Don't get me started talking about Fishing. C2


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## caddysdad (Nov 8, 2010)

*Charlie2, I was surfing the net tonight looking for pomp info*



Charlie2 said:


> In my early days of Pompano Fishing, I hung onto a cinder black with snorkle and mask to try to observe and learn something about the fish behavior.
> 
> If you watch a school of Pompano in a feeding mode, they are like a herd of cows, checking on everything in their range. When one discovers something; the others will flock to this location.
> 
> ...


and saw you posted there. Remembered your handle and came back here and lo and behold...I have a question for you after reading the above.

Can you give me some kind of description of the rig you are fishing? Also, found a thing on a FS article about how Larry Finch makes his dropper rigs. Do you tie a leader to a dropper loop normally or tie the hook directly to the loop? 

Thanks.


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Pompano Rigs*

First; I'm not an 'expert' by any means. I learn something new almost daily. I do catch a lot of dumb fish. The smart ones are caught by Chris V, Pompano Joe and Jim. :thumbup: 

I first make a 'wishbone' affair using either wire or stiff mono. With mono, I join the three leads at the top with what I call a Half-Fast Surgeon's Knot. If using wire, I'll use a crimp sleeve. At the end of each of the 'arms' I make a small loop using a No-Slip Loop Knot (mono) or twist(wire).

I will tie the jig and teaser tied back-to-back on a loop on a short leader onto the loop on the end of the 'arms'. :blink:

If you envision an Umbrella Rig(Google), that is what my rig looks like except that it has three 'arms'. I found that by using an Umbrella Rig with 5 arms, I usually hung a weight on the bottom two to make it swim upright, so use three arms as a personal preference. I found that three works well for casting so that's what I wound up with.

My C2 Rig, as it is known, uses a heavier jig in the middle(bottom) loop with floating jigs or teasers on the other two. I do use a 'sweetener' on both jigs and teasers.

I'll work on posting a picture. Wish me luck and do try to be kind .

I hope that this doesn't confuse too much. C2


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

The pomps I catch may be smart, but they obviously do dumb things


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

*Pompano Rig*

http://www.bassmaster.com/sites/def...ideshow_image/11X-Pure-poison-Triple-thre.jpg

This is what it almost looks like. It does give me an idea to try. Here's another version. Still too much hardware.

http://shop.hatcams.com/images/010.jpg

I don't do the head thing or put clips on the arms. Too much hardware. K.I.S.S. C2


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## wilfish4774 (Sep 4, 2008)

To my knowledge, there is only one pompano "expert" in this part of the country. There are many who will try to convince that they are the "one". Actually there is a very simple procedure to locate and identify the Real Pompano Expert. Simply look within the historical records of the gulf breeze bait and tackle Pompano Tournaments. It is there where the true Pompano Expert can be found and identified. Look for the individual who has won the most back to back tournaments and who has the record for the largest Pompano caught in the tournament.. This individual will be your Pompano expert.


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## Snagged Line (Sep 30, 2007)

Finishing up 3 years of research???...... Wake up Grandpa, its time for your Meds...


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## Snagged Line (Sep 30, 2007)

wilfish4774 said:


> To my knowledge, there is only one pompano "expert" in this part of the country. There are many who will try to convince that they are the "one". Actually there is a very simple procedure to locate and identify the Real Pompano Expert. Simply look within the historical records of the gulf breeze bait and tackle Pompano Tournaments. It is there where the true Pompano Expert can be found and identified. Look for the individual who has won the most back to back tournaments and who has the record for the largest Pompano caught in the tournament.. This individual will be your Pompano expert.




Finishing up 3 years of research???...... Wake up Grandpa, its time for your Meds...


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Snagged Line said:


> Finishing up 3 years of research???...... Wake up Grandpa, its time for your Meds...


He's been working on his responses for a few threads. I think he's just a slow reader.


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