# FWB - What am I doing wrong?



## Tourney3p0 (Feb 20, 2014)

I haven't gotten as much of a bite in the last 10 or so outings. It's starting to get a little frustrating, so I wanted to mention my technique and have someone tell me what I'm doing wrong.

It's been mostly Friday evenings and all times from sunup to sundown on Saturday and Sunday. Some of the trips are at the public access points off Santa Rosa and others are closer to Destin where there are no condos. Incoming tide, outgoing tide, you name it, I've tried it without any luck.

Bait has been live shrimp, fresh peeled shrimp, and live sandfleas fished on a double drop with #2 circle hooks. I've tried casting on top of the sandbar (although the sandbar is so far out at FWB, that's about the limits of my casting distance), right before the sandbar, everywhere in between, and only a few feet out where the waves begin to break. I stick the rods in the spike, wait an hour or so, then reel in untouched bait every time. Rinse and repeat a few times and go home in shame.

I've read the sticky on reading the surf, and I make sure to follow this points to the best of my ability. Even if I'm completely messing that up, it seems like there should have been at least one errant fish that decided to pick up my bait.

Can I get some pointers? If nothing else, where should I be aiming my bait?


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## SteveCal (Jun 21, 2014)

My results pretty much mirror yours. A few folks say they catch Pompano, etc. in the Destin, Miramar and Santa Rosa Beach area. But I've never caught anything but Rays and Catfish there. I have caught my Pompano in Gulf Shores just inside the west end of the park and at Ft. Pickens. Went to Navarre and fish to the east of the pier. It sucked. Waves four feet high. Winds 20+. And stinkin' catfish was all I caught. Oh, I did see several sharks 40 to 50 feet off the beach. You can almost see Navarre Pier from Okaloossa Pier.


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## Tourney3p0 (Feb 20, 2014)

I found a spot last year where I could actually walk out to the sandbar without the water going above my chest. We caught plenty of fish there casting just past the sandbar into the darker water. Then a storm came, and no more close sandbar.

As far as I know, there's currently no such place in the FWB area. Maybe it's just not a good place to fish, but I'd like to think someone has figured it out.


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## devinsdad (Mar 31, 2010)

I went out yesterday with a guy I met on the PFF and had the same luck. He was fishing right beside me using the same rig, distance, bait, etc... He got two nice Pomps within 30 minutes and I never even got a single bite. Just the way it goes.

Keep trying and don't give up!


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

What style of rig are you using? Are you hand tying them or are you buying those Walmart premade rigs?


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## Tourney3p0 (Feb 20, 2014)

Not sure if it's the same one you'd find at Walmart, but I think I bought these at Half Hitch or a local shop. It's a premade Eagle Claw double drop, the kind with a clasp for the sinker on the bottom and the two red beads. Could that be making much of a difference?


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## SteveCal (Jun 21, 2014)

NoMoSurf said:


> What style of rig are you using? Are you hand tying them or are you buying those Walmart premade rigs?


What rigging do you suggest for Pompano? I'm about ready to try anything.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Yes that can make a huge difference when the fish are wary or if the water is extremely clear.

I tie my own with 10 or 15lb flourocarbon. 
Cut a section about 28-30 inches long.
Tie a tiny swivel at one end and snap swivel at the other. Smallest you can find.
Then tie two dropper loops in the line at about 8 or 10 inch intervals. 
Then use a 1/0 circle or kahle hook on each loop.

Make the rig as light and invisible as possible. I've fished these rigs right beside rods rigged with the Eagle Claw rigs with all of the beads and silver crimp hardware. The light rigs outfish them 5:1 or better every time that I have tested them together.


I also lightly spray paint all of my swivels with light sand colored spray paint to knock down the shine. I even sometimes spray the pyramid weights too. If you do not know how to tie a dropper loop, watch some vids on youtube and even check into making and using a dropper loop board.

I also every so often give the rod a tug and one turn of the handle. It moves the weight in the sand and creates a "puff" to mimic the sand disturbed by moving critters. It helps attract pomps.


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## SWAngler (Sep 13, 2014)

My spring surf fishing has sucked too. Main problem is that there are few nice washouts to be found. Beach is nearly straight and smooth. Even the washouts you find don't have as deep of water close to shore.That forces fish to spread out and anglers to concentrate in the few good holes. 

Been that way for 2 months, as compared to last fall where the holes were every 200 yards or so and loaded with fish. Some (honey holes) are there, but I'm too lazy to go very far to find, which forces me to fish less than optimal areas. That means having to fish more hours for a few fish.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I have never fished the area that you are talking about. So if you need more than 2-3oz of weight or are trying to really sling it out there, you may need to move up to 20 or 25lb flouro material. The 10lb ones that I make are for using 2oz weights and only tossing about 50 yards or so. Most of my pomps and drum are caught in the wash just where the surf rushes back in from the beach.


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## SteveCal (Jun 21, 2014)

Thank you NoMo. I'm going to make some of the rigs you described. Hopefully that wil get me on some more Pompano.


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## Tourney3p0 (Feb 20, 2014)

Thanks for the responses. I especially liked the part about spray painting the swivels. I guess this might be the largest area of concern in the Eagle Claw design. The line itself has always held up as expected, but the snap swivels are huge. I wonder if the small red balls add anything. I always assumed it was for mimicking sand flea eggs.

As far as fishing the wash, what kind of depth would you expect there? I'm assuming this would be right around where the closest waves break, but the depth is only maybe a foot in that area. You'd probably have to fish another 15 yards beyond that for a decent black drum to even swim upright. But then again, I haven't caught any fish in awhile.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Beads or no beads is a huge debate amongst surf fisermen. I'm a no beads kinda guy, but I do lkeep some in my tackle box to use when the fleas are full of eggs. I think the biggest thing is to get rid of all of the shiney hardware and that crappy mono that they use on the Eagle Claws. Next time that you go swimming, take one with you and throw it on the bottom and look at it. They are not even almost see through. They look like a water toy under there. Then look at a rig like I described, you will be lucky to find it and get it back.

When painting the swivels, use VERY light dusting coats of paint. You just want to take the shine off, not goop it up with paint.

As for the wash, yes. Right there in 1-2ft of water where the wave slides back into the incoming surf. That is where all of the little crustaceans and coquinas get caught up in the turbulent water and get confused. Pomps and black drum cruise through there VERY regular. The biggest drum that I have ever caught in there was about 5-6lbs. Perfect eating size. I've even seen a guy catch a nice slot red in that trough. With swimmers everywhere.. I've even seen a 20-30lb jack run through there with his fins out of the water. Want to talk about swimmers scattering! haha They thought it was a sea monster.

I usually have three rods out. One over the first bar, one just on the inside of the first bar, and one lighter rod for the trough. As I periodically drag in the outer rod and it ends up inside the bar, I then reel in the inner bar rod and rethrow it outside. This process takes 20-45 mins depending on how often I give the outer rod a tug. I aslo keep a 4th rod with an artificail to throw at anything that I see swimming by. Jacks usually.


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## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

I use 20 lb. test floro carbon leader 2/0 &3/0 eagle claw circle hooks. And as gaudy as it looks with the floats and beads, I wouldn't ever want to go back to fishing without them.



















Maybe you can blow up the picture large enough to see it.


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