SURF & PIER – April Fishing Report
April is shaping up to be the best month for you to catch pompano! The water temperature has finally risen to a comfort level when pompano are in our surf in big numbers. All you have to do is find clean water that holds hungry fish. Just remember, these fish are migratory, and they are constantly on the move. Just remember, they have to eat every day to survive. So, my advice is, that if you have not had a bite in 30 minutes, MOVE! How far you ask? First, try looking for structure to your north and south. If you do not see anything worth walking to, pack it up and move to another beach.
How to find structure on the beach is the hardest part of being a successful surf fisherman! Not just for pompano, but for all species of fish. To get started, I highly recommend going to YouTube and search “How to read the beach?”. There are several great videos that will give you a wealth of knowledge. Since the sandbars, cuts, runouts, and troughs are made out of shifting sand, they constantly change. That is why when I get to the beach, I take five to fifteen minutes to read the beach. Once I see “the spot”, I will watch it with complete focus for at least three more sets of waves, just to be sure. Whether the spot is 20 yards or 1,000 yards away, the walk is almost always worth it.
Pompano can be finicky feeders. This is why I always take at least three kinds of bait with me. You will want to take some combo of live sand fleas, frozen fleas, fresh clams, salted clams, FKS, FDS, live blue crab, and Fishbites. Oh yeah, FKS, aka fresh killed shrimp, and FDS, fresh dead shrimp. Either way, the antennas should still be attached. They break off if the shrimp has ever been frozen.
The rigging is simple; either a double dropper, aka pompano rig ,or a fish finder, aka sinker slider rig. On both, I always use a 2/0 Eagle Claw L197 circle hook. These two rigs, with the previously mentioned baits, will also produce whiting, redfish, and black drum.
I am so pleased to announce the 16th Annual Florida Surf Casters Tournament! This tournament is a whiting and pompano only tournament. Strike Zone Fishing in Jacksonville has graciously offered to be the weigh-in site again this year. You can get all the details at www.floridasurfcasters.com or Facebook site “Florida Surf Casters Open to the Public Tournament”. This event will be held May 16th 2020. Good luck to everyone . Hope you catch a big one!