As the little girl from poltergeist once said ” They’re here” That’s right folks the Pompano are finally back and the locals are once again happy as a pig in mud. As I have told you over the last few issues it was just a matter of time before they returned, and this year it seems it’s better late than never. Of course there’s some other fish to be caught in the surf during the winter months, but most agree that Pompano are the fish of choice when it comes to keeping something for dinner.
It seems to me that they feed on quite a few different things, but some baits have worked better than others. Everything from fresh dead shrimp, to sand fleas, and yes those trusty fish bites have been working. The real secret my friends is something that I swore I wouldn’t tell but alas I would like everyone to share in the joy of freshly cooked wonderful bliss. A local
angler explained to me that using blue crab knuckles is the secret to hauling in the most and biggest of these fish. Using a simple Pompano rig that you can get at your local bait shop will work. He also liked fishing early in the morning on outgoing tides. I’m hoping he doesn’t read this as most locals hate giving away the secrets that seem to work best. It is however my job as a writer to help everyone enjoy the excitement of catching fish so I’m giving in to the masses and sharing this with you.
Now that we have basked in the glory of Pompano lets talks about what else is out there in the surf. With the cold weather and winter swells it’s not always easy to fish the surf but if you can keep your bait out there long enough you might just catch some big bull whiting , bluefish, and yes even some slot redfish can still be caught. The occasional black drum, and some sand perch can be found as well. Once again the bait of choice is fresh dead shrimp, also cut bait, and mullet also seem to work pretty well. It’s funny this time of year the snow birds are here and they all want to catch is a shark. Maybe it’s just to say they did it, but to me sure they can be fun to catch, but they are also a pain in the butt when it comes to stealing bait and breaking lines. For those of you who just absolutely positively have the need to catch natures greatest predator it’s pretty easy to do.
Ladyfish works great just because they are a greasy stinky fish and if it’s one thing sharks like almost as much a blood and guts it’s stinky and greasy. If that doesn’t work just take whatever live fish u happen to catch in the surf stab it a few times or slice it’s belly and throw it out there. It will just be a matter of time before sharky finds his way to your bait. One thing to remember is that you can never have a big enough pole or heavy enough line for those guys. You may hook into something bigger than you are so be ready to fight folks!!! To be honest the last few weeks have been tough due to weather but as you can see from this picture when it is nice out it can be a great time to get out there and have a great day of fishing. Thanks again for reading me.
The Opinionated Sports Guy.