By Marco Pompano, Surf Fishing Guide
So, the Pompano season has arrived. I just got back from Islamorada, the giant nautical flea market, where they have everything you can imagine for fishing, boating, sailing anything to do with the ocean. I was able to pick up some really good Penn reels, which I’m using today.
I’m sitting here, all excited, getting my bait together with the people in the morning. We’re totally motivated. I have fleas and crab knuckles. For three weeks, no Pompano. At least, I wasn’t catching any. I got out to the beach early right before sunrise and set up. I put in my first surf fishing rod and I’m setting up my second one as the first one goes off with a beautiful bend. I pull in a nice 17-inch scout pompano. I always get these when they start to run, but things aren’t over yet.
A few of my friends came down to join me on the beach, set up on both sides of me, leaving me plenty of room. Since they are my friends, they started to catch also. Just one or two the first few days, then for a few days nothing again, so I’m out here this morning and it’s on!
I’m here with my friend Louis who’s been talking to me for two years about coming down and fishing with me while he’s here. It’s today! Ya, mon! We’ll see if I can get some. The tide is coming into mid-tide, my favorite time to fish because there’s plenty of water underneath. We’re throwing out to a trough about 80 yards out, and every time I cast I get a bite.
They are here. The water is 66°, perfect for the pompano. They’re gonna stick around for a while. Blue-green ocean, so peaceful, yet when the rods bend everything changes. Right now I have my limit of six. It’s the first time in months. Also, the whiting bite is on. I just went and picked up some Hickory hardwood and some charcoal for the smoker. I smoke these pompano whole, then pick the meat clean.
I put them on the smoker for about four hours. The trick is to not open the smoker. Just let them do it. The fish are made of total water so they’re really hard to mess up. All my friends are waiting for the smoked fish dip to be finished, and we pass it around plenty. I’ve been told it’s pretty fine. We eat them with crackers and jalapeños, and, of course, wash ’em down with a few cold ones.
We went from one to two fish a day, all the way up to six. We’re out here today starting to catch again, so this is an early start to the season and today’s fish and I are heading to the smoker. Again.
