By Marco Pompano, Surf Fishing Guide
If da fish kept his mouth shut, he wouldn’t of got caught is an old Jamaican proverb I use all the time. It could be used to mean many different things. Ya, mon!
Surf fishing has been very sporadic this season. The fish are not cooperating. That’s the nature of it anyway, but as Larry Finch says, “The fish, they gotta eat”.
I picked up a little calico crab off the beach right in front of my poles, chopped it up and put it on the line. That’s just what the pompano eat, and they’re hungry. Yum! One of my poles took a little header and then stood straight up.
That Pompano was swimming in right to me. First it’s heading north, then makes a U-turn and heading south, right into my bucket. Ya, mon!
This last week I had one of my favorite charters, with four people: one mom and three children, ages 13, 14, and 16, the perfect ages to get them hooked on this fishing business. They’re from Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.
And we hauled them in. I gave a little exhibition on how to cut up the calico crab for crab knuckles. I told the youngest kid, “You take a piece of this and put it on your hook. Now, you might not get the most bites, but if something bites this, you’ll know it.” Within two minutes, the rod bent over all the way, almost touching the water. That little boy ran his butt off and reeled in even harder and ended up with the biggest fish today, an 18 inch-to-the-tail pompano. I would fillet it for them later, with all the rest of the fish we caught. He was so proud to beat his sister and older brother. I know how that feels. I’m the youngest one in my family also. Ya, mon!
So, after so many months, I sit here patiently, and it’s paid off the last four days. It’s been excellent pompano fishing. The main herd seems to have arrived, with some fat slobs coming onto the beach.
The ceviche’s being made, the fish soup is being slurped down. The fish cakes are in abundance and the smoked fish dip has to be made. You know what that means: Bob Marley is singing ‘Stir It Up,’ and me and these pompanos are heading to the smoker.
