By Marco Pompano, Surf Fishing Guide
Bamba time is here, so get your reels, poles and bait together and come on down to the beach for some surf fishing. Ya, mon! The seasons are changing and spring time is here: thunderstorms, winds and pompano. They arrive when the water temperature gets warm enough where we live, in Wilbur By the Sea. The water temperature is perfect right now, at 64°, so the pompano will stay and feed, and that’s just what they’re doing. Black drum, red drum and sheepshead, and my friend Tommy’s favorite, whiting, are also in abundance.
This morning I have a charter on the beach in Wilbur By the Sea with some people from Pennsylvania who want to surf fish with me. But, as always, you could make the best plans and the conditions play a big part in how it goes. We came out and there were too many weeds and too much current to fish, so I’ll have to keep the bait fresh on dry ice and see what comes next day.
A few times a year we get infestations of Portuguese man o’ war. A poisonous, blue-purple, jellyfish-like animal that floats in with the wind using a small sail and often wash up on the beach among the weeds. They can grow up to 12 inches long and should be avoided, as their tentacles can extend many meters and cause a severe burning sting on contact. They’re not actually jellyfish but are made up of four organisms called polyps, with a gas-filled body that acts as a sail, moving them with currents and wind, and they’re found in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. Their tentacles can reach up to 150 feet and contain barbs used to paralyze small fish. If stung, you may get a welt and even shortness of breath, use hot water and rinse off the barbs, and vinegar or ammonia can help; some fishermen even use urine to neutralize the toxin. They can still sting when dead on the beach and typically only appear for a few days each year.
Now, getting back to that surf fishing charter, we had to wait two days, but the great conditions rolled in. My people from Pennsylvania showed up at 8 o’clock. No weeds and no current, and by 10 o’clock we had the grand slam: pompano, black drum, sheepshead, and whiting.
To celebrate the catch we put on the reggae beats of the Melodians. Ya, mon! We had a fillet session behind my house. With refreshments. We split up the fillets. And my charter people went on their way and me and my fish are heading to the smoker.
