By Marco Pompano, Surf Fishing Guide
This is my fifth day out on the beach fishing. I have great bait: crab knuckles and sand fleas. The weather is a little hot but overcast, just like we like it, but all I’ve been getting are throwbacks: small pompano, lots of catfish.
I caught some lady fish, some small palmetto, a couple of small redfish, and that’s about it.
I was going to make up a story, but you wouldn’t like that, would you? I’d rather just sit here in the doldrums and think about the beautiful pompano, maybe a permit or two, a whiting. Maybe a bunch.
Anyway, the water is still very warm with a few upwellings, (cold water that rises). Hopefully with that, we’ll get some good eating fish.
As we speak, it’s the time of the mullet run, the small schooley mullet that come through, followed by very hungry redfish. I have my net out now, and I’m casting. I’m getting a few mullet. The biggest school is out too far for me to reach. So far no luck either.
As long as we’re on the subject of redfish, and I have plenty of time, I’ll let you know a little bit about them. A red drum is called a redfish. It’s related to the black drum and it has spots down its back onto his tail, which make them look like eyes, maybe to make it look like its head, to get away easier from predator fish. They are very good to eat and in Louisiana and Florida they are famous for that, with a little nice cajun spice on it. Ya, mon!
So, I am waiting for the cooler waters and temperature to arrive. Soon come. The pompano season stretches from (usually) September until the water cools off in December or January. I know they’re coming. They come every year.
With nothing to show for all this waiting around, I’m throwing in a trout pic from my time in Canada.
For now, all I can do is dream of me and these fish heading to the smoker.
