By Marco Pompano, Surf Fishing Guide
It’s hot, and I don’t mean the bite. It’s been very off and on. I’ve been going out to the beach with my surf fishing rods very early in the morning, avoiding the hot sun. The tide is very good early these days, from mid-tide to low tide, when it’s a little cooler as the sun’s coming up. Just as I thought, the fish like it also.
What a beautiful sunrise! I know I’m on my way to a good day. I’m using sand fleas and cutting up some crab knuckles. I’m setting up four poles and right now I’m watching a little nibbling going on. A big bend, then it’s on! It’s a little different bite this time. I’ll have to see what it is.
Reeling in as fast as I can. Jumping onto the beach is a nice sheepshead. My other rod is going off also! Sometimes sheepshead come in pairs and it’s no different this time. A twin to the first one I brought in. Sheepshead are definitely great eating fish. All they eat is crab, shrimp, clams, and sand fleas, and they taste that good, with hard to fillet white meat. They have real teeth and like to come up real stealthy-like, and steal your bait. But once they bite, you’ll know it.
They’re also known as convict fish because they have black and white stripes known as sea bream. They also like to hang around structures like piers, and like to eat scraped barnacles, sand fleas, shrimp, clams. Fiddler crabs, too, which are the best for bait. They happen to be my wife’s favorite fish.
My charters have sort of come to an end, I won’t take people out when we can’t catch fish. So it goes. All of a sudden, out of the blue, just when I’m about to pack up, another rod starts to shudder. Moving at my quickest speed, which is pretty pathetic. I grab a rod and start to reel in, and it moves. Just like a pompano, going back-and-forth along the coastline. I see it now, such a beautiful fish. Its famous flop on the beach.
The day is winding down. Now I switch up a little from reggae and I’m listening to Morris Day and the Time. Such fun: smooth sounds. Everybody’s hungry, including my dog, Ula, so it’s time for me and these pompano and sheepsheads to head to the smoker.
