Targeting Pompanos....

[IronTexas]

I wanna catch some pompanos caught one last summer tasted really good So i was wondering what kind of bait should i use where to try my luck in the surf or off a pier?? When do they normaly show up in the galveston area?? I caught mine at Sea Wolf Park on the pier. Any info would be Much appreciated Thanks in advance....

[Night Wing]

I use fresh dead shrimp to catch pompano. They like warm water and I think they're in abundance when the water temp is above 70 degrees. This is just an observation since I didn't start to fish for pompano until June of last year. They should be here in fishable numbers in the month of May.

[Fin-Addict]

Get you a sand flea rake and scour the beach front for a bucket full

[Night Wing]

Just curious. Since pompano like sand fleas, how does one tell if sand fleas are around since they burrow into the wet sand at the shoreline. In other words, what does one look for that tells someone where the sand fleas are?

[IronTexas]

Thanks fellas i will keep your advice in mind when i go out fishing How do you know where and when to find the sand fleas??

[mickeyd]

Finding pompano:
.....they like clear water, the calmer the better
.....warmer temps above 70 is a plus
.....they primarily freed on coquina clams; look for shells at the water line(they look like little butterflies in different colors)
.....get some color on your line such as orange, yellow, mango as these colors(pink is super) mimic the coquina shell colors
.....fresh shrimp on a SMALL hook(02 or 03 at most) using a small piece to cover the hook
.....ususally but not always, the further out you can get your line in the surf the better

If all else fails.....takea Florida vacation as that is where these tasty little critters come from!!!

[mickeyd]

Like this!

[Night Wing]

That's a nice haul of pompano. Lots of meals in the catch. It's a tasty fish to eat. I started to fish for them last year. Found out there were here just pass the surf zone.

[chronacast]

i heard red fish love to eat them, is this true?

[Milkjug]

Very hit or miss here on the upper coast. Won't catch any without a line in the water though....

I have caught them on dead shrimp on the bottom this time of year while drum/sheephead fishing, as well as on live shrimp later on in the summer while targeting specks..

They are some good eating jacks for sure.

[AndrewOSpencer]

has anyone caught pompano on artificials? Here in Matagorda, I've caught one using fresh dead shrimp and a pyramid weight (no bead) and saw one caught on your typical walmart fishfinder rig with red beads.

I was thinking of tying a clouser fly about a foot above the freshdead shrimp and letting it just chill in the water column above the dead shrimp.

My pomp was caught in the first gut, but Im sure they are more numerous in the second.

andy

[IronTexas]

Thanks for the hint Mickyd i will put it to use whenever it warms up a lil more Yeah i caught my first pompano last year and ever since i tried it i been hooked (no pun intended ) So i have decided whenever i go fishing i will try to catch some you information really helped me get an idea of how to go about catching them. I apreciate it and nice haul of pomps hopefully i can get a haul like that myself. If i Do i will make sure to post pics If any one else has some pics please feel free to post em i love lookin at yalls pics.

[Bartelbtuna]

I caught one in August a few years back on a clouser minnow near SLP Galveston side. I was on the second bar casting to the first. It was about 13" long. At the time, I didn't know if there was any min. length limit. I wasn't to sure about how good a table fare they were either. Kick myself now.

Thats a nice haul of 'em there mickeyd!!!

[BullyARed]

2009_1118QuintanaBeach090047.JPG

Like this!

Are you going to change your called sign to "PompanoGuru"?

[Seafox89]

I caught one last week in SLP.....the water was pretty green and the wind had died. I caught mine on a small treble hook on a dropper loop with a pyramid weight tied to the bottom. It was my first Pompano. Pretty tasty too. Wouldn't mind catching a bunch!

[cougmantx]

I caught on last week in SLP also. I caught it on crab while fishing for BR's. I keep getting robbed and switched to a smaller hook and caught it. Pompano is one of my favorite fish.

[mickeyd]

I got hooked after we caught a few some years ago off the beach at Port A. Then the hunt was on in earnest. I have talked to people up and down the coast, mainly down on PINS and I learn something about these tasty critters every time out. The weather that we have had this winter has really killed the bite for the most part. That is sad because traditionally the months of Feb., March, and April have been good for pompano.
A lot of the gurus down on PINS swear by the Fishbytes in pink or orange. I myself have not found that they make much difference but I have tried to make the pompano "sandwich" by putting a Fishbyte on the hook, pinch it all the way to the top and then thread a small piece of peeled, fresh-dead shrimp on the hook. I guess it looks like a $5 Subway to the pompano. Hopefully the surf will warm enough and the wind will stop blowing to give us a chance to get some of these guys----they are my favorite food for fishies!
They do make a pompano rig which you can find at shops like Roys in Corpus that are made up with pompano colors but I do not use them anymore because they tend to use the 05 Kahle or offset hooks which are too large for the pompano's little bite.

[IronTexas]

Oh ok cool were yall kayaking or wading?? What are the limits on Pomps does any one know?? Last summer i caught mine on cut bait i belive croker to sure though could of been piggy perch. It gave me a lil fight also but i really like this fish and im hoping to catch a whole lot more this season. Thanks for all the replies guys yall are really helpful. Hopefully i get my Yak sometime soon maybe within the next two weeks saving up now to get it. It will be a late b-day gift but im really excited about Kayak fishing and this site is a big reason

[mickeyd]

Thanks BullyRed for the thought but the guys down on PINS would laugh at me as they consider anything under 50 to 100 a below average haul when the bite is on. The most I have ever done is 30. (Now do not get excited guys....there is no size restriction or bag limit on these critters as they are not considered a game fish in Texas or Occupied Mexico....hard to believe but some of the shark hunters use them for bait(Makes me sad!!!).

[Living Waters]

I think I got these last July off the 1 mile off the beach in Freeport.

[red_chaser]

What are the bag and size limits? I went on the Texas Parks and Wildlife site and could not find them. I just read this thread and am thinking about going BTB for the first time to catch me some of these.

[mickeyd]

As stated above:
Texas does not classify pompano as a game fish----Therefore their is NO size restrictions or daily bag limit on these fish. Feel free to catch, eat and enjoy!!!!

[osochuck]

i found the little ones like 12 and under not worth keeping

but supper good eating,

[Night Wing]

If a pompano is 13", I'll keep it for the table. Also, where there is one, there are others.

[bmh34]

Clear water+structure off the beach. If you put that together with all the info in the thread you will find them.