# South Skyway Pompano and Sheepies 4/8, 4/10, and 4/15/10



## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

I went out to the South Sunshine Skyway again this morning for a quick half day trip before my late shift at the paper. This has been my third trip out there in the last week. I was out there last Thursday and Saturday as well.

My last report focused on the mackerel fishing from the pier. Today’s report will discuss the success I’ve had fishing for pompano at the approach bridge and surrounding area as well as the less than stellar success I’ve had fishing for late season sheepshead which can still be caught in the area.

Today I managed to catch another three pompano to go along with the two I caught last Thursday and the two I caught on Saturday.










All of the pompano have been caught on ½ oz Doc’s Goofy Jigs with a teaser. Yellow and white with a pink teaser as seen here, has caught them all. 










Then again I’ve not tried any other combination. Why screw up a good thing, right?

The usual jigging method of letting it hit the bottom and bouncing it up and down to create that puff of sand that pompano seem to key on has been the key.

The tide has not seemed to really matter as long as there’s good movement. Today I caught them on the incoming tide, last Thursday and Saturday the tide was outgoing.

The pompano have not been large, but easily keepers at about 13-14 inches. Needless to say they have fit in my skillet quite nicely.
Now on to those damn thieving fish with the stripes and the choppers which give a dental hygienist nightmares.

The sheepshead are still hitting around the pilings and most of the hardcore regulars are using fiddlers. Needless to say these sheepies are late season fish and they are wary, hardened nit picking frustrating fish. Most of you know, I’m an experienced and pretty successful sheepshead angler, but I’ve got to tell you. These sheepshead are frustrating and hard to catch.

I only managed to catch three sheepshead on Saturday and one today, after a shutout on last Thursday.










Although there is a lot of bait being dropped down, both fiddlers and shrimp, I’ve not seen too many other fish caught either.

I’ve been using shrimp and my biggest fish was a nice 16 incher on Saturday. My trick is to pinch the shrimp and half and thread the tail end on the hook. The other half, the head, my go-to bait, gets hooked on my #2 Gami Octopus circle hooks just so.










As I’ve posted before those big sheepshead love a shrimp head, and that 16 inch fish on Saturday just couldn’t resist that juicy, crunchy morsel pitched close to a piling and swept under the bridge on the outgoing tide. Once again the tide has not seemed to matter as long as it is moving good and you get it close to a piling.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Those Goofy jigs are the golden ticket. People are slowly catching on to them up here, especially when the person using them is catching more fish than those around them. Try pinning a sandflea on the teaser fly, works great.


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## DVO (Mar 22, 2004)

Do you tip those hooks with flea, clam or shrimp?.


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

No tipping here, but I might try EM's trick.

The key is to make sure the jig and teaser are bouncing on the bottom. The pompano key in on the little puffs of sand as the jig bounces along the bottom. 

They somehow are fooled into thinking its a crab. They will hit the teaser more than they will hit the jig.


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## fishyfingas (Feb 1, 2009)

Hey Mook,

Nice job on those pomps. Those goofy jigs seem to be the ticket on both
coasts. 

I'm curious about the placing of the teazer. I'm used to seeing a teazer
a few inches up from the jig.

Is it just another option the way you have it set up?
Or is it a little better set up based on trial and error?

I like to know what are the jig and teazer combinations that the pomp guys are succesfully using.


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## SnookMook (Jan 7, 2004)

fishy--This combo;










with the jig and teaser tied opposing with a loop knot. This combo bounced off the bottom best simulates a crab as it makes those puffs of sand the pompano seem to key on.

From time to time we do add an additional teaser fly about 8-12 inches up the leader on dropper loop knot as well.

I'll tell you right now though, the teaser either way gets hit just as much as the jig does.


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## fishyfingas (Feb 1, 2009)

A picture is worth a thousand words. 

Nice and easy set up.


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