# Bait Pompano Eat But Hardhead Dont?



## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

I've been wondering if there's any bait that will catch Pompano, but Hardheads won't touch.. I hate having to go through like 5-10 Hardheads and get all slimed up to get through to 1 Pompano..

I've been thinking of trying to tie Coquina Clams to my hooks.. and there's might be one really pricy bait shop around here that sells frozen sand fleas, do hard heads eat those?


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

frozen fleas SUCK,worse than a vaccuum cleaner!!!are there any in the nice florida sand to dig?cause thats the ticket...fresh.fresh,ALIVE!.look along the shore line at low tide-incomming for little "V"s bunched up at the water line/into the first wash,these are the fleas little antenae and backs trying to rebury themselves after the wave washed the sand from them.they are in bunches called colonies so once you find some you should be able to get a bucketful pretty quickly,tread lightly around the colonies as soon as you locate them,these things can sense a bird on the sand above them so they retreat into the sand fairly quick.start out looking around the pier pilings ,they sometimes bunch up there first,also don't be afraid to get wet,have pulled some good rakefuls where the water still covered the colony completely


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

I haven't been able to find any Fleas Yet.. I haven't checked around the pier though, so I might try that next time. Thanks for the tip!


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

Vinnx said:


> I haven't been able to find any Fleas Yet.. I haven't checked around the pier though, so I might try that next time. Thanks for the tip!


Groins are pretty good places to find them also.








In Garden City, SC they are my goto places for fleas on my way to fish the jetties or somewhere inbetween.


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

Ha... thought you made a dirty joke... 

But ya.. I don't think we've any of those structures around here.


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## bstarling (Apr 24, 2005)

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a hardhead?

Bill:fishing:


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## sunburntspike (Oct 4, 2010)

bstarling said:


> Pardon my ignorance, but what is a hardhead?
> 
> Bill:fishing:


gaffottopsail catfish?i beleive thats what he's refering to...been a minute since i lived in sunshine alley so i aint up with the young'uns new fangled terms


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

Hardhead Catfish, The rats of my sea.. they're slimy, always eating my bait and got some nasty spines. I hear Cobia like eating em, too bad those don't come around often..


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Hard head catfish are terrible and terribly painful from what I've heard. Look for a colony, will be alot of little Vs in the sand. You can also eat gaff tops and use them for shark bait but hard heads are dangerous


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

I don't fish Florida but I have read from a lot of the guys that fish pomps there, and they say sand fleas are the best for catching pomps but avoiding catfish as much as possible. Don't use frozen ones.


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## FishinMortician (Jun 19, 2007)

Vinnx said:


> *I've been wondering if there's any bait that will catch Pompano, but Hardheads won't touch.*. I hate having to go through like 5-10 Hardheads and get all slimed up to get through to 1 Pompano..
> 
> I've been thinking of trying to tie Coquina Clams to my hooks.. and there's might be one really pricy bait shop around here that sells frozen sand fleas, do hard heads eat those?





No bait. Hard heads eat anything that they can catch. They may choose to ignore a pompanyo lure though.

They are the single reason I carry pliers on my person. I don't do the slime anymore, because one slipped from my grasp and landed spine down on top of my foot. Now they get the pliers to the hook, then I position the hook so they slide off, (feet well back) and then I grab their dorsal for the big throw back. After a few times, the technique gets easier to do.

Be very careful of infections guys. People used to recommend rubbing slime into the wound- DO NOT DO THAT ! 

If the wound starts looking weird, or was significant, go to the ER sooner rather than later. Nasty little devils they are, and at certain times of the year, carry nasty bacteria and such on those spines....and in that slime.


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

We fish in TX and my mother in laws condo has a nice fishing pier. We were out there and a young family had two young boys out there. Well they caught a hard head and let the little boy pet it or some stupid thing and it looked like one of the spines went threw the web of the little guys hand. There was blood everywhere and the kid was bawling. I thought you people are so freaking stupid. YOU will be lucky if your not in the emergency room tonight. When I'm fishing on the beach at night I use them for chum. Off the pier we try to stay above them with a poping cork but we're looking for specks. 
I can't help you on the pomp bait but clam strips work good. I watched Solid7 use them.


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## js1172 (Jun 5, 2012)

search youtube for sandfleas you'll see how and where to catch them
js


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## bstarling (Apr 24, 2005)

OK, I was thinking that might be the critter. Many years ago I fished often in the Calibogue Sound in lower SC and caught an Sh-load of those things. They are a royal PITA. 

Bill:fishing:


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

bstarling said:


> OK, I was thinking that might be the critter. Many years ago I fished often in the Calibogue Sound in lower SC and caught an Sh-load of those things. They are a royal PITA.
> 
> Bill:fishing:


Got that right.. I've been tempted to butcher every one I catch...


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## Kingfshr (Jan 31, 2009)

*Pompano Jigs....*


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

sunburntspike said:


> gaffottopsail catfish?i beleive thats what he's refering to...been a minute since i lived in sunshine alley so i aint up with the young'uns new fangled terms


No, hardheads are saltwater catfish. Sail tops are a whole different thing. 

Vinnx - there is nothing that you can put on a hook that a pompano will eat, but a catfish won't. Generally speaking, one of two things is probably applicable to you: 1) if you are catching catfish, you should probably pack up and go home, because when those things bite, that's usually the best thing biting, or 2) you live and fish on the Gulf Coast of Florida. If #2 is true, then you are just gonna have to suck it up, because the Gulf Coast of Florida is the saltwater catfishing capital of the Universe.

I took some experimental rigs over to Sarasota one year, and promptly was able to brand my rigs a humongous success. Only problem is, all I could catch was those catfish. So my success was a failure.

Good luck, but so sorry...


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

Kingfshr said:


> View attachment 10166


Nice try, but hardheads will take a jig, too... Or a sabiki. And of course, a jig isn't a "bait", per se.

Seriously, you fellas up north cannot even begin to understand this man's pain...


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

solid7 said:


> No, hardheads are saltwater catfish. Sail tops are a whole different thing.
> 
> Vinnx - there is nothing that you can put on a hook that a pompano will eat, but a catfish won't. Generally speaking, one of two things is probably applicable to you: 1) if you are catching catfish, you should probably pack up and go home, because when those things bite, that's usually the best thing biting, or 2) you live and fish on the Gulf Coast of Florida. If #2 is true, then you are just gonna have to suck it up, because the Gulf Coast of Florida is the saltwater catfishing capital of the Universe.
> 
> ...


Man here I was hoping there was some kinda secretive bait that I never heard about it. It's true we do have a **** ton of Catfish... Maybe I really should butcher all the ones I catch? Maybe that will even things out a bit lol. However! after 10 or so Hardheads you do sometimes catch something edible like a Pomp or Trout.. 

Maybe I'll to integrate more live bait or big cut baits into my fishing


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

Vinnx said:


> Man here I was hoping there was some kinda secretive bait that I never heard about it. It's true we do have a **** ton of Catfish... Maybe I really should butcher all the ones I catch? Maybe that will even things out a bit lol. However! after 10 or so Hardheads you do sometimes catch something edible like a Pomp or Trout..
> 
> Maybe I'll to integrate more live bait or big cut baits into my fishing


Cut baits = more catfish. Bigger cut baits = bigger catfish, and even more kinds. (sail tops) Live bait? Probably won't catch you many pompano. Will definitely catch catfish. Those catfish bite lures, sandfleas, crabs, baitfish, cut bait, shrimp, clams, fishbites, etc. There literally is probably NOTHING that will catch a fish that they won't bite. We have a restaurant here on the water that lets people throw table scraps to them. They're so ravenous, it's almost disgusting.

Don't think it's gonna help to kill them. They're annoying, but just doing what they were made to do. Your contribution won't do anything to cut into their numbers, anyway. 

On a positive note - we were fishing 5" finger mullet last night, and my buddy's father was getting hammered by catfish. I did manage a 25" trout, so I guess maybe it is a numbers game, sometimes.


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## Vinnx (Nov 11, 2012)

I haven't had the Hardheads bother with my cut baits yet.. usually cuz it's too big to fit in they're mouth, same with live bait. Occasionally I've had big Gafftops take my cut bait, but that's fine my family likes to eat em. Also the Gafftops aren't around much during the day it seems.. much much more active at night so they're not too big a pain in my ass as the Hardheads. 

The few times I haven't had these Hardheads around were indeed good fishing days.. Like I caught Sharks and hooked up into a Cobia on one occasion (lost him). Or there would be Trout hammering live bait, or enough Whiting that they out number the Hardheads. Guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing, maybe try out a new spot or two this coming week.


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