# Pompano Pointers



## SaltSlinger (Aug 14, 2006)

Caught some Sunday morning using fresh cut shrimp - they were fantastic eating. Couple questions:

(1) During what months is it possible to catch pompano off the North Carolina coast? May through October?
(2) Different question, what are the BEST month(s) to catch pompano? Do they like warmer water in July/August or cooler water in May/September or somewhere in-between?

Besides using sand fleas, any other hints to target pompano? Lines, rigs, hooks, tactics, etc.? 

Yum:


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## justinfisch01 (Feb 19, 2006)

The best tip I can give you is to finish the rest of them beers :beer:


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

Saw pompano starting the second week of may this year. It was just one or two on the warmest days we were there...and caught them last year second week of October. Watched a fellow last year absolutely slaying the pompano and citation sized sea mullet, in about foot and a half of water (RIGHT at the break) with 10lb line, two #4 light wire aberdene J hooks about 12" apart with 2oz pancake weight on a 7' medium heavy (freshwater) spinning rod. 

Have heard gold hooks with orange beads and whatever you use tipped in orange fish bites works well. 

I was over casting them last year the first day until I saw that guy. I was just flipping it underhand about 5' past where the water would retreat the furtherest between waves. They like the fleas and the fleas are right at the break.


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

pomps like water warm & clear. traditionally best time is summer thru sept. the warmer & clearer the water, the better.
they are usually not out far-right at the break & sometimes right in the wash.
they are sight feeders, hence the orange/red bead at the top of the hook.
i like to use sand fleas in the sml-med range instead of the bigger ones--shedders/soft shell if possible. i start by baiting the gold hook with a flea & then add a sml piece of fishbites blood worms (red)-- my theory is that this looks like an egg sac to the fish.
since pomps like the water clear, they may be able to "see" you & they can feel the vibrations of your feet slapping on the packed sand-so tread lightly & after you cast back up a little on to the softer sand.
hope this is the kinda stuff you are looking for.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

shrimp works great for small ones but sand fleas, got-cah plugs , makcerel tree rigs, and got-cha jigging jigs are great for thsoe ovewr 2 pounds.


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## EugeneChoe (Aug 11, 2006)

yeah and dont pound those sandspikes either!!


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

dood, those r pretty pomps Nice fish man....


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## f210 (Apr 19, 2002)

I also recommend the orange clam flavored fishbites. Caught a cooler ful a couple of years ago in the Avalon pier (early October) using shrimp and/or orange FB. 

Of course the best bait is sandfleas. They love sandfleas and this is why the orange FB works because they mistake it for the eggs of the sandfleas which is also orange.


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

never tried the clamfb, but it makes sense, used the shrimpfb & the redbloodworm fb coupled with sand fleas--fav is the red bloodworm--gotta tell ya the fb coupled with the fleas outfished just the flea about 5 to 1--maybe more--even fb alone got more hits than a solo flea--did'nt even hafta think about spikin a rod-you got a hit b4 you could get it in the spike (altho we do usually spike in same 'general' area with bait-throwin out for bigger fish, or maybe even casting metal/glassminnows for blues, spanish)--multitasking-tryin to maximize our use of beach!
as i look over this thread, i wonder if saltshaker shouldn't be teaching us-look at the size of those pomps in the cooler!!--c'mon shaker, what are you doing right?--even if its only a rookie thing?


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## lazy fisherman (Jul 1, 2006)

TreednNC said:


> Saw pompano starting the second week of may this year. It was just one or two on the warmest days we were there...and caught them last year second week of October. Watched a fellow last year absolutely slaying the pompano and citation sized sea mullet, in about foot and a half of water (RIGHT at the break) with 10lb line, two #4 light wire aberdene J hooks about 12" apart with 2oz pancake weight on a 7' medium heavy (freshwater) spinning rod.
> 
> Have heard gold hooks with orange beads and whatever you use tipped in orange fish bites works well.
> 
> I was over casting them last year the first day until I saw that guy. I was just flipping it underhand about 5' past where the water would retreat the furtherest between waves. They like the fleas and the fleas are right at the break.


Good advice, although I'd advise forged long shank #4's rather than wire hooks- less chance of your hook straightening if you get into bigger fish -never know what might take a bite of your bait when you're in salt water -blues, puppy drum, and flounder are all possible.


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

good info & pics on the "sand flea hook size" thread in the open forum


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

fishinmama said:


> never tried the clamfb, but it makes sense, used the shrimpfb & the redbloodworm fb coupled with sand fleas--fav is the red bloodworm--gotta tell ya the fb coupled with the fleas outfished just the flea about 5 to 1--maybe more--even fb alone got more hits than a solo flea--did'nt even hafta think about spikin a rod-you got a hit b4 you could get it in the spike (altho we do usually spike in same 'general' area with bait-throwin out for bigger fish, or maybe even casting metal/glassminnows for blues, spanish)--multitasking-tryin to maximize our use of beach!
> as i look over this thread, i wonder if saltshaker shouldn't be teaching us-look at the size of those pomps in the cooler!!--c'mon shaker, what are you doing right?--even if its only a rookie thing?



whoops!! i meant saltslinger, not saltshaker-sorry


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## SaltSlinger (Aug 14, 2006)

fishinmama said:


> as i look over this thread, i wonder if saltshaker shouldn't be teaching us-look at the size of those pomps in the cooler!!--c'mon shaker, what are you doing right?--even if its only a rookie thing?


Only things I can offer (as the rookie giving advice) are:

(1) I tie my own top / bottom rigs using mono with all knot connections - no wire and no 3 way swivels. I have a fly fishing background and I find this to be a more "stealthy" approach.
(2) I use small hooks - again - from fly fishing. I have caught 18+ inch brown trout on size 18 hooks. For these pomps my rigs had size 2 gamakatsu circle hooks. Note that is size "2" not size "2/0".


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## drh146 (May 11, 2007)

Being new to surf fishing, I checked the NC size limit chart, and didnt see pompano on there. Is there a size limit on them? Would they be called something different on there? they sound real fun!

Keep up the good work on here guys! You give a rookie something to strive for! i will help out where/when i can, but right now im just taking it all in, so dont not help me because i havnt posted much! thanks!


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## fishinmama (Oct 14, 2006)

no size regs or limits on pomp in nc -- use your common sense & keep only what you will eat --
protect the resource.


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