# Targeting Pomps



## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

I'm usually a "generic" fisherman. I'm happy when just about anything hits my line.

I'll be spending all day tomorrow (Thursday) with a pole in my hand either in the surf, the river and maybe as far south as S.I.

Are the commercial pomp rigs that can be purchased any good for the surf? I understand that pomps prefer sand fleas, but never having used these for bait, I'm not exactly sure how to hook these little fellas up.

If you can't find any sand fleas, would frozen be an alternative?

Thanks!

Mark


----------



## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Hey markdido,

I myself have never used sandfleas for bait. But here off the coast of Ga I catch pompano on small peices of very fresh shrimp. I will peel the shrimp and cut it into about three pieces and bury #1 or #2 thin wire circle hook in them. The pompano I usally catch are kinda small, so I guess you could say that small pompano like fresh shrimp. So if ya can't find sandfleas......I would say fresh shrimp would be a good second choice.


----------



## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

Mole Crab Burrowing

This is a specimen of Emerita talpoida, burrowing in a wave- washed beach at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Work by Olaf Ellers on the swash-riding bivalve Donax variabilis demonstrates that they can sense the pressure of an oncoming wave, which is followed by behavioral responses.










Swash Riding Cycle

Vertical beach migration of swash riders, such as the mole crab Emerita and some species of the wedge clam Donax. Note that animals seek sediments that are neither too dry nor too wave washed. Animals must be able to sense a pressure difference as the wave approaches and must be able to leave and reburrow rapidly.










http://www.newsherald.com/FEATURES/AL3.HTM

The rigs you buy at the bait shops are fine . I like the stainless ones with 2 to 3 hooks on them with the beads or float on them to add to the attraction factor. Hook the flea by its tail up thru the shell and push the hook thru just untill the tip of the hook breaks thru the shell . 
I know of people that use the frozen some swear by them others say they are not the best . But have seen the frozen produce fish . I like to use cut clams when the fleas are not around . Brine some in a glass jar over night in the fridg and it will toughin them up enough that they will stay on the hook alot better and keep in the fridg for weeks .










FYI
For pompano, I begin by placing a medium to long cast to the shoreside of the outer bar during outgoing tide. Outgoing is a preferred tide of the surf especially for bottom feeders who lay in wait for trapped food offerings to be dislodged by the outgoing tide. Current carries a cloud of sand created by the breaker action and food is swept along with it. Pompano make use of these conditions when searching for food. If nothing is biting, I try a cast in closer for smaller shorebound fish. Some of these hold in the inshore slough through low tide as long as the slough depth is sufficient. Pompano require very little water to actively feed in and it may come as a surprise to many that these fish often come in with the breaking wash with barely enough water to cover their dorsal fins, and then as the tide receeds, they can lay sideways and swim like a flounder gliding freely back out with the current. Really neat to watch this happening. Sudsy surf wash gives the pompano all the cover they require on a cloudy bright or sunny day. Their trim thin body profiles and excellent camouflage patterns hide them well in an active surf. Pompano school tightly and once the school is located and attracted, it's best to keep your cast concentrated in the attracted area. Allow your bait to stay in the location where it's cast until the fish come to it. Fresh shrimp has a good scent trail that fish home in on, so it doesn't take long to find the fish using this particular kind of bait. Sandbugs also make a great natural bait for pompano. These (mole crabs) dig in to the sand at the waters edge and can be easily located and dug up with your hands. Thread them carefully onto your long shank or kayle style hooks. Live bugs attract more hits than dead ones. Look for sandbugs that have orange egg sacks underneath their bellies. This is what the pompano prefer. Hook your sandbugs first from underneath the bottom near the middle by penetrating thier shell. Single hooking is sufficient and will work fine most of the time. If you find yourself loosing this bait on your cast, you can double hook the bait, but they don't live as long when you do this. Another trick is to gently and carefully break thier digger in half, so they cant dig in when your bottom rig contacts the bottom. If they dig in, and your bottom rig moves with the current, they can pull off fairly easily. Soft shelled sandbugs are the best, but not as easy to locate. The soft shell stage of the mole crab is similar to the soft shell "shedded" stage of any crab. To locate good pompano fishing spots, you may need to move up or down the beach and try different converging slopes, points and inner and outer bar areas. Any variance is an indication of fish holding structure. Coquina shells, and sandbugs in the edge of the surf are a feature to look for. Summertime pompano prefer morning feeding periods from 10 am til 2 pm. They can however bite all day long if the conditions are moderate and conducive to good sport ie; stalled low pressure areas with low clouds and moderate winds.


----------

