# Annual Pompano migration 2017



## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

I have been paying close attention to the location of the Pompano this winter. Seems they never really made any further south than Sebastian Inlet this winter, normally they will overwinter around West Palm Beach on southward. A mild winter and higher water temps I suppose.

They were catching them good at Sebastian Inlet early last month and I started seeing reports of them around Canaveral first of March. A week or so ago I saw reports of the Pompano being caught as far north as St Augustine. Today (3-21) I heard from a good source they have made it to Jax Beach.

The biggest Pompano, mostly adult females, lead the migration northward. They will stay a bit in an area if conditions are good..........ie clean water, 68 to 74 degrees, and a decent food source (sand fleas, small shrimp, coquita shells, small clams). The males and smaller females will migrate northward behind the lead group for several weeks.

If they don't skip GA all together this year, as they sometimes do, the lead pack should be here in 10-14 days. If you want to score some BIG TASTY Pompano the time to do so is coming soon. Remember, GA does not have any size or creel limits so stock up if you are lucky enough to get into them.


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Today (3-21) at 4:30pm at the NOAA weather station at Fort Pulaski at the mouth of the Savannah River the water temp was 59.0 degrees.

Today (3-21) at 4:30pm on Tybee's North Beach in the surf near the lighthouse the water temp was 61.0 degrees according to my Fluke model 63 infrared thermometer.

High tide was at 3:30pm today at a unusually low of 5.7 feet.


Surf water temp..........................







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A view to the south.........................







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A view to the north.....................................







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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

Thanks for the info, I might try Jekyll Island in a couple days and see if I can find them.


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Good luck.

If you can go a little further south to Little Talbot Island, I think you would have a decent shot at them.


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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

Don't have enough time with work to go that far, plus free lodging for me and the dogs in Brunswick/SSI area


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## Anchorite (Apr 27, 2016)

Been out a couple days this week to the north end. Was surprised to see some interest in my bait. Still seems fairly quiet though. One good take the other day that wasn't a whiting and landed my first whiting of the year this morning. Hoping for a good season ?


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Anchorite said:


> Been out a couple days this week to the north end. Was surprised to see some interest in my bait. Still seems fairly quiet though. One good take the other day that wasn't a whiting and landed my first whiting of the year this morning. Hoping for a good season ?


Yep', gonna be a good year.

Water temp climbing very fast now, should hit 62-63 on SAT (3-25). Time to get going on targeting the Bull Whiting.


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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

Got hung up at work and couldn't make it to Jekyll but me and 13 to 14 inch whiting are definitely out here on the north end of Tybee and they are hungry for fresh shrimp. Currently about 75 yards out (smaller are about 25 out) and hitting hard and fast.


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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

Well that was interesting. TIPD went after they guys up the beach from me for "shark fishing" before they even put a line in the water. Glad I never casted the glory rod and only kept dinner whiting not bait ones. Wondering if they are doing a crack down this year? If so what is the current rules for "you are shark fishing"?

Guess I'll be using my Jekyll parking pass a lot this year to be safe. 

On the plus side:
<a href="http://s1363.photobucket.com/user/Maddawgj/media/fishies/5275B8DF-EA0B-4FDE-9D9E-4DF2E6E692FC_zpslt4i2xzm.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/r710/Maddawgj/fishies/5275B8DF-EA0B-4FDE-9D9E-4DF2E6E692FC_zpslt4i2xzm.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 5275B8DF-EA0B-4FDE-9D9E-4DF2E6E692FC_zpslt4i2xzm.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://s1363.photobucket.com/user/Maddawgj/media/fishies/B1FD052A-F147-4BE7-A072-4CDDBA81524B_zpsdbvjwrvt.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1363.photobucket.com/albums/r710/Maddawgj/fishies/B1FD052A-F147-4BE7-A072-4CDDBA81524B_zpsdbvjwrvt.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo B1FD052A-F147-4BE7-A072-4CDDBA81524B_zpsdbvjwrvt.jpg"></a>


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

What? TIPD "went after" some guys for shark fishing. This is new to me, never seen it on the sand, especially in that area. WTF, how did TIPD know they were sharking? Did they stop and talk to you? Do you think some concerned citizen called TIPD? This is very unusual. I have certain cops stop by and ask me how the fishing is, little do they know I just casted out a huge Sting Ray chunk, but they have NEVER said anything about sharking. As a matter of fact TIPD has seen me casting out whole Whiting/Ray chunks and never said a word. The TIPD has way more stuff to worry about than folks shark fishing. I think there is more to this story.

For me, I'm going to fish for sharks on Tybee anytime I feel like it as long as there are no swimmers near me. I'm beholding to the state DNR not to the irrational whims of some city council from years ago reacting to some tourist issue. Besides, if I do get popped I would love to argue with the judge on these grounds; where is your evidence and when do city ordinances supercede state laws on state land? Besides, I can easily absorb any fine.

When asked just tell them you are fishing for Tarpon, Bull Reds, giant Sting Rays or whatever. Its their job to prove you different. Just stick with casted gear, don't fish for sharks around swimmers and don't cause a scene and you should have no worries.

Cool, good to see the bigger Whiting show, I'll go get me some soon.


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2017)

They must have been making a big stink about it and someone called it in


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## Fatback (Aug 6, 2003)

Dozer said:


> They must have been making a big stink about it and someone called it in


x2


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## cthulhu (Jul 26, 2014)

Dozer said:


> They must have been making a big stink about it and someone called it in


They probably declared themselves the best shark fishing team in Kansas, and they were on tour.


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2017)

cthulhu said:


> They probably declared themselves the best shark fishing team in Kansas, and they were on tour.


x1... I've seen sharks field dressed on the beach and nobody said a thing, even as the guts drained off 30 feet into the surf.


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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

I've never had an issue before. PD didn't talk to me but I went and talked to the guys, good guys just out for some fishing and R&R. PD told them someone called and said they where chumming the water and fishing for sharks. Like I said, they hadn't even unpacked gear, let alone put bait on a hook. There was a tool working on the last house on the walk out yelling to everyone with a pole that "if they caught a shark he wanted it" so maybe someone saw the big surf rods and kayak and heard that, who knows. I just know I go there to fish and relax and not get hassled. The tourists can be bad enough at times, I have no desire to get hassled by the man. Didn't even bring the glory rod on Sun, just two grocery rods. 

Hopefully it was a strange one off event. They spent the night there fishing and said they'd be back. Gave them my number so I could help try to put them on fish next time, the two brothers are from the next town over from where I grew up in N GA.


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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

cthulhu said:


> they probably declared themselves the best shark fishing team in kansas, and they were on tour.


lol


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## hugehail (May 25, 2013)

I caught quite a few pomps at Hobe sound on my spring trip this year from late march into mid april. These fish were ones that moved south in the fall and then came back in north in the spring. Southeast FL had a good fall run in Oct-Nov. Im not sure if'
these southern fish migrate all the way north to your area. There could be local populations of fish. I do know that you can catch Pompano in late April and early May in southeast FL and you can also catch them in southeast NC at that time and also
along the gulf coast. What does this say about the "migration"? I dont know. But its a lot more complicated than some think. There is one school of thought that a lot of these fish migrate east-west and not always north south. How else can you explain
big pomps showing up along the treasure coast in late September this past year when the water was 85 deg? They didnt migrate from the Carolinas, thats for sure. Having said all this, I think this spring the run in southeast FL was subpar because of the mild winter.


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## hugehail (May 25, 2013)

Ive studied several decades of newspaper reports from the palm beach post (daily from 1954 to 1969) weekly after that. In the fall you can get pompano in southeast FL and then they leave in the winter into the keys. In winter you can get pomps
from Hobe sound northward and occasionally there is a cold front that pushes them as far south as Juno and Palm Beach. Lake Worth to Fort Laud is normally not good for pomps in the winter or they seem very isolated and you have to find holes in the surf or a good break because the water is too clear and calm there. But there are also pomps n the keys in winter. So in January there are pomps from Hobe sound north and also down in the keys and not many in between. Then in the spring the southern batch that moved through in the fall move back into southeast FL. So southeast FL has a fall and spring run while in Sebastian and Fort Pierce the pomps are there from fall through spring so you dont notice the spring run as much.


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## MadDawgJ (Apr 16, 2016)

The Gulf Coast of FL is and has been on them. My cousins have pulled some nice ones in and seen others caught off the beach in the St. Pete/Clearwater area up until last I talked to them 2 days ago. 

Hey if it was easy it wouldn't be fun.


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