Pompano Fishing High Tide vs. Low Tide Tips
Pompano fishing during the high tides and low tides requires very different techniques. The most obvious of which is calculating the distance that the pompano are from the beach during the different tide levels.
During the high tide the pompano will be very close to shore. You can catch them within 10 feet of where you are standing on the beach. BUT during low tide you will have to get your baits out to the outside edge of the sandbar for the outgoing tide and inside edge of the sandbar for the incoming tide.
Pompano are probably the most sought after fish that surf casters fish for during their migratory runs down the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean every year.
There is a good reason for their popularity. They are delicious and they are in the jack family, which means that they fight very well too.
I see pompano fishermen making very critical mistakes when they are fishing for pompano around the beaches. The main problem for them seems to be gauging how far to cast their baits and lures based on tide levels.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and I have been fishing the beaches, grass flats and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about fishing for pompano during the different parts of the tide.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano.
Pompano fishing during the high tides and low tides requires very different techniques. The most obvious of which is calculating the distance that the pompano are from the beach during the different tide levels.
During the high tide the pompano will be very close to shore. You can catch them within 10 feet of where you are standing on the beach. BUT during low tide you will have to get your baits out to the outside edge of the sandbar for the outgoing tide and inside edge of the sandbar for the incoming tide.
Pompano are probably the most sought after fish that surf casters fish for during their migratory runs down the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean every year.
There is a good reason for their popularity. They are delicious and they are in the jack family, which means that they fight very well too.
I see pompano fishermen making very critical mistakes when they are fishing for pompano around the beaches. The main problem for them seems to be gauging how far to cast their baits and lures based on tide levels.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida and I have been fishing the beaches, grass flats and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about fishing for pompano during the different parts of the tide.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano.
Where do you find the pompano schools?
Pompano move between the sand bars and the beaches based upon food resources, water temperatures and predatory activity. They tend to be close to the beach at the higher parts of the tide and near the first sand bar during the lower parts of the tide.
This is good to know so you can gauge your casting distances correctly. The difference between pro fishermen and amateur fishermen is usually just a few small tweaks to their fishing techniques and a deeper knowledge of their target fish species.
Believe me it is not having the best rod and reel or baits that wins the pompano fishing day. It is usually technique and a deeper understanding of how a pompano lives.
Pompano are always on the move. One day the school is at your beach and you catch a few dozen of them and the next day the school is 5 miles down the beach.
If you are fishing a good looking spot and don't get any bites, then move down the beach some until you start getting bites. Another big mistake that pompano fishermen make is fishing in dead zones. Don't fish in a dead zone.
You have to find feeding fish to be successful. So if you aren't at least catching whiting, croakers or something, then it is time to move and find where the feeding fish are. I usually give a spot 10 minutes or so. Then I will move if I don't at least get something to bite.
Pro Tip- Avoid the beaches that have undergone "beach re nourishment" by the local municipalities wherever you live. Beach re nourishment is the opposite of what actually occurs when sand is pumped from offshore or from nearby inlets onto the beach.
This new sand kills all of the life forms that make their homes in the sandy tidal zones on the beach including sand fleas. Sand fleas are the pompano's favorite food and they will travel long distances to find beaches with lots of sand fleas to eat.
If the beach that you are fishing has suddenly gotten bigger, then you know that sand has been pumped onto it. Don't bother pompano fishing there for a few years until the ecosystem restores itself.
Look for sandpipers, plovers and other shore bird species that run amongst the waves eating sand fleas. If you see all of these little birds on the beach that you are thinking about fishing for pompano on, then you know that there is food there.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in much more detail how to catch a pompano. You can read that article by clicking right here.
I keep moving from beach to beach until I find one that has plenty of shore birds on it. Once I find the birds then I know that my chances of finding pompano just got a lot better.
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What are the best natural baits to use for pompano?
SAND FLEAS- There are lots of natural baits that pompano love to chow down upon. The most popular is definitely the sand flea "a.k.a. the mole crab". If you can get hold of live or frozen sand fleas from your local bait and tackle shop, then that is your best bet.
Pro Tip- Make sure to get yourself 5 or 6 pompano rigs and enough weight to get your baits out far enough and also stay put on the bottom. This can be anything from 1 ounce to 5 ounces depending upon the size of the surf, current strength and the distance from the beach to the first sand bar.
SHRIMP- Another great bait choice is frozen shrimp. Everything likes to eat shrimp including pompano. You only need a small piece of shrimp to cover the hooks of your pompano rigs. I usually cut the shrimp into thirds if they are big ones.
CLAMS- The next good natural bait is clams. Some bait shops will have clams but you will need a sharp knife to cut them up in manageable chunks to put on your hooks. Some bait shops might have small coquina clams and those are definitely the best ones to use.
What are the best pompano lures to use?
BANANA JIGS- Banana Jigs are a great lure to catch pompano off of the beach with during the higher parts of the tide. You need the higher tides because the jigs are too light to cast very far from the beach.
The best colors are pink, orange, yellow and white. Those are the colors of the shrimp, crabs, clams and other invertebrates that the pompano like to eat. So those colors seem to work the best.
Your technique to fish a jig is to cast it out and bounce it on the bottom within lower 18 inches of the water column. Something like this: Cast, jig, jig, reel, jig, jig, reel...….. Repeat. You have to keep it close to the bottom to be in the pompanos' strike zone.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in a lot more detail the best baits and lures to use when you go pompano fishing. You can read that article by clicking right here.
FEATHER JIGS- Another great lure is a pompano feather jig. These are just another style of jig that pompano love to eat. You will want to use the same colors like pinks, oranges, yellows and white. The fishing technique for this lure is the same as the way that you fish the banana jigs.
BERLELEY GULP SHRIMP- Another great lure for pompano is the 3 inch Gulp Shrimp. This stinky lure catches just about every fish in the sea and pompano like them too. I find that the white ones work the best. You will want to use an 1/8 ounce or maybe a 1/4 ounce pink, orange or yellow jig head depending upon the waves, current, distance.... You will fish this jig the same way that you fished the other ones.
DOA CAL 3" SHAD- Another great lure to use for pompano is the DOA CAL 3" shad with a paddle tail. The white and the glow colors seem to work the best. You will want to use a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce pink, yellow or orange jig head depending upon the surf conditions, current and casting distance. You will fish this jig the same way that you fished the other ones.
Conclusion:
Pompano fishing can be tricky unless you know where the fish will be based upon tides, water temperatures and food supply. Once you know how to find the pompano schools, then you will need to use the proper baits and lures to get at them.
Make sure to find a beach that is rich with life. If you see birds on the shore and diving in the surf, then start your fishing there. There is no sense fishing in a place with no fish. Give each spot 10 or 15 minutes with your baits out at different distances from the beach. If you don't get any bites, then you will want to move until you find fish.
Once you figure out all of the variables to pompano fishing, then you can have a great time chasing these elusive fish around the coastlines of Florida and the other states lucky enough to have pompano visiting them every year.
These tastiest members of the jack family are the most popular fish for surf casters in Florida and probably anywhere else that they swim. They certainly are fun to catch.
I hope that this article helps you catch more pompano based upon the tides at your chosen beaches. Good luck and tight lines!
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