Pompano Fishing with Lures Tips and Techniques (The Complete Guide)
Pompano fishing with lures can be as effective or more effective than targeting them with natural baits like sand fleas, clams and shrimp some times. Pompano will readily devour lures when you bounce them off of the sand near feeding schools.
The 5 best pompano fishing lures are:
You had better have the right lures when you go fishing for these delicious visitors as they pass through your area. Not too many fishermen will disagree with my list of best lures because there are only a few types of lures that pompanos will bite.
Pompano are one of Florida's favorite tourists. They come running through the state escaping water temperatures that become too hot or too cold for their comfort. The surf fishermen make the beaches look like a porcupine with all of the surf rods poking up in the air and lining the beaches as they try to catch these delicious visitors.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the beaches and grass flats for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about pompano fishing with lures.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano with lures.
Pompano fishing with lures can be as effective or more effective than targeting them with natural baits like sand fleas, clams and shrimp some times. Pompano will readily devour lures when you bounce them off of the sand near feeding schools.
The 5 best pompano fishing lures are:
- Banana Jigs
- Pompano Jigs
- Gulp 3" Shrimp
- DOA CAL 3" Shad
- Small Spoons
You had better have the right lures when you go fishing for these delicious visitors as they pass through your area. Not too many fishermen will disagree with my list of best lures because there are only a few types of lures that pompanos will bite.
Pompano are one of Florida's favorite tourists. They come running through the state escaping water temperatures that become too hot or too cold for their comfort. The surf fishermen make the beaches look like a porcupine with all of the surf rods poking up in the air and lining the beaches as they try to catch these delicious visitors.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the beaches and grass flats for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you everything that I know about pompano fishing with lures.
Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano with lures.
Pompano Fishing with Lures off the Beach
Most pompano fishermen fish for pompano off of the beach. But the fact of the matter is that they move back and forth from inshore grass flats and estuaries to the beaches very regularly.
Pompanos are in the jack family which is why they are such great fighters for their size. This big ones can really pull some drag. This makes for a fun day of fishing.
The water temperature sweet spot for catching pompanos is from roughly 65 to 75 degrees. So you can determine when they will be in your area by knowing the water temperatures where you live.
In other words, water temperatures below 65 degrees will make the pompano move south towards warmer waters. Conversely, water temperatures above 75 degrees will make the pompano schools head north to find cooler water temperatures.
In my area of the Treasure Coast of Florida, the pompanos usually come to town after the first good cold fronts move through the state around November or December. They get too hot and usually leave by April or May to head north to find cooler waters.
BANANA JIGS- Banana jigs are the way to go if you ask me. They flutter to the bottom after every twitch of your rod tip. This attracts a lot of attention. My technique is a twitch, twitch, pause for a few seconds, repeat.
They spend their lives looking for food in the sand. The jig looks like something that just broke out of the sand hiding spot and them decided to go back into the sand.
My theory is that this triggers them because their prey items like crabs and shrimp do the same thing. Even the sand fleas move erratically when the wave action sweeps them out.
I think that the teaser adds more bites so if you can buy some or make your own you should do it. Match the teaser to the jig. ie. If you have a pink jig, then a pink and white teaser will work.
Keep in mind that I fish for pompano during the higher parts of the tide so I can get away with light jigs on the beach. I wrote another article on this website about tips and techniques for pompano fishing on the different tides. Learn more about high tide vs. low tide pompano fishing.
POMPANO JIGS- Pompano jigs are the number one choice for most pompano fishermen that I talk to. I think that this might be because old habits die hard. AND I understand that because if you use those and they work why would you want to change anything.
BUT I used to only use those little pompano jigs BUT now I only use banana jigs because I think that they work better. Either one will catch you tons of pompano so I guess it doesn't matter too much as long as you are catching fish. It's really all about the technique.
BERKELY GULP SHRIMP- I discovered that Gulp shrimp worked really well for catching pompano on accident. I kept catching pompanos on the grass flats when I was fishing for speckled trout.
It had never occurred to me before then that pompano will hunt on the grass flats for shrimp and crabs. I had always associated them with beaches, inlets and sand bars.
They will root around on the sandy outskirts of the grass flats. They also love to hunt in the sandy potholes that are in every grass flat.
These days I like to bring banana jigs and white Gulp shrimp if I am targeting pompanos on the beach. I will fish the Gulp shrimp with a 1/8 or a 1/4 ounce pink jig head.
The technique is exactly the same as with the other pompano jigs. Twitch, twitch, pause, repeat.....
DOA CAL 3" SHAD- Yes, pompano do eat small fish if they can catch them. That is why the white DOA CAL works so well to catch them. I use the white or glow body with a red 1/8 ounce gig head.
The technique is similar to the other lures mentioned BUT you can just swim this bait near the sandy bottom for good results. I sort of swim in near the bottom letting it bounce on the sand. The only colors that I have been able to get the pompano to bite is white and glow.
SMALL SILVER SPOONS- Pompano do hit spoons. When you are fishing the beaches toss a small silver spoon and swim/bounce it off of the sandy bottom just like the DOA CAL. You will catch pompano, whiting and croakers with a small silver spoon.
The problem with fish these silver spoons off of the beach is Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish. They love spoons and will bite yours usually cutting your line with their razor sharp teeth.
WANT TO CATCH POMPANO? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Pompano Fishing with Lures in the Inlets
Pompano love to run into the inlets to feed especially during the outgoing tide. The outgoing tide brings small crabs, shrimp and fish to them from nearby sand bars and grass flats.
That is the dinner bell for a hungry pompano. The schools will move from foraging along the beaches into the inlets.
The outgoing tide is the best one for lure fishing the inlets because the water is usually dirty and murky. The income tides bring in the clearer water from the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.
The outgoing tide brings the dirty run off from the cities adjacent to the waterways that feed into the inlets. This has all kinds of stuff in it that hurt the water clarity.
The key to fishing the inlets is to cast your lures up current because the schools of pompano will usually be facing that way.
BANANA JIGS- The main problem with using small lures in an inlet is the depth and current. You have to have enough weight to get your jigs to the bottom or you won't catch any pompano. AND if your jig is too big, then the pompano can't eat them because of their small mouths.
You have to find eddies and places where the current is such that you can get your lures to the bottom.
BERKELEY GULP SHRIMP- The Gulp shrimp is another good choice for a lure in the inlets. Just cast it up current and bounce it back to you with the tide.
You will want to use the white ones for the best fish catching. The good news is that the pompanos bigger cousin the permit will also cruise the inlets during certain times of year. It's pretty fun to cast for a 2 pound pompano and catch a 20 pound permit instead.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a pompano. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Pompano Fishing with Lures off of Bridges
Bridges that are within a couple of miles of an inlet is another great place to catch a ton of pompano. Sometimes the beaches don't have enough food or the temperatures aren't right and the pompano run inshore.
The inlet near where I live has so many sharks in it and I believe the pompano run to the inshore areas to escape them. That is just fine with pompano fishermen because they are easier to get at when they are under a bridge.
The technique used my bridge fishing pompano slayers is the vertical jig. You will just let whatever lure that you are using sink straight down and vertically jig it up and down. You have to make sure that you keep it within 18 inches of the bottom for best results.
POMPANO JIGS- Bridges and pompano jigs go hand and hand. On one of my local bridges the pompano slayers will be shoulder to shoulder jigging up pompanos when the schools are running inshore.
Almost 100% of them will have a pink, orange or white pompano jig bouncing on the bottom. The ones that don't will have a sinker with a sand flea or piece of shrimp that they are fishing with.
This lure and technique work very well. I recommend that you try it the next time that the pompanos are running through your area.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano.
Bridges that are within a couple of miles of an inlet is another great place to catch a ton of pompano. Sometimes the beaches don't have enough food or the temperatures aren't right and the pompano run inshore.
The inlet near where I live has so many sharks in it and I believe the pompano run to the inshore areas to escape them. That is just fine with pompano fishermen because they are easier to get at when they are under a bridge.
The technique used my bridge fishing pompano slayers is the vertical jig. You will just let whatever lure that you are using sink straight down and vertically jig it up and down. You have to make sure that you keep it within 18 inches of the bottom for best results.
POMPANO JIGS- Bridges and pompano jigs go hand and hand. On one of my local bridges the pompano slayers will be shoulder to shoulder jigging up pompanos when the schools are running inshore.
Almost 100% of them will have a pink, orange or white pompano jig bouncing on the bottom. The ones that don't will have a sinker with a sand flea or piece of shrimp that they are fishing with.
This lure and technique work very well. I recommend that you try it the next time that the pompanos are running through your area.
Watch the video below and catch more pompano.
Pompano Fishing with Lures around Sand Bars
Do you want to catch pompano inshore? Find some sand bars. To find pompano you have to find sand. It is really as simple as that. One of my favorite scenarios is the deep cuts and channels between two sand bars.
This is a great place to hunt for pompanos. You just have to get your lure to the bottom without catching jacks, ladyfish, bluefish...... Those fish will be in the upper parts of the water column and you have to be in the lower parts of the water column.
Those fish like every pompano lure that you have in your tackle box so get your lure down to the bottom quickly. Your technique is to cast up current and bounce whatever lure back to you on the bottom.
BANANA JIGS- This is a great spot to use your banana jigs. I like to cast onto the sand bar and have the jig come from the shallow into the deep channel. Cover the entire area with 10 or 12 casts then move to another part of the sand bar or find another sand bar and repeat the process.
My favorite colors are pinks and oranges but white and chartreuse work great too.
DOA CAL SHAD- The old white DOA CAL is another great choice for this scenario. I like to use a pink 1/8 ounce jig head and a white or glow DOA CAL body. You will want to fish it the same way that you fish the banana jigs in this scenario.
Just about every inshore fish eats this lure so expect a lot of bi catch with this one. It works really well for pompano when bounced or swum within 12 inches of the sandy bottom of the sand bars.
Hit the different cuts between sand bars until you figure out where all of the pompanos are. Once you find one you will probably find a whole bunch of them.
Pompano Fishing with Lures off the Grass Flats
Grass flats are another hunting spot for pompanos. They like to hit the flats in search of shrimp, crabs and small fish. The most effective way to catch tons of pompano on the grass flats is to drift them.
I like to focus on the sandy potholes and the sandy boundaries of the grass flats. Often times the pompano will be on the sandy boundaries that drop off into deeper water next to the flats.
BERKELEY GULP SHRIMP- My favorite search bait for grass flat pompano is the Gulp shrimp with a pink jig head. As the current or the wind is pushing my kayak for jon boat across the flats, I will fan cast the waters to cover as much of it as I can.
The pompanos will usually be found near the larger sandy potholes that you will find in every grass flat. They may be rooting around in the sea grass but they are usually close to the sandy spots.
The best way to fish the sandy spots is to cast up current and bounce the jig through them. Pompanos are excellent fighters so you will know very quickly when you have one on the end of your line.
When you find one toss out your anchor because there are probably more pompano around. In my area of the Treasure Coast of Florida the permit will often be mixed in with the pompano starting around April.
It's really fun to catch a 2 pound pompano on one cast and then a 20 pound permit on the next. Permit and pompanos are almost indistinguishable from each other when they are smaller. Both are good to eat.
Grass flats are another hunting spot for pompanos. They like to hit the flats in search of shrimp, crabs and small fish. The most effective way to catch tons of pompano on the grass flats is to drift them.
I like to focus on the sandy potholes and the sandy boundaries of the grass flats. Often times the pompano will be on the sandy boundaries that drop off into deeper water next to the flats.
BERKELEY GULP SHRIMP- My favorite search bait for grass flat pompano is the Gulp shrimp with a pink jig head. As the current or the wind is pushing my kayak for jon boat across the flats, I will fan cast the waters to cover as much of it as I can.
The pompanos will usually be found near the larger sandy potholes that you will find in every grass flat. They may be rooting around in the sea grass but they are usually close to the sandy spots.
The best way to fish the sandy spots is to cast up current and bounce the jig through them. Pompanos are excellent fighters so you will know very quickly when you have one on the end of your line.
When you find one toss out your anchor because there are probably more pompano around. In my area of the Treasure Coast of Florida the permit will often be mixed in with the pompano starting around April.
It's really fun to catch a 2 pound pompano on one cast and then a 20 pound permit on the next. Permit and pompanos are almost indistinguishable from each other when they are smaller. Both are good to eat.
Pompano Fishing with Lures around Docks
Pompano will often hit the docks if there is food for them there. The docks closest to the inlets is your best bet to catch pompano off of a dock. You want to find docks with lots of sand or sand bars near them.
Pompano can be spooky so the higher parts of the tide are better because they will feel safer in deep water. They will often stay around a group of docks for a long time if there is food there. Once you find them stay put until they move or quit biting.
BANANA JIGS- This is when I would bust out the banana jigs and see it the pompano are hungry. You have to figure out what color they want to eat. Some days they want something pink or orange and other days the whites or a chartreuse will work best.
The technique is always the same. Cast the jig out and let it sink to the bottom. Give it a twitch, twitch as you slowly bounce it on the sandy bottom back to you.
Watch the video below to figure out where the pompano are on the beach.
Pompano will often hit the docks if there is food for them there. The docks closest to the inlets is your best bet to catch pompano off of a dock. You want to find docks with lots of sand or sand bars near them.
Pompano can be spooky so the higher parts of the tide are better because they will feel safer in deep water. They will often stay around a group of docks for a long time if there is food there. Once you find them stay put until they move or quit biting.
BANANA JIGS- This is when I would bust out the banana jigs and see it the pompano are hungry. You have to figure out what color they want to eat. Some days they want something pink or orange and other days the whites or a chartreuse will work best.
The technique is always the same. Cast the jig out and let it sink to the bottom. Give it a twitch, twitch as you slowly bounce it on the sandy bottom back to you.
Watch the video below to figure out where the pompano are on the beach.
Pompano Fishing with Lures Best Tackle
The best tackle for pompano fishing depends upon where you are catching them and what the tide is doing. When you are fishing for them off of the beach at low tide you will need a long surf casting rod to reach the first sand bar.
You can fish two jigs on a dropper loop just like you would if you were fishing with sand fleas. This will add weight to your rig so that you can get a longer cast. You need enough weight to get your rig to the sand bar at low tide.
I would suggest that you have your big surf rod rigged with a 20 pound braided line just in case you hook into something big like a permit. You will want a 4000 series reel that will fit a lot of line on it.
If the tide is high or if you are fishing somewhere besides the beach, then you can get away with a 6 or 7 foot rod and a 10 pound braided line. Most of the rods that I use for my kayak fishing charters are rigged with 10 pound braid because it gives you excellent distance with your casts and it can handle most of the fish that you will catch.
The reels that I recommend are a 2500 series or 3500 series. They can handle everything from a 30 pound tarpon to a 2 pound pompano. They are light enough to let the pompano pull some drag.
Conclusion:
Pompano are one of the most popular fish that swim in the sea. That is probably because they are so much fun to catch and so good to eat. If you have to buy fillets at the fish market, then you can expect to pay $20 a pound for them. They are always expensive so that tells you something about the supply and demand economics of pompano meat.
You can catch pompano anywhere that there are sandy spots so open your mind about pompano fishing and you will catch more fish. Many anglers get tunnel vision and only fish for them off of the beach.
What if the surf is too rough? What is there is too much sargassum weed in the water? What if the water is too murky?
When the beach is no good for pompano find a bridge; an inlet; a sand bar...… and you can stay on the fish in spite of the bad beach conditions.
If you ever want to try for some pompano from a kayak BOOK A TRIP with me and we will look for them out on the flats and around the spoil islands.
I hope that this article helps you catch more fish or at the very least have more fun trying.
Pompano are one of the most popular fish that swim in the sea. That is probably because they are so much fun to catch and so good to eat. If you have to buy fillets at the fish market, then you can expect to pay $20 a pound for them. They are always expensive so that tells you something about the supply and demand economics of pompano meat.
You can catch pompano anywhere that there are sandy spots so open your mind about pompano fishing and you will catch more fish. Many anglers get tunnel vision and only fish for them off of the beach.
What if the surf is too rough? What is there is too much sargassum weed in the water? What if the water is too murky?
When the beach is no good for pompano find a bridge; an inlet; a sand bar...… and you can stay on the fish in spite of the bad beach conditions.
If you ever want to try for some pompano from a kayak BOOK A TRIP with me and we will look for them out on the flats and around the spoil islands.
I hope that this article helps you catch more fish or at the very least have more fun trying.
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