Pompano Fishing in Florida

Pompano fish are one of the most prized species of jacks, also known as Trachinotus Carolinus. These fish are very popular and plentiful in Florida but they usually only get to about 8 lbs with the record at 8.4 lbs caught in Port St. Joe, FL. they are silver and gold when they are caught then turning golden all over which is why some people call them golden nuggets.

They are great fighters and we catch them all year October thru march. We fish with a lite fluorocarbon leader with #3 hook using live shrimp and sand fleas or we will use pink and chartreuse jigs tipped with shrimp. We find Pompano along the beach, in passes and feeding along the bottom and around oyster bars. We also will drift in the passes on strong outgoing tides, using a near-vertical jigging technique known as the pompano pump. This lets everyone on the boat to take advantage of drifting over a school of hungry pompano.

Pompano are a mild flavored flavorful fish to eat and the first choice for Creole chefs. Bake them in a baking dish or parchment paper with your favorite herbs. I have a great recipe for a Creole sauce that one of my clients gave me and I will be happy to pass it along to you when you catch a pompano on my boat.

6 per angler per day 11” min

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