Hope you guys got to fish today...  it was happening at the beach this afternoon...

I had no time to put the fish in the cooler...  only working two rods..  caught 8 of them from 2:30 to 3:30... the other two were slow to add..

the most fun was fly-lining with an ultralight rig..  1/2oz weight, single hook carolina-rigged..  with 10# braid.... just throw it into the trough and wait for the rod to bow..  tho two got off on the way in..  a penalty of light tackle.

four of the fish were about 12-13"... I believe males..  no trace of eggs.. I have heard the waves of migration change in mix of sexes...  here is an example..

get out there and get yours..   Chris

I use 25# flourocarbon..  most times I can catch a blue or 3 without a rig replacement..  I keep plenty of rigs pre-made for such occasions..

fishing the same place as yesterday...  E of the Navarre pier... 

would anybody else like to have a copy of the bag limit for Pompano...

http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/gallery.asp?gallery=1586

early April the fleas will wake up and I will catch all my bait..  refuse to buy it at such prices... 

I buy shrimp from a local market that claims they are local caught and never frozen..

I do peel the shrimp and break off the last tail section... it is brittle and won't stay on the hook anyway..  then I half the shrimp and hook thru the piece twice..  not threading the piece on the hook..

the worst thing about using shrimp bait is the by-catch..  but the catfish have not shown up yet and the blues were not there on Saturday afternoon.. bull reds and stingrays are my biggest aggrevation now.. tho they will eat fleas as well

LOL, I know how that only using two rods thing is.  The first time I went surf fishing I caught 4 Pomps, and I was only using two rods.  I had a wave of Pomps come through at one point, and the first pole went apeshit and as I was reeling that one in, the second pole went apeshit.  I didn't know what to do, so I turned around and with pole in hand, ran away from the water, dragging the pomp onto the beach.  After that I dropped the pole and ran back to take care of the other one. 

Sandy says I am afflicted..   and I believe it..  I want to harvest Pompano...  and I know where they are... there are lots of holes from the pier to Portofino..  all someone has to do is get some exercise and enjoy the scenery..   I love to find THE SPOT and the best thing is finding the NEXT SPOT...

LOL, hard to argue with that logic.  If a screen name that says gamewarden starts asking you questions, just give them Bubba's info.

I'm having trouble knowing when a fish is hitting the bait or surf action is pulling on the rod.

David

Yeah I don't mind the exercise,  I pack all of the fishing gear into my ruck sack, which makes it easy to get around out there.  Yeah, I get caught up in finding THE SPOT for hunting or fishing sometimes.  I usually end up with little to nothing, so I try to balance out the fishing/hunting and the finding.

I find a very limber rod...  like a 'live-bait' rod..  is best for casting a light weight..   and also will give you a good signal of the bite...  and a very lively fight.

get out there..

Have you ever caught a fish while surf fishing, because there is no mistaking a bite.  When a pomp, blue, or something similar bites, you will see about three quick/hard jerks forward, not back like when the wave lets go of your line.  When they bite, it's not like the slow steady pull of the waves, these fish don't pussyfoot around.

One of the guys from the office came fishing with us one day when we yaked some baits out.  I let him use one of my poles and he asked that same question.  I told him the same thing, and like 2 seconds later his pole slaps the ground, and starts going into the water.  He caught a 4 foot spinner shark, he was pretty happy.

The wave pulling on your line will be a smooth gradual dip then realease of the rod tip.  A fish will jerk it wildly with nothing smooth about it.  You will know when one is on there once you see the difference.  There is no mistaking a fish vs. wave action.  By the way, I have had fish take the bait and run towards the shore.  I find that if your line is tight and your rod has a slight bow in it then it will suddenly stand up straight and the line goes slack.  If that happens start reeling like crazy and you just might find a fish on it.

when bringing in a double-drop rig..  with a fish running at the shore.. I try to jut keep up with his progress...  when he gets near the surf 'lip' I will increase the resistance rather substantially to guide him onto the wave table...   he is ashore before he knows it...    really comes in handy for that BIG fish you don't want to miss.. 

I find the smaller fish sometimes fight the hardest.. surfacing quickly and darting wildly..  maybe the male fish but I haven't confirmed that...   where the bigger ones (most surely female)will charge the surf..

also...  I know all of you have watched BassMaster televised fishing...   they don't play the fish..  esp. the big ones..  it is crank to the boat and net..   Pompano fishing is the same way...   you can go light on the rod, reel, line and leader...   and it is more of a challenge to catch one..   but you will definitely lose more fish, tackle and time re-tying... I even lose more tackle during the cast due to some bonehead error..  and I am the biggest BONEHEAD around..

I enjoy the smoothness of a larger reel when fishing a double-drop with a 3 or 4oz weight..   also brings the line in significantly faster.. whether retrieving a fish or just to check the bait..   I would like to hear J. Purdy's "TWO-CENTS" on this..

It's fishpedaller...  as in 'Pedals to Fish'...    NOT fishpedlar..  which is to sell fish..

the top bike is my Surly Pugsley..  4" tires and it sails thru the sand to take me to the Pompano holes..

the next bike is a titanium longtail I built last Fall...  it will carry more by virtue of the big saddlebags and longer wheelbase..  rider weight moved forward..  easy and breezy trip to Ft Pickens and back..

now I am building a titanium sandflea rake..  have expanded Ti mesh for the bottom..  looking for 1/2" Stainless Hardware Cloth.. if anyone has a local source.. it will be much appreciated..

and you saw the cart with Roll-Eez wheels...  I only wish I bought the larger diameter versions..  but these move to my kayaks for dual duty..

as you can see... I take my playing seriously...

I love that you posted some pics so people will stop busting your balls.  You know what you're talking about, but I guess some need the visual proof, before they hush and listen.  As you were saying about the smaller vs. larger fish rarely do I find a male over 15".  Also often times the little guys will run, jump, you name it during the fight.  Many, if not most, of the biggers females do seem to come in rather easily often using their wide bodies to fight rather than pulling as much.  I also use bigger surf reels when bait fishing for the added casting distance and extra power a larger reel can provide.  I save the light gear for sight fishing.  And with the tides the way they have been, the afternoon bite should keep going strong.  Keep up the the sweet work!

-Jason

Did you put them on stock rims or have to put on special ones ?

Any other modifications ?

keep up the quality and everyone will be looking for your wisdom..

thanks again,

I don't personally care how many you catch but I would be carefull about saying that you caught more than you personal limit even if you had a partner with you.  Some of the FWC will write you up for over limit if you admit that you caught all the fish.  I am Not giving you a hard time again just warning you about how the thinking of some of the FWC goes.  Last year a gentleman on this board was written up when he and his son or grandson were fishing.  The boy was very young.  I believe 5-6 or so.  When pulled over by the FWC he had 2 nice Kings.  They were both pretty big for a young boy to catch and when tho officer asked the older gentleman about the fish he admitted he caught  both of them.   The FWC wrote him up for having more than his personal limit of one.   Can You Believe That???

Good luck.  Keep the reports up!!  You seem to do better than anyone around on Pomps!!

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