POMPANO FISHING WITH CAPT. NATHAN DONAHOE - Feb 19, 2004

Recent changes in Pompano (and Permit) fishing regulations* don't seem to bother Capt. Nate, as he says, you can always let them go. Nathan is our resident Flats fishing for Pompano Guru - if he is not booked to guide clients for them you can be sure he's out fishing for them himself, as they are hard fighters on light tackle and they are great table fare. Pompano Season, according to Capt. Guru, is March 19th through the first 3 weeks of April. The magic number is "68" degrees. (some people say it's 72 but Nathan swears by his numbers) This is when you'll see the heaviest spring push of fish. Pompano in smaller numbers will be around all summer but generally as the water warms up over the 74 degree mark, the majority of the fish are headed west. In the fall there is a reverse migration from west to east as the water temperature cools back down, usually in October, and around our Seafood Festival.

A sand flea rake and Nylure jigs are 2 of Nathan's tools of the trade. When they're thick you can catch pompano on naked jigs but according to Nathan, "Ya gotta have the fleas!" Sand flea-ing is not for the weak of back either. Tommy thought it would be a good past time for me so he wanted me to stroll the beach and rake up a few fresh sand fleas for him every day, while working on my tan. He tried it once and the brand new sand flea rake is now stored safely away in the tackle room. Sight fishing with a fly rod is an exciting and challenging way to catch pompano. There are 2 or 3 sand flea patterns that work well.

Pompano fishing is not for those anglers who would rather sleep in either, especially after a whiskey front has moved in. Nathan says he likes to meet his pompano fishermen as early as 5:30 am. When he's fishing by himself he's usually out by 5:00 and can hook his limit by daylight. The major bite is going to be at first light. Locals say when the sun is should high, get ready! Private anglers tend to do well fishing for pompano from the beach and by boat, but if you REALLY want to catch them, let me hook you up with a great guide.

(*New Florida Regulations went into effect recently. According to the FWC, the reason for the limit change is primarily due to overfishing on both coasts of Florida, because of a significant increase in recreational pompano fishing. Statistics indicate that reducing the overall harvest by only 10% will eliminate overfishing. The recreational bag limit is now 6 fish per person per day and the size limit went up to 11 inches to the fork. Anglers may posess one over 20 inches per day)


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