Red tide had killed or chased off every available species that inhabited this once bountiful venue. But today, this great estuarine area has become home for a shining example of the incredible resilience of our Florida fishery.
Grassett and I also encountered abundant schools of Spanish mackerel, keeper size trout and blues that enthusiastically struck our jigs. But it was the excitement of hooking those challenging pompano that capped our fishing adventure.
The very next day, working grasses along the Clearwater Intracoastal Waterway, with Jim Plastic, we enjoyed a similarly productive outing. Though most of the fish we caught were trout, blues and other assorted species, it was an impressive 20-inch pompano that Jim hooked using the Old Bayside 4-inch Shadlyn that got our motors running.
Certainly pompano are always much more abundant during the warmer months here in the Tampa Bay area. But this late season run of them has been a real bonus for area anglers.
In addition to catching them in the grass flats, many work the bridges for these shiny jack fish cousins. Tampa’s Gary Poyssick, a highly skilled pompano specialist, has perfected his techniques for catching them at these structures.
“The first step is selecting the perfect crab for pompano.” He also advises that if you target pompano, you’re likely to catch their very close cousin, the permit at the same time. “The way to tell the difference between the pompano and permit is by counting the spines near the tail. When they’re young, pompano and permit are the same size, look the same, taste the same, and think the same. What we do know is that pompano stay small – usually less than 5 lbs or so – while permit keep on growing and when they get to the 25 lb range, permit often recruit to offshore wrecks in the summertime.” The best locations to target these structure oriented fish would be at virtually any bridge. Here in the Tampa Bay Area the Courtney Campbell Causeway, Howard Frankland, Skyway and the Gandy Bridges are all heavy structures that sit on concrete pilings. These are ideal habitats for pompano and other local species that tend to swim along the bridges looking for food washing off the pilings.
Tidal flow and direction makes a big difference in your pompano catching success. Poyssick says that If the tide is coming in (moving from South to North,) the fish will be on the North side of the pilings. If the tide is going out, the fish move to the South side. He adds that “once you spot the pompano, positioning your boat is critical.”
He highly recommends using braided lines for pompano fishing. “With light spinning gear and PowerPro, you’ll have the sensitivity that’s required to hook these light-striking fish. “ And what great fighters they are. A hooked pompano pulls like a much larger fish. Certainly, when taking a fillet or two for dinner, you will soon discover that there are very few Florida species that taste better.
Using small crabs for bait, Poyssick fishes with fine wire hooks – usually short shank number 6 or 8 hooks. “The bait is tiny, as is the mouth of the pompano. So that’s why we need those tiny hooks. I slip an egg sinker onto the PowerPro, tie on a swivel, then attach a 12 inch piece of 17 lb to 20 lb fluorocarbon leader. Three or four inches above the egg sinker, we pinch a split shot onto the line. This gives the fish a small amount of play before they feel the weight, but not enough for them to move away with the crab before we sense the almost imperceptible tap-tap of the bite.” Chumming is also a critical component for pompano fishing. Fortunately, the barnacles, mussels, and other crustaceans that attach themselves to the pilings have already gotten their attention. Anglers who migrated from the snowy north would have been wise to bring their ice-scrapers down to Florida. They are ideal for scraping off bridge’s barnacles that can trigger the pompano bite.
“Get up on the piling -- furthest away from the down-tide side where the fish are. Scrape a line 12 inches wide by six or eight inches high, letting the goop flow down, around the piling, and to where you know the fish are,” said Poyssick. “Hook on a crab, then either stand on the piling or in the stern of your boat and drop the line straight down alongside the bridge.” He advises that the weight you use is critical. It shouldn’t be so heavy as to keep the bait from bouncing away from the bridge, nor should it be so light that you can’t feel it bouncing. “Drop the weight, pick it up a few inches, and drop it down again. And if you’ve selected the right size egg sinker it should move slightly away from the piling before it hits the bottom again. “ A tiny cloud of sand is kicked up when the lead hits bottom. Afterwards, Poyssick suggests raising your rod tip, drop the weight again, and it should move away a little bit more. Then let out some line. “It’s the puff of sand as well as the smell of the chum and the movement of your tiny crab that attracts the pompano,” he said. “Without the correct bounce, you will not catch pompano. It is in this presentation where the secret lies. Perfect it and you will consistently catch pompano. “Don’t do it right, and those alongside of you will catch fish while you just watch. It’s tense, non-relaxing fishing. But it’s big, big fun.”
There are many great recipes, including the local Tampa favorite, “Pompano Papillote” - Pompano In A Bag -- made famous by the late Chef Cesar Ruiz:
1 Onion chopped
2 tbs. Olive oil
2 tbs. Butter
3 tbs. Flour all-purpose
1 ½ cups of Milk
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Egg yolks beaten
1 Garlic clove crushed
3 tbs. Dry sherry
1/2 lb. Shrimp, cooked chopped
1/2 lb. Crabmeat, chopped cooked
2 ea. Pompano fillets 1 ½ lbs each
Paprika to taste.
Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil and butter in a skillet until soft,. Reduce heat, and then gradually add flour, milk, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and egg yolks. Stir well to blend. Remove from heat then add sherry, shrimp & crabmeat. Sprinkle pompano with salt, pepper & paprika. Spoon the sauce into 2 large pieces of foil. Top with pompano steaks and seal foil "envelopes." Place in large baking dish then bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serves four.
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