African Pompano Techniques Fishing

African Pompano

An excellent gamefish, African pompano are greatly appreciated for their hard fight, stamina, and beauty. Although they look and fight much like a permit, the similarities are superficial, as these fish are not observed on shallow flats like permit and are mainly caught over wrecks and reefs, and in many places incidentally by anglers trolling or baitfishing for grouper, snapper, kingfish, and sailfish. Wreck and reef fishing for these species became more prominent in South Florida in the 1990s, as anglers identified locations that had good populations of baitfish to attract this species. Since then, targeted efforts for African pompano have borne good results. Fish are caught deep on jigs and on baits, and when attracted to the surface by chumming, they are caught on cast hooked baits, or plugs or flies.

In addition to wrecks and reefs, these fish are attracted to humps, rockpiles, ledges, and irregular bottom structures that might hold baits.

Large bucktails (1 to 3 ounces are standard), are used to jig deep, and white is the preferred color. Subtle strikes usually follow when the jig falls during the jigging motion, but making a wide-sweeping jigging motion with a tight line is also productive. Specialists drift over the targeted areas, jigging above structure to attract the fish away from the confines of that structure, making it easier to play the fish once hooked. Slow trolling with deep-fished live baits may also be productive.

Prodigious amounts of live baits are used as chum to attract African pompano to the surface. Anglers offer live pilchards, menhaden, or herring, and often there’s action for various other species before African pompano come around. When they do, however, they are caught on live hooked baits, or cast popping plugs, shallow swimming plugs, and streamer flies or fly-rod poppers.

Shallow-caught fish make a strong first run, followed by successive runs and boat circling. Spinning and casting tackle suitable for 8- to 20-pound lines are favored, and the drag must be in good shape and the rod capable of putting pressure on a fish to keep it in check.

See: Inshore Fishing; Jacks.