Need help: want to catch pompano

Not much of a saltwater fisherman whatsoever. For some reason the last couple years after eating some pompano fillets, I’ve been dying to catch some. All I can find about them online is info on fishing in Florida for them and nobody I know has ever fished for or caught one. I know light tackle is used to catch them as they aren’t very big.

I’m assuming they can be caught in the surf? Like a lot of species I’m sure they are seasonal in the surf?
Can they be caught in the bay? Do they only hit bait and flies? Can you use lures for them? Do you have to have a boat to fish for them? Are they a hard species to target?

Closest beach and bay is corpus and port A.

I have only caught them in the surf and jetties. Never caught any in the bay.

Their mouth is proportionally small. So small offerings. Lil spoons and lil shrimp baits if what i have done the best on.

Always caught them late summer when it was hot. And when the East wind blows in some cleaner water to the beach.

I’m wanting to get some too. Years ago, my neighbor at Surfside got some big ones in the May surf on super spook juniors of all things. If I didn’t see it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’ve cast flies at some from a boat deck just behind the surf, but so far nada. You’d think I’d stumble across a couple just by accident by now. I’ve gotten several whiting in the surf on flies and they might have even smaller mouths than pompano.

I don’t think they are as consistently in the Upper Texas surf as maybe some other places and other species. Maybe they are in the surf more than we know and just aren’t being targeted in the right way.

I fished down there for over 30 years and caught maybe a half dozen. They are incidental.

Couldn't have said it better myself..........X2

Agreed

only time i ever caught any numbers of them was at the San Luis Pass bridge. it was so long ago and i was young and dumb. never even took notice of tide, current, wind or anything. best i remember it was in the spring.

I've never caught any North of Port Aransas. The further south you go, the better your chances. On PINS, in Corpus Christi, I've caught a bunch of them. All of the ones I've caught were caught on fishbites with small hooks as mentioned above.

My dad caught a few off the Bob Hall pier back in the early 70's. We had only fished for freshwater fish so we had no idea what they were. I just remember everyone asking could they buy them from him. I knew they were uncommon because every act surprised he had them on his stringer. That was nearly 45 years ago.

We catch them pretty good down in the Aransas/ Padre island surf area.
#1 tip that helped me is orange crab fishbites.
An old timer(Awesum....) told me it keeps the hardheads off, & it works exactly like that, so far.......
whiting, reds, & pomps . all year long, but seems to be better in the winter.

What size hooks y’all using?

Port Aransas is a far north that I have caught them. I have a sand flea rake that can be bought at Academy along the coast or Walmart. Don't remember if Port A. Outfitters had them but call as I'm almost sure they do. Get 4-5 pompano rigs, small kahle hooks and beads usually on them and surf weights. Watch you tube videos for markings for where to find sand fleas in the surf and how to read the surf on where to locate. Much too much for me to explain here. You are right... they are very tasty and worth the time to catch them. I have use the orange fish bites in a crab flavor and put them on before the sand fleas. Surf rod and fishing the beach has been the best for me although I have caught them from the jetties--(Surf Side). Keep moving every twenty minutes if you don't get bit.
Doc's goofy jigs are great if you want to cast while you are waiting on bites from the surf rods. I would use white,orange or chartreuse on the jigs there as the water is almost always off-colored.

Dec.--- late March is better than summer, but I have caught a few in the summer.

www.breakawaytackleusa.com

fished these rigs last time out.

game changer.

your choice #1-#4, but recommend a circle or kahle hook

This. I go to Destin numerous times a year and they're all over there in the early spring. Sand fleas are the bait of choice and they can be caught in the first/second sandbar usually. Small hooks and light weights. I've only caught a few on the Texas coast accidentally