Thread: Pampano.

Last year was my first year on the pier and i loved it. I have always wanted to try my hand at pampano fishing and I was wondering when they come in, where on the pier is the best and if typically the bite is good or only fair.

I only recently learned that pomano can be caught year round on the Gulf coast. Live sand fleas, fresh dead shrimp, are your best baits. Hope you get'em.

I used to catch pompano regularly on the old pier, and I still fish for them from the beach. Pompano can indeed be caught year 'round in Alabama waters. It seems like about 60 degree water and higher is what they prefer. Top months for pompano are March through early June. Once the water gets hot they get hard to find. I fish for pompano with both fishfinder rigs and two-hook rigs. My hook of choice is a 1/0 tin-finished Eagle Claw circle. I usually use fresh dead shrimp for bait, but I have heard a lot about ghost shrimp as the preferred bait. I haven't gotten in to catching them yet. Look for pompano from the "T" north to the beach. Sometimes they feed just outside the breakers. Other times they are in the draw of the first sandbar. If you want to use a lure, pompano will bite small leadhead jigs with nylon hair; pink, orange, and chartreuse are good colors. Good luck.