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Pompano, Winter Sharks, “Reel Legends” and More
Vance Vordam hooked up on jack crevalle 18 Dec 07 - This is the latest date I’ve ever witnessed jacks on PINS.
I would say that 2007 turned out to be a most unusual year from start to finish. Sargassum was present on our beaches in varying amounts throughout the year and water temperatures that refused to reach normal levels throughout the summer are now abnormally warm in early winter. Fish species presence was anything but predictable. Data from long term log books has been of little help and it's made for a tough year of catching. To summarize, throughout 2007, the pattern was a complete lack of a pattern. Sure keeps a fella on his toes.
Some things did happen in predictable fashion, though, youngsters went back to school and many outdoorsmen went hunting; right about that same time the fish went on the best bite of the year.
For years, folks have asked me, "when does surf fishing really get good?"
I always grin and offer the same reply, "the opening weekend of dove season."
That's usually true, but it held off till mid-November in 2007 and lasted through the end of the year. Catching has been excellent. Expected species have been available any time surf and wind conditions allow angling for them in high numbers and other species which are usually gone this late in the year have remained available. Florida pompano up to 5 pounds are being caught regularly in the greatest numbers seen in several years if not the greatest numbers ever seen.
Recently I heard of a 4 man group that caught 73 of them in a single day.
There seems to be some misunderstandings about the habits of pompano and the techniques required to catch them in our area and I'd like to clear that up. Pompano are present in the Coastal Bend year round. For whatever reason they move into the shallower surf in large numbers during the colder months and retreat to deeper nearshore waters during the warm months. They are crustacean feeders and a small piece of fresh peeled shrimp combined with "Fishbites" and fished on the bottom has long proven the most productive way to target them.
Pompano are available regularly in the surf zone October through March in varying numbers. Many anglers seem to think the only way to be successful with pompano is to use heavy long distance casting tackle capable of delivering baits far offshore. This is indeed productive but at the same time the heavy tackle sure takes a lot of the fun out of landing a 2 or 3 pound fish.
If one is fishing along a shallow water stretch of beachfront this technique may well be an advantage or even a necessity, but in the deeper water stretches of beach we've done just fine with pompano on the same light tackle we use for lure fishing for trout. Daiwa's 8-1/2 medium light action spinning rods and 10 pound test have put many a pompano in the ice chest and allowed the angler a lot more fun in the process for decades.
As the water temperature in the surf zone decreases, the pompano will move closer and closer in on the beachfront and during January and February I have caught as many as 9 in a day on 51 M Mirrolure Twitch Baits while trout fishing. But most days a long cast with a 2 or 3 oz. sinker produces best. The trick is that often heard one, "location, location, location."
Target areas with no wade gut and easy access to a deep, wide first gut with a break in the outside bar; a rip, and the pompano will be glad to oblige you. Whiting are also extremely abundant in the surf during the winter and if your cast is short they become pests when targeting pompano as they tend to be closer inshore than the pompano. Neither of these fish is subject to size or bag limits in Texas.
Blacktipped, bull and sandbar sharks have also been caught regularly throughout November and December and on November 26 Brian Sessions caught and released a male 8' 8" tiger shark. Congratulations Brian and way to go on the release. There is a small number of dedicated or perhaps they are better termed "overly addicted" shark fishermen who regularly fish the beach of PINS throughout the winter months.
Solitude and regular catches make up for chilly weather and water conditions but it's still a tough sport. Most of the winter shark catches are made in the late afternoons or at night. I've never quite figured that one out but that's the way it is. Most of these sharks are caught on kayaked baits or baits taken offshore with a Zodiac inflatable boat. It has occurred to me that there seems to be a parallel between the number of pompano in the surf and the availability of sharks in the winter surf. Hmmm!
On 18 December Vance Vordam and I drove up on a school of large jack crevalle feeding at the water's edge and sightcasted to of them. This is the latest date record I have for jack crevalle on PINS. To confuse even more, it was a foggy, cloudy morning with light drizzle; everything jack crevalle don't like. On 20 Dec. I landed a 4-1/2 pound Spanish mackerel while plugging for speckled trout and saw several others. Again, that is awfully late for this species. And to top it all off, stray tarpon were reportedly jumped from both the Port Aransas and Port Mansfield jetties in mid-December. Guess it just goes to show that you never know till you go.
This could change, but as of now the word is that there will be changes in the policies concerning parking at Bird Island Boat Ramp starting March 1, 2008. I don't know all the details but have read that parking will no longer be allowed on the shoulders of the entrance road and that the total combined vehicle and boat trailer lengths allowed to park there will be limited to 40 feet maximum. That's sure going to leave a lot of us over the limit to utilize that facility.
A real solid tip for everyone planning a trip this time of year is to constantly get updates on the weather forecast. Incoming cold fronts speed up or stall when approaching the coast and they don't seem to feel any loyalty towards weathermen. A hard fact I learned long ago was that of the charters I lose to weather during the winter months I will lose more to the weather forecast than to what the weather actually does.
2008 will see a new fishing show coming out on the Outdoor Channel. It's called "Reel Legends" and is based on profiling a select few long term successful anglers from various regions of the U.S.A. When they sent out inquiries for someone in the coastal region of Texas they were referred to me. What's up with that?
Anyway, Bill Sherk and Aaron Achtenberg flew in from Minneapolis the second week of December and filmed with me and my customers and pals. The show will air sometime between January and March, 2008. Hmmm! Wonder if them guys that recommended me were mad at Bill and Aaron or do they owe me money? Anyhow, if you get a chance to see the show I'll bet these guys did a good job with it. Life's a Hoot! Go get you some of it.
Be Careful, Be Courteous, Be Kind.
Capt. Billy L. Sandifer
Some things did happen in predictable fashion, though, youngsters went back to school and many outdoorsmen went hunting; right about that same time the fish went on the best bite of the year.
For years, folks have asked me, "when does surf fishing really get good?"
I always grin and offer the same reply, "the opening weekend of dove season."
That's usually true, but it held off till mid-November in 2007 and lasted through the end of the year. Catching has been excellent. Expected species have been available any time surf and wind conditions allow angling for them in high numbers and other species which are usually gone this late in the year have remained available. Florida pompano up to 5 pounds are being caught regularly in the greatest numbers seen in several years if not the greatest numbers ever seen.
Recently I heard of a 4 man group that caught 73 of them in a single day.
There seems to be some misunderstandings about the habits of pompano and the techniques required to catch them in our area and I'd like to clear that up. Pompano are present in the Coastal Bend year round. For whatever reason they move into the shallower surf in large numbers during the colder months and retreat to deeper nearshore waters during the warm months. They are crustacean feeders and a small piece of fresh peeled shrimp combined with "Fishbites" and fished on the bottom has long proven the most productive way to target them.
Pompano are available regularly in the surf zone October through March in varying numbers. Many anglers seem to think the only way to be successful with pompano is to use heavy long distance casting tackle capable of delivering baits far offshore. This is indeed productive but at the same time the heavy tackle sure takes a lot of the fun out of landing a 2 or 3 pound fish.
If one is fishing along a shallow water stretch of beachfront this technique may well be an advantage or even a necessity, but in the deeper water stretches of beach we've done just fine with pompano on the same light tackle we use for lure fishing for trout. Daiwa's 8-1/2 medium light action spinning rods and 10 pound test have put many a pompano in the ice chest and allowed the angler a lot more fun in the process for decades.
As the water temperature in the surf zone decreases, the pompano will move closer and closer in on the beachfront and during January and February I have caught as many as 9 in a day on 51 M Mirrolure Twitch Baits while trout fishing. But most days a long cast with a 2 or 3 oz. sinker produces best. The trick is that often heard one, "location, location, location."
Target areas with no wade gut and easy access to a deep, wide first gut with a break in the outside bar; a rip, and the pompano will be glad to oblige you. Whiting are also extremely abundant in the surf during the winter and if your cast is short they become pests when targeting pompano as they tend to be closer inshore than the pompano. Neither of these fish is subject to size or bag limits in Texas.
Blacktipped, bull and sandbar sharks have also been caught regularly throughout November and December and on November 26 Brian Sessions caught and released a male 8' 8" tiger shark. Congratulations Brian and way to go on the release. There is a small number of dedicated or perhaps they are better termed "overly addicted" shark fishermen who regularly fish the beach of PINS throughout the winter months.
Solitude and regular catches make up for chilly weather and water conditions but it's still a tough sport. Most of the winter shark catches are made in the late afternoons or at night. I've never quite figured that one out but that's the way it is. Most of these sharks are caught on kayaked baits or baits taken offshore with a Zodiac inflatable boat. It has occurred to me that there seems to be a parallel between the number of pompano in the surf and the availability of sharks in the winter surf. Hmmm!
On 18 December Vance Vordam and I drove up on a school of large jack crevalle feeding at the water's edge and sightcasted to of them. This is the latest date record I have for jack crevalle on PINS. To confuse even more, it was a foggy, cloudy morning with light drizzle; everything jack crevalle don't like. On 20 Dec. I landed a 4-1/2 pound Spanish mackerel while plugging for speckled trout and saw several others. Again, that is awfully late for this species. And to top it all off, stray tarpon were reportedly jumped from both the Port Aransas and Port Mansfield jetties in mid-December. Guess it just goes to show that you never know till you go.
This could change, but as of now the word is that there will be changes in the policies concerning parking at Bird Island Boat Ramp starting March 1, 2008. I don't know all the details but have read that parking will no longer be allowed on the shoulders of the entrance road and that the total combined vehicle and boat trailer lengths allowed to park there will be limited to 40 feet maximum. That's sure going to leave a lot of us over the limit to utilize that facility.
A real solid tip for everyone planning a trip this time of year is to constantly get updates on the weather forecast. Incoming cold fronts speed up or stall when approaching the coast and they don't seem to feel any loyalty towards weathermen. A hard fact I learned long ago was that of the charters I lose to weather during the winter months I will lose more to the weather forecast than to what the weather actually does.
2008 will see a new fishing show coming out on the Outdoor Channel. It's called "Reel Legends" and is based on profiling a select few long term successful anglers from various regions of the U.S.A. When they sent out inquiries for someone in the coastal region of Texas they were referred to me. What's up with that?
Anyway, Bill Sherk and Aaron Achtenberg flew in from Minneapolis the second week of December and filmed with me and my customers and pals. The show will air sometime between January and March, 2008. Hmmm! Wonder if them guys that recommended me were mad at Bill and Aaron or do they owe me money? Anyhow, if you get a chance to see the show I'll bet these guys did a good job with it. Life's a Hoot! Go get you some of it.
Be Careful, Be Courteous, Be Kind.
Capt. Billy L. Sandifer