Pompano

"Pound for pound undisputed hardest fighting inshore fish." That's the pompano. Pompano are a migratory fish species in the Gulf of Mexico. They travel in large schools and are often seen in the first trough off the beach in groups of tens and hundreds. The pompano is a beautiful and much sought after fish by inshore fishing guides and for its fighting prowess and even more for its tastiness.

Pompano are often referred to as America's finest fish. The fillets are mild, sweet, and at a perfect cosistency. It is hard to describe the flavor. It would be like describing the taste of a peach. Well, it tastes like pompano. Pompano fillets are sold as one of the most expensive pieces of fish you can buy. We are very blessed to have these fish available to us on the Gulf Coast and especially in Orange Beach, Alabama.

  When do we catch pompano?

Because of the nature of how pompano migrate, they are caught seasonally. Although it is common for the pompano to make a late run during fall months, spring is the ideal time for targeting pompano on the Alabama coast. Their migration brings them along our coast usually during the weeks of spring break. How soon they arrive and leave generally depends on water temperature.   Light tackle is still our preferred method of catching Pompano.

We use live bait and artificial "pompano jigs"  to target pompano. As with most species of fish that we fish for, I like to use live bait to trigger strikes when looking for fish. When a school of pompano is located, I switch to jigs in order to keep the school of fish interested in a certain area by keeping bait on a spot.