The Best Florida Pompano Charters

Our Damn Good Guides currently offer 43 florida pompano trips, and the most popular trips are Tavernier Backcountry Fishing guided by Ben, "Gettin' Jiggy" Inshore Combo Trip guided by Tim, and Destin Nearshore Run guided by Robbie.

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All guides on Captain Experiences are licensed, insured, and vetted by our team. You can access their reviews, click through trip photos, read bios to get to know them, and preview trip details like species, techniques, group sizes, boat specs and more.

Inshore fishing is the most popular for florida pompano as well as nearshore fishing, deep sea fishing, and flats fishing.

The most common fishing techniques are light tackle fishing, live bait fishing, and artificial lure fishing but bottom fishing and trolling are popular as well.

for florida pompano prices can range anywhere from $175 to $3,000 and up, but the average price for a half day for florida pompano is $610. The average price for a full day for florida pompano is $1,080.

The most popular season for florida pompano fishing is spring, and most anglers book their trips 29 days in advance.

See here for more information on florida pompano fishing licenses, florida pompano bag limits, and fishing season regulations for florida pompano. When in doubt, your fishing guide will always know the right florida pompano rules and regulations.

The Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus, sometimes called a cobblerfish), are a type of pompano within the jack family. They have a compressed body and short snout, that varies from blue to green to yellow with a silvery tint, and a deeply forked tail.

They are often confused with a permit, however a pompano will have a less forked tail, thinner pectoral fin, more pointed head (and a giant forehead), and have more yellow coloring, and are also smaller.

Florida pompano are a schooling, bottom feeding fish, are finicky eaters, and are very strong fighters for their size.

Juvenile Florida pompano grow between 0.8 and 1.9 inches per month, growing to about 12 inches and weighing about a pound after a year. The maximum growth of an adult pompano will reach around three pounds, and have a length of up to 17 inches.

On October 16th, 1999, Barry Hutson caught the all tackle world record Florida Pompano according to the IGFA. The monster weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, with a length of 18 inches. It was caught in Port St. Joe, Florida.

Florida pompano can be found in the western Atlantic from Massachusetts to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and West Indies, however they cannot be found in the Bahamas. They are most plentiful in Florida, as the name suggests, from New Smyrna Beach to Miami on the Atlantic coast, and St. Pete to the Panhandle on the Gulf Coast.

They prefer warm waters from 70-89 degrees, migrating north in the summer, and south in the fall. They can typically be found schooling in surf flats, feeding along the bottom, and will often avoid clear water regions.

Pompano are open year round, however their peak months are from October to December, and April to July. The best time to fish for them is either early in the morning, or at dusk, especially when the wind is blowing in towards the shore.

The Florida pompano is a picky little fish when it comes to eating, making them difficult to catch. When it comes to bait, the best natural options are mole crabs, clams, or shrimp, whereas the best artificial options are brightly colored jigs, plugs, or flies. No matter what you use, you’ll need small terminal tackle and hooks, as they have fairly small mouths.

The best technique is to cast your bait into the wave as it recedes, and then reel in with it. If you’re using artificial, you can twitch it along the bottom to make sand puffs every five seconds. No matter what you’re using, be ready for a terrific fight, despite their size!

Florida pompano are some of the most expensive seafood options in the United States, and have a delicious, white, and flaky meat. Fillets have a very even thickness, and are very popular among chefs. They have a very rich, but mild flavor.

One of the most well known dishes created from them is out of New Orleans, called pompano en papillote. It is wrapped in parchment paper with a white sauce made from wine, shrimp, and crab meat, which is then steamed.