Fly Fishing for Pompano in the Surf Updated

Fly Fishing for Pompano in the Surf

In this selfie photo, Gary Davis of Suntree shows off a nice 3-pound pompano that he caught recently on fly fishing tackle in the Indian River south of Melbourne.

Once again Jerry Davis of Suntree is catching prized pompano in the Indian River on his fly rod.

In the final three weeks he has averaged 4 to five per trip forth a 4 1/2-mile section of the river'southward western shore between Palm Bay's Turkey Creek and the south end of Rocky Point well-nigh Malabar in South Brevard.

"There's six to viii key spots where I can normally find pompano holding," said Davis, who uses his boat to reach the locations where he then goes overboard and wades.

Davis makes information technology a point to be on the water by first light and by 9:xxx a.grand. he'southward on his way home.

"It's generally an early-morning bite and I may accept to try two or three spots before I find them," explained the 70-yr-one-time Davis, a retired school superintendent from his native California.

Most of the spots characteristic drib-offs from nigh three feet of water to five or six feet, thus creating a trough, but he has found that the pompano also like submerged structures like broken parts of old docks. They're also attracted to drop-offs effectually the river'due south spoil islands forth the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway aqueduct.

"It's a case of blind casting until you find them," he said. "I'll be standing in two to iii feet of water and throwing my wing into the deeper h2o."

Pompano, prized as tabular array fare, are lesser feeders that seldom show themselves on the surface, except when disturbed like from a passing boat. But when the h2o is articulate, every bit has been the case southward of Melbourne, in that location are occasions when reflections of moving fish can be spotted.

While some pompano reside in the estuarine system, most are body of water residents that motility through inlets like Sebastian into the Indian River Lagoon for reasons that merely can be speculated.

"Ordinarily nosotros do best in the river between January and Apr just I recall all the dirt and body of water weed nosotros had along the surf recently, and at present the rain and runoff we've been having, has pushed a lot of pompano into the river," Davis said.

Pompano demand clean conditions, and for that reason by and large is recognized as an bounding main species, peculiarly forth the surf where it feeds heavily on sand fleas, modest crabs and other crustaceans.

"I've been fishing for them about 12 years now and so I've learned to look for the clean water they like, the kind of bottom they desire, and almost importantly how to go them on fly," said Davis, who retired to Suntree 15 years ago afterward spending years fly fishing for freshwater trout in the High Sierra.

Gary Giles, a guide and fly angling specialist from Palm Bay, is a close friend of Davis who got him interested in saltwater fly fishing, particularly in the Indian River, and they accept made countless trips together.

Giles e'er has been willing to share his fishing expertise with others and Davis is showing the same helpful attitude.

"Gary became my mentor and he taught me basically everything I've come to know nearly river fishing," Davis said. "I wouldn't be having all this fun if it hadn't been for Gary Giles."

The methods for finding and catching river pompano on fly gear is one of Giles' strongpoints. He also fly fishes for tarpon and snook in the river and in backwater creeks and canals, and a week agone had a banner day fly fishing for largemouth bass at the Stick Marsh.

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Bright colors of orangish and yellow, and sometimes ruby, are virtually ever incorporated into lures for pompano. The colors imitate the orangish-colored egg sack on the underside of sand fleas, making them prime forage.

Clouser minnows generally brand some of the best pompano fly fishing patterns and Giles designed what he calls the Giles Clouser, tied on a No. 2 hook with weighted optics and an overall orangish-yellow body with a pink mid department and a white torso. When tied properly the barb of the claw on a Clouser rides upward when retrieved.

For his own use Davis ties a variation of the Giles' Clouser starting with a Mustad 34007 O'Shaughnessy-style hook. For weight he uses medium-size barbell lead eyes on a red caput and they are followed past orange and yellow-colored Arts and crafts Fur cloth for the body. Several strips of Krystal Wink are included for a natural, flashy look. He presses down the barb on the hook to ensure easier releases. The finished fly is 2 inches long.

Davis does not sell his flies, and the Giles Clouser has been available in the past at Harry Goode's Outdoors Store in Melbourne.

In that location are numerous pompano flies bachelor, some imitating sand fleas and crabs, and no dubiety they all work when presented properly. Any 1 1/ii- to 2-inch Clouser minnow pattern with bright colors would work.

Davis uses a 7-weight fly rod with floating line and a nine-foot leader with a ten- to 12-pound tippet. The leader length allows the weighted wing to attain the lesser.

"Later on a bandage I count four to five seconds and and so showtime a series of two or three brusque strips and a suspension, followed by the same, all the while working it boring." The strips produce a pattern of short bounces.

"If they hit the tail, stop and permit it sit for a moment. Then starting time the bouncing again and chances are the fish will come dorsum," Davis added.

Pompano are skittish and are spooked easily by move and vibrations and for those reasons wade fishing is recommended. Anchor the boat a good distance from your fishing surface area.

"When y'all notice a school don't do much moving or else they'll detect it and move," Davis said. "If yous do everything right, y'all might get three or four in that ane spot."

Davis has taken fish equally large equally three 1/ii pounds, normally females with eggs, which he releases.

"The full-bodied pompano fights every bit good as any jack crevalle of the same size," he said. "Simply another reason why I prefer the fly rod."

Virtually any clean water drop off creating a deep trough becomes a potential pompano-feeding zone. The Wabasso area yields catches to the southward of Sebastian likewise as those zones to the n currently producing.

Those using spinning or conventional tackle will do best by using the same boring, billowy retrieves with lures like Nylures, Doc's Goofy Jigs, or brightly colored plastic-tailed grubs.

Nib Sargent of Melbourne has been writing about sports and outdoors for FLORIDA TODAY for over 49 years. Contact Sargent at sargentwb@gmail.com.