# Surf fishing in pcb



## wolves2009 (Oct 19, 2011)

I am going this weekend and wondering if people there frown on surf fishing. I'm used to sgi where everyone fishes. Anything running?


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## Dustin Pate (Oct 19, 2011)

I would either go to the piers or to the jetties. The spanish have been thick at the jetties on small jerk baits, spoons or live bait. Just don't forget the 40lb flourocarbon leader.


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## jamessig (Oct 19, 2011)

Whiting are in the surf in Destin, I assume that they would be in the surf in PCB also. The fall pompano bite was/is nonexistent. This cold snap should get the flounder moving. I've seen some really nice spanish come off the Destin jetties.


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## GASeminole (Oct 27, 2011)

Go early in the am and also a couple of hours before an incoming tide. My  brother has been crushing the pompano in Destin.

Try the silly-willy jigs with the teasers in the surf. Half hitch in PC should have them.

Would recommend you stay away from "bait" as you are likely to catch alot of catfish. Also recommend you stay away from the jetties. 

You will also catch whiting (and unfortunately some ladyfish, but they are fun) with the silly-willy.


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## jamessig (Oct 27, 2011)

GANole-I'm curious, what are your reasons for avoiding the jetties?


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## jamessig (Oct 28, 2011)

wolves-here are a couple of sites that are worth looking at.
http://www.panhandlepierfishing.com/forum/index.php?action=forum

http://okaloosaislandpier.blogspot.com/
Pompano have been reported caught on only six days so far during Oct. this year from the Okaloosa pier. Between that and the guys I know that surf fish and the commercial pompano fishermen, the only guy that is catching any consistently let alone "crushing them" is apparently GANoles brother. That being said, it's still reasonable to try for some pompano now.
The flounder run so far has been underimpressive, but Nov. is typically a good month. Spanish have been good recently and bonito and sheepshead have started showing up already. Mangroves should be around through most of Nov as well. Redfish are always a possibility. 
Good luck.


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## GASeminole (Nov 1, 2011)

jamessig said:


> wolves-here are a couple of sites that are worth looking at.
> http://www.panhandlepierfishing.com/forum/index.php?action=forum
> 
> http://okaloosaislandpier.blogspot.com/
> ...



May want to do some research on Pensacola Fishing Forum (as opposed to the Georgia Outdoor Network) for panhandle fishing reports and activity. Plenty of threads on catching pompano. Its a targeted approach and result. 

If he was just fishing for anything that would bite (or throwing things that a spanish mackerel would hit), he probably would not be catching them either. 

Also, if you knew about pompano, you would know that they cruise where the waves break searching for sand fleas that are churned up, not lingering around piers or jetties.

I don't like fishing the jetties because there is bird crap and trash everywhere. How many other reasons do you want?


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## GASeminole (Nov 1, 2011)

Also, this thread is now pointless other than to debate who knows what about what. 

The OP wanted information because he was going fishing on the weekend of 10/22 and 23. 

 PEACE OUT


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## jamessig (Nov 1, 2011)

While this thread may no longer be immediately useful to wolves, it can still convey some useful information and perhaps clear up some misconceptions.

"Also, if you knew about pompano, you would know that they cruise where the waves break searching for sand fleas that are churned up, not lingering around piers or jetties."
While pompano do cruise wave breaks, that's not the only place to find them, they can be caught anywhere within 100 yards of the beach depending layout of the bottom. The comment about not lingering around piers is true but somewhat misleading in that pompano generally don't relate to structure and don't typically congregate near a pier but that doesn't mean that pompano can't be targeted from a pier with great success especially when they are cruising a sand bar which may not be within casting range of the beach. Another advantage of a pier is height which allows fish to be spotted at greater ranges allowing more time to throw jigs at them. The second part of the comment about pompano not hanging on jetties is mostly true with the exception of a run. During a run, pompano will stack up on jetties and can be targeted with outstanding results,  virtually everybody fishing for them catches some, most people limit and a commercial guy can take a hundred or more. When they are stacked up, there is probably no better place to catch them in numbers.
There is supposed to be a run of pompano in the spring and in the fall with the better run being in the spring. During a run, fish are abundant and catching them is usually not too difficult whether you are fishing from the beach or a pier or some jetties, it doesn't really matter. 
I am not necessarily advocating fishing from a pier and included the Okaloosa pier site only as a daily log of what had been caught during the month of Oct this year from there as a source of relatively impartial data as opposed to secondhand or hearsay reports. Given that there are usually several experienced people fishing for pompano daily during the fall run and yet they were only successful about 25% of the time and then  in meager numbers argues for a very poor run especially when that information is mirrored by the commercial pompano fishers grapevine.
There were lots of juvenile pompano caught to the point of them being a nuisance, which may mean a bumper crop when they mature. I assume your brother isn't counting illegal fish in his "crushing" catches.
And finally:
"or throwing things that a spanish mackerel would hit"
 Really, spanish will hit nearly anything that is shiny, smaller then they are and that is moving to include silver colored swivels or bare hooks. Even during a great run, wire leaders will cut down on lost pompano jigs when spanish are around.


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## Dustin Pate (Nov 1, 2011)

GASeminole said:


> May want to do some research on Pensacola Fishing Forum (as opposed to the Georgia Outdoor Network) for panhandle fishing reports and activity. Plenty of threads on catching pompano. Its a targeted approach and result.
> 
> If he was just fishing for anything that would bite (or throwing things that a spanish mackerel would hit), he probably would not be catching them either.
> 
> ...



Go look at some of the PCB reports. There have been very few if any pomps caught the last month and that is where he was going.

As for the PCB jetties, I have never seen much trash at all while fishing. Never had a problem with bird crap either. Birds getting after your bait will happen but that usually means that there is plenty of natural bait that brought the birds there in the first place. That natural bait means fish and that is what we are after..be it reds, spanish, snapper, grouper, etc.

The only thing bad I can say for the jetties is you need to be sure footed and part billy goat to walk on them.


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## jamessig (Nov 1, 2011)

There was also a small resident population of raccoons at the St Andrews jetty a few years ago that would make off with any bait left unattended, lol. There used to be a resident population of feral cats on the Destin east jetty before hurricane Opal, I guess the storm resolved that.


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