Casual observers may not notice, but for a month or two each autumn, my kayak looks a little different. Rather than topwater and suspending plugs, the rods in the H-Crate are likely adorned with small jigs and plastic shrimp. More noticeable is the soft cooler taking up deck space. I can catch trout and redfish 12 months of the year, but pompano and flounder typically constitute an incidental catch, tough to target consistently on shallow grassflats. For a brief period each fall, they congregate enough for dedicated fishing.
RELATED: On the Water with the New Hobie Mirage Compass
When they do, it’s dinner time.
I love fish on the table, but rarely take home more than one or two each month. Catch and release is so much simpler than coolers and ice when kayak fishing. I make an exception for a few pompano and flounder each fall.
Pound for pound, I would argue that pompano caught on light tackle or fly in a foot or two of water are the best fighters in Florida, ripping off multiple horizontal skittering runs while reversing direction more times than your reel can possibly keep up with. Flounder are more about the hunt, as they generally swim straight at the boat after hookup. However, there is no funnier sight in fishing than a flounder awkwardly trying to chase down a lure. They obviously aren’t designed for speed.
The first cold fronts of autumn remind many predators in the Upper Gulf that it’s time to start packing up — or, more precisely, packing on, as in pounds. Places to go, things to do, both of which require calories. Nature has conveniently arranged for protein supplements in the form of glass minnows, pilchards, pinfish and mullet that congregate in massive schools in preparation for their own journeys to warmer, deeper offshore or southern waters.
Look for geography that creates feeding stations and travel lanes. Points, shoreline troughs and sandy channels meandering through shallow grassbeds hold trout and redfish all year. The key to adding pompano or flounder to the catch list is location. The colder it gets, the closer to a pass I fish. As each cold front lowers the water temperature, flounder gradually work their way downstream from summer bayous and grassflats toward the Gulf. Successive cold fronts eventually drop the water temperature sufficiently to trigger the push offshore to spawn around reefs and wrecks; they won’t return until the following spring.
While last year’s mild weather kept some pompano in the surf and around passes throughout the winter, they typically prefer warmer climes and won’t show up again until early April. Keep in mind also that pompano don’t tolerate dirty, fresh water, and interior flats may well remain stained by tannin or algae generated by summer rains. Fishing near passes generally translates to clear water and higher salinity, making it much easier to spot sand holes and channel edges amid the dark seagrass. Don’t forget your polarized sunglasses.
Most anglers will need to modify their lure selection. Although I’ve caught plenty of flounder and even pompano on suspending and topwater plugs, they obviously don’t constitute the optimal offering for small, bottom-hugging species. The good news is that switching to a bottom-bouncing presentation won’t deter redfish and trout catches, as they often share the same potholes and readily feed on similar small baitfish and crustaceans. Many times I’ve gotten angry and literally yelled at aggressive trout that grabbed my lures before the more desired pompano or flounder got a shot at them. While pompano sometimes violently attack a suspended plastic shrimp or jig, both species generally prefer a more methodical, slower presentation near the bottom.
For that reason, I usually pre-rig four lures that get to the bottom quickly. My go-to choice for both species is an Egret 3.25-inch shrimp – a bright color for the pompano, a more natural color for flounder. However, keep in mind that the target species will be sharing the autumn grassflats with thousands of voracious pinfish, lizardfish, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and puffers, all of which have a detrimental effect on even a lure as tough as the TPE, nylon-reinforced VuDu.
For that reason, I often conduct my initial search with an inexpensive 3-inch soft-plastic Aqua Dream tail — I might go through 20 per trip, so buy them in bulk – in Arkansas Glow color rigged on a 1/8-ounce jighead. Once I find a sand hole or edge holding flounder or pompano, I switch to the shrimp, which I can more methodically dredge. The fourth rod is rigged with a Doc’s Goofy Jig, Florida‘s traditional pompano lure. The banana-shaped chunk of lead is impervious to the wind, which can kick up this time of year. I use it to quickly cover long, deeper channel edges and sandy beach areas adjacent to passes.
Pompano and flounder provide a perfect incentive to throw the kayak in the water each fall. Cooler water invigorates every species to feed, temperatures are comfortable, humidity is lower, and the clear water and gathering of species prior to migration equates to fishing in a giant aquarium. Life is everywhere you look right now — so go look before it swims south for the winter.
