Happy New Years to all our friends. For weeks the pomps have been stacked up in the river from Round Island to St. Lucie Inlet. We’re talking schools and big fish. I firmly believe this years El Nino has driven Northern pompano into our region stronger than past seasons.

The silver nuggets haven’t been fussy on their bait selections. Historically, approximately 80% of these fish are caught on sand fleas, clams and shrimp. This season the ultralight with jigs and quills command equal time! Bar none, the experience of having a super charged up mini permit on a small quill is a rush! The flats guys, the I got the weekend to go boating angler, are putting bag limits in their coolers.

The bridge silence is golden… What you don’t hear usually means something is stirring. How many times have you driven past the relief bridges to find a bite on the beach and not noticed these seemingly quiet guys just jerking their rods. Probably the only time you notice is when you’re heading back home and several silvery sliders slip the rail. Or a hoop net plops a slab on the road. Well this is happening daily on the Stuart and Jensen relief bridges..

Jig sizes 3/8 to ½ ounce in pink/white, chartreuse/white, pink/bronze and orange/white two tones. Quill colors range from pink, yellow, white, to light green and even black. In brown clear water my #1 is a pure white jig with a fuschia quill! A nice active jigging rod, little spinner with 8 lb. braid and or 10 lb. mono. That’s the total investment for bridge and jetty fishing.

Beach fishing for the first week of 2019 has been killer in Vero Beach. Round Island is the place to be. Naturally by the time you read this report they have vanished. Good catches on Hutchinson Island and both Hobe Sound Beaches. Early morning bluefish bite crazy at like everywhere. Juno and Jupiter are spotty but will demand attention shortly..

As the best offshore anglers say “You find the mackeral, you find the Pompano.” Same goes for the beaches… Tight Lines and stay thirsty my friend…