For the first couple of months in Florida, I went fishing almost every morning, and usually, I would not catch anything. I watched others catch mackerel in October and decided to watch their methods. Most people used shrimp on standard hooks or shiny lures with triple hooks on both ends of a barrel-type lure. After purchasing some of the lures they were using, I started to catch mackerel, ladyfish, jack, and other types of fish. It was fun on this pier for a while, but something changed in January, where days would pass with no catches. The people that frequented this pier were gone, perhaps frustrated with no fish in the area.
I decided to look for another pier and found one in a park on the other side of town. I watched as several guys were catching pompano and snapper. I purchased some "pompano" lures and decided to give it a try. I did occasionally catch a pompano but infrequently. Four guys frequent the dock, and two of them are there every day. As the days passed, I would get to know one guy, Fred, who arrives every day at 8 AM.
Some of the professional fishermen would come to the dock during the peak of Covid times since they were not going out to sea with customers. I learned a lot from Sandy, who was a professional fisherman. He would always catch four or more pompano within a few hours. He gave a couple of his homemade lures, a modified version of a standard pompano lure. He added a "feather" on the end of the lure with an additional hook. The modified lure made a big difference. When the state lifted the Covid restrictions, he must have gone back on the boat because I have not seen him since.
There are days when just Fred, me, and my dog Finn are on the docks. When March comes, the "snowbirds" leave, and not many people come on the dock because it gets hot when the sun comes up. Fred is not a very outgoing person, and it took a lot to get to know him. I used to watch him pull in 4 or more pompano in a few hours, and I wondered what he was doing since I was lucky to catch one.
As the days past Fred warmed up to Finn and me, and he would give us tips. One day I asked him what he was using for bait. Fred showed me a lure not sold in any local bait store. He gave me a couple, and I asked where he got the lures. He told me the lure's name, and when I got home, I looked it up online. The lures were made for crappie, not saltwater fish, but they worked. I bought a pile of them.
When I got my lures, I was excited to try them out. Finn and I went to the pier at 6 AM to get a head start. I started to catch fish, but only on days when the water was calm. In the meantime, it did not seem to matter what the tide was like, rough or calm; Fred always caught fish. I need to learn more from Fred.
I finally said to Fred, "how are you catching fish when the tide is rough?" The first thing Fred said to me was, "how do you expect to catch anything with that rod." "And why are you using monofilament?" What? After all this time, I had the wrong rod and line?
FRED WAS SURPRISED when I returned to the pier the next day with a new ultra-light rod and 8-pound braid line. I told him I took his advice seriously. That day, I caught several croakers and pompano, which I took home for the neighbors.
The last trick that solidified my fishing skills was learning to keep the lure on the bottom of the seabed. Pompanos are bottom feeders that look for shrimp and crabs. You will catch fish if you can keep the lure on the bottom no matter the tide conditions.
I am still not as good as Fred, but I am happy with these skills, catching fish every day. We now look forward to seeing each other and having some fun.
I share my knowledge with others who come to the dock with deep-sea poles, enormous lures, and other equipment considered over-kill.