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Updated: June 2, 2024 @ 8:08 am
This two-person limit of Tampa Bay pompano was taken on Doc’s Goofy Jigs fished around shell bars in the open waters of the bay, where the fish feed along the bottom in search of crabs and shrimp.
Capt. Chuck Rogers holds a pompano taken in cool weather in Tampa Bay. His favorite way to fish them is using jigs over and around shell bars covered by the rising tide.

This two-person limit of Tampa Bay pompano was taken on Doc’s Goofy Jigs fished around shell bars in the open waters of the bay, where the fish feed along the bottom in search of crabs and shrimp.
Capt. Chuck Rogers holds a pompano taken in cool weather in Tampa Bay. His favorite way to fish them is using jigs over and around shell bars covered by the rising tide.
They are not an everyday catch in Tampa Bay, but at this time of year the odds of scoring pompano go up considerably, and they are one of the favorite targets of longtime Tampa Bay fishing guide Chuck Rogers.
We’re about to turn the corner on pompano season, he says, and there are several tactics that will produce nice catches of these hard-fighting fish, but one of his favorites is jigging for them on flooded shell bars.
The fish can be tolerant of cold water, and it is not unusual to find them on bars in the open bay well into winter. They are a schooling fish, so when you catch one, Rogers says you can count on there being more around.
He likes to nose up quietly to within casting distance of a bar and make a few casts to test the action. On the end of his line is a Doc’s Goofy Jig with a pink teaser. Tipping the hook with a small piece of shrimp sweetens the offering, but he’ll use the jig sans bait to see how responsive the fish will be.
Pompano feed on the bottom, nosing in the sand and shell bottom looking to flush out a small crab or shrimp. The drill is to bounce the jig along the bottom, kicking up puffs of sand and tiny shells, a signal to the pompano that something worth investigating is moving around.
Pompano hit hard and typically make strong runs in an effort to escape once hooked. On light spinning tackle they are fantastic sport. Pompano typically range from about 10 inches to 16 inches long. They must measure 11 inches from nose to the fork of the tail to be legally kept, with a limit of six fish per angler per day. There is no closed season on pompano.
Rogers likes to hop between bars until he finds some willing fish. Bars with cuts between them offer the option of retrieving jigs though the deeper water of the pass, as they can be holding in the cuts when not atop the bars.
Snappy jerks of the rod tip impart a live action to the jig, and double snaps are the way to get the attention of pompano, said Rogers. Try fast and slow retrieves, as it’s never certain what the fish are going to respond to on any given day.
An alternative method of taking bay pompano is fishing around bridge pilings. The jigs work well if the tide isn’t running too strongly, but more often fishing with bait with a little weight to hold the bottom at the base of pilings is called for. Live shrimp, fiddler crabs and sand fleas are good baits. Light tackle is all you need, but a piece of 20-pound-test mono leader adds some security against break-offs in case the fish wraps around a piling during the fight.
Many anglers like to scrape pilings with a shovel or spade to release barnacles that fall down to the bottom and flow in the tide to act as chum to get the bite going. Anglers also can see where pompano anglers have been fishing by looking for pilings that have been scraped clean.
Bridge fishing has the advantage of bonus catches, with mangrove snapper, trout, flounder and sheepshead typical catches.
Pompano are prized on the table and by some accounts, one of the best. They typically are broiled with lemon and butter, and Pompano en Papillote, or pompano cooked inside a paper bag or parchment paper in the oven with shallots, lemon, parsley, garlic and olive oil or butter is a famous preparation.
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