UTERPompano fishing in Mississippi & Alabama Coast
In Mississippi & Alabama Coast, pompano peak April–May and October and are around March–November, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. April: Peak of the run along the Alabama beaches and Perdido Pass.
A smaller fall run back along the beaches.
Pompano in Mississippi & Alabama Coast, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchArrivingThe spring run hits Gulf Shores and Orange Beach; sand fleas and a pompano jig.
- AprilPeakPeak of the run along the Alabama beaches and Perdido Pass.
- MayPeakStill good on the beaches and the Dauphin Island surf.
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberArriving
- OctoberPeakA smaller fall run back along the beaches.
- NovemberLeaving
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish pompano near Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi
The Mississippi Sound behind Cat, Ship, Horn and Petit Bois islands, the Biloxi Marsh to the west, Mobile Bay and the Mobile–Tensaw Delta, the Dauphin Island bridge and causeway, Perdido Bay and the Alabama beaches — with the world's biggest artificial-reef zone just offshore of Orange Beach.
Fish Scouter charts 36 grass flat, 1 pass / inlet spots in the Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay map area — the kinds pompano hold on.
What to use for pompano
- Sand fleas (mole crabs)On a small circle hook or a pompano rig, digger-end first — the pompano and whiting bait.
- Live shrimpUnder a popping cork or free-lined, hooked under the horn on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook; on a jig head for the bottom. The universal inshore bait.
- Fiddler crabsA #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait.
- Leader15–20 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook#1–1/0
- Braid10–20 lb
Feeds in 62–82°F water, best at 66–76°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch pompano in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Peak season is April–May and October. Pompano are in Mississippi & Alabama Coast March–November. April: Peak of the run along the Alabama beaches and Perdido Pass.
Where do pompano hold in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Look on beach / surf, pass / inlet, grass flat, channel edge — around Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Dauphin Island.
What is the best bait for pompano in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Live bait: sand fleas (mole crabs), live shrimp, fiddler crabs. Sand fleas (mole crabs): On a small circle hook or a pompano rig, digger-end first — the pompano and whiting bait. Tackle: leader 15–20 lb fluorocarbon, hook #1–1/0, braid 10–20 lb.
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All about pompano · Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay, the whole year