Bite Atlas

Standard double-dropper rig with No. 2 hooks and a 2–4 oz pyramid sinker. Bait with sand fleas, fresh-peeled shrimp, or Fishbites. Work the clean side of the current, not the dead center of the cut. Short casts outproduce long bombs here.

Two No. 2 short-shank hooks on dropper loops, 18 inches apart, with a 2–3 oz pyramid sinker on the bottom. Bait with sand fleas (hook through the horn), fresh-peeled shrimp, or Fishbites in orange or pink. Cast to the first trough on incoming tide. Don't reel — let the current move the bait. If no bite in 10 minutes, move 50 yards.

Same double-drop rig as Cocoa Beach, but the strategy is different here. Walk the beach first with no rod. Look for the sharpest-defined trough with green-clean water. Look for sand flea holes in the wet sand — that's your target zone. Then set up. If no bite in 15 minutes, keep moving south.

Work the sandy beach just south of the south jetty with a double-drop rig during fall (Oct-Nov) and spring (March-April) migration. Sand fleas and Fishbites. The pompano stage where the inlet current meets the longshore drift.

Drive the beach slowly and look for green water with visible cuts in the sandbars. Park there. Double-drop rig with No. 2 hooks, sand fleas or Fishbites, 2–3 oz pyramid sinker. Cast to the first trough on incoming tide. No bite in 15 minutes — drive 200 yards and try again.

Double-drop rig with No. 2 hooks, sand fleas or shrimp, 2–3 oz pyramid sinker. Fish the upcurrent side of the pier in the first 200 feet during winter and spring. Pompano travel close to the beach — you don't need to be at the T-end.

Use a two-hook pompano rig with small floats, No. 1 or No. 2 hooks, and enough pyramid or sputnik weight to hold. Tip with sand fleas, peeled shrimp, or shrimp Fishbites. Start in the first trough before casting past the bar.

Double-drop rig with No. 2 hooks, sand fleas, fresh shrimp, or Fishbites in pink/orange. Fish the upcurrent side of the pier during incoming tide in February-April. Pompano travel in schools tight to the beach — fish the first 200 feet of pier, not necessarily the T-end.

Double-drop rig with No. 2 hooks, sand fleas, fresh shrimp, or Fishbites. 2–3 oz pyramid sinker. Fish the upcurrent side of the pier in the first 300 feet during incoming tide. Pompano migration peaks are March-May and October-November. Move along the pier until you find the school.

Two-hook pompano rig with #2 or #4 gold Aberdeen hooks baited with fresh sand fleas or small pieces of fresh shrimp. 1–2 oz pyramid sinker to hold in the trough. Cast to the second trough. Let the rig bounce in the wave action — pompano hit on the pause. Rotate rigs every 10 minutes to keep fresh scent in the water.

Two-hook pompano rig with size 2 gold hooks, fresh sand fleas or small shrimp. Cast to the sandy trough just inside the reef line. Pompano work these troughs on incoming tide. Keep the bait moving with occasional lifts and drops. October-April is the primary window.