With the recent popularity of catching large pompano in Cape Hatteras, it seems like everyone suddenly wants to sell you a “pompano rod.” The problem is that many of these rods are actually designed to throw eight and bait—not for finesse fishing. Just because a rod can cast an 8-ounce sinker a mile does not make it a pompano rod. In fact, it often means the opposite. I recently had a friend attend a casting competition where he out-casted two big-name Rods using a 10’6” Tica and only a 4-ounce weight. Those other rods were marketed as pompano rods—but they weren’t. They were distance rods. There’s a difference. What you’re reading here comes from eight years of catching—and losing—very large pompano right here in Cape Hatteras. And when I look back at the fish I’ve lost, most of them come down to one thing: The rod. When these big, aggressive pompano hit—especially during the spring run—they typically run hard and diagonal, right to left or north up the beach. Sometimes they sprint straight in so fast you think the fish is gone. But the moment that matters most is what I call the “pompano shake.” That’s when the fish realizes it’s hooked, knows it’s losing the fight, and throws everything it has into shaking that hook free. At that point, I don’t care how loose your drag is—if the last 12 inches of your rod isn’t flexible, you’re probably going to lose that fish. Most drum rods are fast-action with stiff, unforgiving tips. That stiffness is great for hauling up drum—but it’s terrible for pompano. You need a forgiving rod. To be clear and repeat it again: The final 12–18 inches of your rod must be flexible. You also have to balance that flexibility with enough backbone to maintain casting distance. I have three favorite pompano rods, and across all three, I have never lost a large pompano on any of them: Akios FX 400 (13’3”, rated 3–6 oz) Florida Surf Tackle Over the Bar rod (13’) Tica Graphite 10’6” Each of these rods has a soft, forgiving tip paired with excellent casting ability—and that combination matters. I’ve purchased two well-known, big-name rods in the past. Each one lost two large pompano. After losing the second fish on each rod, they came off the truck permanently. I won’t name brands, but if you’ve been around surf fishing long enough, you get the idea. I won’t dive into reels in this post—that deserves its own discussion—but I will say this: When a pompano runs straight at you, you’d better have a reel with a high enough gear ratio to keep up. More on that later. Happy fishing, Jim Psychos Surf Fishing
