If you do much surf fishing around the Space Coast, you might recognize the name Caleb Couture. Caleb is a pro surf fishing guide and manufacturers his own brand of tackle, most notably, Pompano Riggs by Couture, which can be found in pretty much any local bait shop or outfitter in the area. He also happens to be our expert surf fishing contributor with Spacefish.
Earlier this week, Caleb reported with great enthusiasm that the Pompano have returned to Brevard’s beaches. It got me excited because the surf conditions and bite have been pretty lousy for what seems like forever now. Shortly after, I got word from Damon that Caleb extended an invitation for us to come out and join him for a morning Pompano run — OH, HELL YEAH!
I was pretty pumped about the opportunity, eager to learn the secrets behind Caleb’s legendary Pompano prowess. I mean, the dude fills the cooler to the brim seemingly every time he hits the beach. Just follow him on Facebook and you’ll see it for yourself. We met him at the beach on Halloween morning, and once again, Caleb delivered.
The bite was on and we just CRUSHED it out there. Pompano, black drum, and whiting, galore. The only disappointment was that I didn’t gain any new secret, game-changing knowledge that would transform my surf fishing abilities to some superhuman level. I guess that shouldn’t be surprising — like any type of fishing, what’s more critical to success than expensive gear or advanced technique is simply knowing WHEN and WHERE to find the fish. That’s the invaluable skill that Caleb brings to the table, and his secret is, really, that there is no secret. With a combination of knowledge, experience, persistent scouting, and an established network in commercial fishing, he’s simply dialed in to what’s happening in the surf at a level one can’t hope to achieve without dedicating a career to it.
As far as the fishing itself goes, Caleb’s approach seems pretty fundamental in nature and he will tell you himself exactly what he uses and tries out there. For gear, Caleb recommends a 12′ Tsunami Airwave equipped with an 8000 Tsunami Shield. Snap a Pompano Rigg by Couture on the line, tag on some Fishbites and a sinker, and you’re good to go. You can get this entire setup locally at Strike-Zone Fishing in Melbourne.
Yesterday, we did great using only sand flea flavored Fishbites for bait. Once the Pompano bite cooled, we switched things up a little and tried some Native Salt Clam Baits. This is another really cool homegrown product that provides all the benefits of clam without its shortcomings like mess or waste. These Salt Clams did really well for us, too, bringing in some bruiser bluefish and whiting.
As for the red tide, we could feel it a little bit in the air, but it was only mildly irritating. The news of red tide still looms large for Central Florida beaches, but it’s actually not the worst thing for anglers looking to do some surf fishing. With many typical beach-goers scared away, it’s now easy to avoid the crowd (and the hassle that can come with it) even at some of the more popular public accesses.
Finally, if you are dying to fill your own cooler with a boat load of pompano, I HIGHLY recommend booking a chartered trip with Caleb Couture. There’s never a guarantee in fishing, but a trip with Caleb is about as close as it gets to a sure thing. For details, call him at 321.271.1061 or visit his Facebook page to learn more.
Well said my friend, great day all around!