Fresh Ballyhoo Pompano Beach

Fresh ballyhoo Pompano Beach

It’s from September through February when ballyhoo are plentiful and targeted by commercial netters with a vengeance. In years past, ballyhoo were heavily pursued as far north as the Palm Beaches. Today, with the three mile net ban in effect, that fishery is no longer viable, thus the culmination of all commercial efforts takes place throughout the Florida Keys, and never any further north than the Dade/Broward County line.

 The commercial fishery, which feeds the insatiable appetite of offshore anglers up the entire eastern seaboard with tens of thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of ballyhoo per week, is actually comprised of three distinct, yet nearly identical species. The average angler would have difficulty seeing the difference.

Ballyhoo are members of a group of fish known as halfbeaks, for their small, beak-like mouths. This popular baitfish is found outside the entire perimeter of Florida, but is most abundant in the near-coastal waters off the southern portion of the state, especially in the Florida Keys, where they are often seen schooling by the thousands. 

Offshore anglers consider ballyhoo to be the number one natural enticement for billfish, dolphin, wahoo, and tuna, and are worth more then their weight in silver during prestigious, high-dollar tournaments. Easy to rig and extremely effective, ballyhoo have at one time or another been found in every single offshore cockpit from coast to coast. To fully appreciate the bait’s true value, one must first take a close look at the ballyhoo’s short, but expansive life cycle. 

The next time you need fresh or frozen ballyhoo, spend a minute thinking about where you can buy these precious baits. Aces bait and tackle. 

Live Bait Pompano beach Fishing The Hillsboro Inlet

Live Bait Pompano beach

The famous Hillsboro inlet located in Pompano Beach, Florida, is home to some of Pompano Beach’s best fishing. Located midway between Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, Hillsboro is one of the easiest inlets in south Florida, to get right to great fishing grounds. And it doesn't get the commercial and cruise ship traffic you see in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

What to Fish For: You can fish for kingfish, dolphin, black fin tuna, Wahoo, amberjack, snapper, swordfish, sailfish, snook, tarpon and more. For local fishing reports and the best selection of  live bait, contact Aces bait and tackle 954-933-3406 or www.acesfishing.com

Bait to use:

Pilchards.

Pilchards are prolific and popular bait for offshore fishermen. Almost everyone who fishes offshore professionally knows how and where to catch these baitfish – they are a crucial ingredient for catching every pelagic species. Mahi, sailfish, tuna, and Wahoo will smash pilchards at any chance they get. Pilchards are also very hearty baits and can survive a long time if you’re gentle when rigging them and are careful about keeping them in the water. While they are prone to injury, they are perfectly frisky and flutter spastically in the water.

Google eyes:

There is simply no better bait for fishing in Pompano Beach than a goggle eye. Kingfish, sailfish, Wahoo, tuna, cobia…well, anything that swims will smash a goggle eye. We’ve even put it to the test fishing midwater rods with a variety of baits and the goggle eye always get hit first. It’s actually pretty amazing. We consider the goggle eye to be the most deadly of baitfish. They are truly the best live bait you can get. We will also deliver to your boat in Pompano Beach or Hillsboro inlet. I f you have an important fishing contest call us ahead of time with your order and we will have it ready for you. Contact us for live goggle eyes  

Ballyhoo for Dolphin:

When we talk about dolphin, we are talking about the dolphin fish, known by most fishermen in Pompano Beach from their Hawaiian name, mahi mahi or by their Pacific coast name, Dorado. These fish are fast growing and they are prolific eaters. Some biologists think of them as the pit bulls of the ocean. Where two or more are gathered, there will soon be lots of bites, and these fish grow at an over whelming rate they can grow to 50 lbs in just 2 years. If you consider the fact that the average lifespan of a dolphin is five years, and that catches over 60lbs pounds are common, you can see how fast they grow.

Live Shrimp:

When live shrimp bait fishing for Yellowtail Snapper you must keep in mind that they have very keen eyesight, fluorocarbon leader is a must, they seem to be leery of regular fishing line and exposed hook parts, so one of the top ways to fish for them is to chum the water first with a bait, about 10 lbs of chum that aces sells in blocks, and the mesh bags they have also. This chum will make them go bananas and go nuts for the food, at this time, cast out your bait right into the chum, the Yellowtail Snapper will be so crazy trying to gobble up the entire chum that they will pretty much jump in the boat.

Live Pinfish Pompano beach Live and Fresh Bait

Live Bait Pompano Beach

This abundant little spiked baitfish is one of the best snapper baits available.  Pinfish live on grass patches and are voracious eaters. They can be caught with sabiki rigs, cast nets, and will even hit small jigs tipped with shrimp or squid.  Pinfish can grow to be the weight of about a half pound and are great bait for snappers and groupers.  Pinfish are excellent bottom fishing and wreck fishing. Pinfish are extraordinary baits for snapper’s tarpon, snook, and grouper.
Rigging a pinfish through the tail works great either suspended under a popping cork (it makes them look helpless as they struggle to swim down while the cork keeps them up) or around deeper areas where you want your bait to go down deep.

Hooking the pinfish through the tail allows the pinfish to swim towards the bottom (which pinfish naturally go straight to the bottom anyway because this is where they live in their natural environment). Hook the pinfish through the tail either on the top side or the bottom. Once the hook is pushed through the bodies of the fish make sure the point of the hook has no scales stuck on it. If scales are present on the tip of the hook it can cause you to not get a good hook set in the predator fish.

Where to Buy Live Bait Pompano Beach
Catching bait can be a big waste of your time, especially when you’re getting ready for a big day on the water and you just want to go fishing. Buying bait can be difficult in Pompano Beach, if you are not sure where to go. Some bait stores only have frozen bait, and never really have a supply of good live bait and fresh bait.
The most reliable and solid bait shop is www.acesfishing.com – Located in pompano beach 2 mins away from the 14^th street boat ramp. And 5 mins away from Hillsboro inlet. Aces always have a great selection of live healthy bait. If you want Pilchards they have them. Google eyes they have them, shrimp, pinfish. And all the gear you need. Aces are stocked to the gills with fishing gear. So get yourself a couple 10 pound blocks of chum a few dozen pinfish and head right out Hillsboro inlet to the reef, with your live pinfish you will catch all sorts of snappers and groupers.

Live Ballyhoo Pompano Beach.

Live Bait Pompano beach

Live Ballyhoo Pompano Beach.

Dolphin (mahi mahi or Dorado) fishing is a supper blast along the Atlantic coast. While they are caught in the Gulf of Mexico and southern Pacific and off Hawaii, Mexico and South America, it is the South Florida coast that is famous for live action dolphin fishing.

Dolphin AKA Mahi Mahi:

When we talk about dolphin, we are talking about the dolphin fish, known by most fishermen in Pompano Beach from their Hawaiian name, mahi mahi or by their Pacific coast name, Dorado. These fish are fast growing and they are prolific eaters. Some biologists think of them as the pit bulls of the ocean. Where two or more are gathered, there will soon be lots of bites, and these fish grow at an over whelming rate they can grow to 50 lbs in just 2 years. If you consider the fact that the average lifespan of a dolphin is five years, and that catches over 60lbs pounds are common, you can see how fast they grow.

 

Where to catch Dolphin in Pompano Beach

• The mahi you pursue are in or close less than a mile out of Hillsboro Inlet. On occasion, dolphin may follow a school of flying fish or pilchareds closer to shore, but they will most surely be in 100 ft to 500 ft of water Also in the Gulf Stream. You will know when you reach the stream because of the ultra-clear, blue water under your boat. It will seem like you can see down into the water a mile or more. We call this “blue water” for a reason – it is a gorgeous, deep, clear blue.
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• When you reach the blue water, look for weeds and flotsam. Anything floating on the surface of the water will attract dolphin. They use flotsam to shade themselves from the sun. Weed lines form in a rip that can be several miles long. You will find boats trolling along both sides of a long weed line. Just get in line and follow the leader. Sometimes everyone catches fish this way and sometimes no one catches fish. That’s why they call its fishing!
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• Frigate Birds:
   
   
• Always, always, always look for the birds. Sea birds like gulls and frigate birds follow schools of dolphin waiting for them to find a school of baitfish. You can spot a school of feeding fish by watching for a flock of diving birds. As you move to the birds, you may find that the feeding fish are not dolphin. Never mind that – just get some bait out. Larger dolphin will follow schools of other fish – like false albacore or bonito – and feed along with them.
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  • The Frigate bird holds a special place in a dolphin angler’s heart. They will find and lock onto a big bull or cow dolphin and follow them high overhead for miles, waiting for them to feed. If you spot a cruising frigate bird, make an effort to stay with it for at least a while. This is where most of the really big dolphin will be caught.
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  • Live bait and Fresh Bait:
    • Drift a weed line with a free lined live ballyhoo Pompano beach. Goggle eyes, or pilchards
    • Kite fish with the same live bait.
    • Find a weed line and fish with a float and live bait on the edge of the weed line.
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    · Fresh Bait
    • Ballyhoo – at Aces bait and tackle – good fresh ones.
    • Nice cut chunks of ballyhoo.