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Sports

Pompano Skipping in Tampa Bay

Vince Scanio from Southeastern Fishing Tackle Liquidators said anglers are reporting pompano have invaded the area -- a typical early-summer happening

Vince Scanio from Southeastern Fishing Tackle Liquidators on 2907 Florida Ave.  said pompano have begun to show around many of the area bridges, including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Howard Frankland Bridge.

“This is their time of year,” Scanio said. “People are using Silly Willys and mainly pmpano jigs. Some people who are using bait are using sand fleas or fiddler crabs.”

There is usually an abundance of sand fleas on the beaches, and quarter and half-ounce jigs work for pompano.

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Schools of pompano typically “skip” from the water in the wake of a boat, a typical means of locating them. A good way of fishing the bridges is to use a hoe to scrape the barnacles off the pilings to form a chum line to attract pompano. This also is a typically way to attract sheepshead when they're around.

Pompano also hang around the mouths of passes when a shell bottom or drop-off. Pass-a-Grill Pass, in particular, has such an area.

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Scanio added anglers are reporting a good speckled trout bite on flats just off channels and on the edges of holes, to name a few areas.

Tarpon have been hit-and-miss, he said, and the best spot for them has been at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, where there is tons of bait.

That's probably the best place to net baits for heading offshore for American red snapper, which opened for harvest on Wednesday. Anglers can keep two snapper at a minimum of 16 inches.

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