The pompano is a deeply flattened, tall, silver-sided, gray-backed fish with yellow on the throat and pelvic and anal fins. They have a small mouth and deeply forked tail. They are very similar to permit, but the permit’s body is deeper.
The pompano frequents inshore and coastal waters of the Atlantic and Gulf and is often found in the shallows of the surf and out as far as 100 feet.
Pompano are most often fished using bait in the surf zone of sandy beaches. They eat mollusks and crustaceans—sand fleas are a very common bait, and small bits of shrimp will also catch pompano. Some are caught on small jigs as well. The tides often play an important role in the feeding of these fish.