The author and his brothers with some African Pompano, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
African Pompano
Alectis ciliaris
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African Pompano Description
African Pompano are a striking but somewhat mysterious fish. They are a bright silver color and look like shimmering mirrors in the water as they are being reeled in. They have a wide geographic range but there are few places where there are large concentrations of them. In most places they are an unusual catch. When they are juveniles they have long trailing filaments that come off their dorsal and anal fins. As they get older these disappear. They are primarily found in nearshore areas throughout the tropics all over the world. Not much is known about the reproductive habits of African Pompano.
African Pompano Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 7 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale
Like all members of the Jack and Trevally families, African Pompano are quite strong for their size. They don't go on blistering runs or head straight to the rocks to break you off, but they do bulldog downwards and turn sideways to make it hard to crank them in.
African Pompano Culinary Rating - High
Unlike many members of the Jack family, they are actually pretty tasty to eat. I'm not sure why that is, but they don't have the bloody flesh of the Jack Crevalle. Instead, they have tasty white meat. In a few areas they have been implicated in ciguatera poisoning cases, so don't eat large ones in areas with ciguatera.
African Pompano Tackle
If you are targeting large adult specimens (and what else would you target really?) I recommend conventional gear with 50lb braid lines or so. An Accurate BX reel should work great. Although they are not as adept at bricking you in the rocks as Snappers or Groupers, you do need to pull hard to ensure that doesn’t happen. Click here for tackle recommendations.
African Pompano Techniques
I have seen smaller ones caught on metal jigs but haven’t heard of many people having much luck with lures. Mine have all been caught on bait.
African Pompano Lures
I do not know of any lures that consistently work for large specimens, although that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. I have seen the occasional photo of one caught on a metal jig when they are deeper.
African Pompano Baits
Slow trolling baits is a good way to catch these fish when they are not too deep. Live baits like Goggle Eyes work well. I caught my largest one on a strip bait made out of a small Snapper in Belize.
Where to get the big African Pompano
This is a tough one. Puerto Vallarta sometimes has a decent run of them in Feb-April timeframe. Fish a few days before the new moon. I have heard that some decent catches are made in Florida but have never caught one there. I have also heard there is a good fishery for these in North Carolina but have not tried that out either. There are lots of places all over the world that have them, but not many spots that have a large concentration to target. They are primarily a welcome bycatch.
Other African Pompano Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch African Pompano. These guys can put you on the fish if you are in Mexico: www.monsteryellowfin.com
Alectis ciliaris
Home
Other Species
African Pompano Description
African Pompano are a striking but somewhat mysterious fish. They are a bright silver color and look like shimmering mirrors in the water as they are being reeled in. They have a wide geographic range but there are few places where there are large concentrations of them. In most places they are an unusual catch. When they are juveniles they have long trailing filaments that come off their dorsal and anal fins. As they get older these disappear. They are primarily found in nearshore areas throughout the tropics all over the world. Not much is known about the reproductive habits of African Pompano.
African Pompano Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 7 out of 10 on the Saltwater Scale
Like all members of the Jack and Trevally families, African Pompano are quite strong for their size. They don't go on blistering runs or head straight to the rocks to break you off, but they do bulldog downwards and turn sideways to make it hard to crank them in.
African Pompano Culinary Rating - High
Unlike many members of the Jack family, they are actually pretty tasty to eat. I'm not sure why that is, but they don't have the bloody flesh of the Jack Crevalle. Instead, they have tasty white meat. In a few areas they have been implicated in ciguatera poisoning cases, so don't eat large ones in areas with ciguatera.
African Pompano Tackle
If you are targeting large adult specimens (and what else would you target really?) I recommend conventional gear with 50lb braid lines or so. An Accurate BX reel should work great. Although they are not as adept at bricking you in the rocks as Snappers or Groupers, you do need to pull hard to ensure that doesn’t happen. Click here for tackle recommendations.
African Pompano Techniques
I have seen smaller ones caught on metal jigs but haven’t heard of many people having much luck with lures. Mine have all been caught on bait.
African Pompano Lures
I do not know of any lures that consistently work for large specimens, although that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. I have seen the occasional photo of one caught on a metal jig when they are deeper.
African Pompano Baits
Slow trolling baits is a good way to catch these fish when they are not too deep. Live baits like Goggle Eyes work well. I caught my largest one on a strip bait made out of a small Snapper in Belize.
Where to get the big African Pompano
This is a tough one. Puerto Vallarta sometimes has a decent run of them in Feb-April timeframe. Fish a few days before the new moon. I have heard that some decent catches are made in Florida but have never caught one there. I have also heard there is a good fishery for these in North Carolina but have not tried that out either. There are lots of places all over the world that have them, but not many spots that have a large concentration to target. They are primarily a welcome bycatch.
Other African Pompano Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch African Pompano. These guys can put you on the fish if you are in Mexico: www.monsteryellowfin.com
African Pomano caught in Caye Caulker, Belize on a strip bait. Note the trailing filament still attached to the dorsal fin.
Two African Pompano caught in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. One of them wouldn't let go of the bait.
Juvenile African Pompano have long filaments coming off their fins, as show in this photo of the author's brother.
African Pompanos caught on live sardinas out of Sierpe, Costa Rica