florida pompano
Trachinotus carolinus
The noble fish of the beach. Patrols the surf for tatuí and fights far above its size.
Also called: pampo, pampo-verdadeiro
- common size
- 25–40 cm
- maximum
- 64 cm
- common weight
- 0.3–1.5 kg
- record/max.
- 3.8 kg
- depth
- 0.5–15 m
- ideal water
- 22–28 °C
who is the florida pompano
The pompano is the noble fish of beach fishing. It lives in the surf zone of clean sandy beaches, in schools that patrol the channels and backwash for tatuí, corrupto and small molluscs. It reaches 60 cm and 3 kg, but common ones are 25 to 40 cm. It runs sideways and uses its tall body against the wave, so it fights far above its size. It likes clean, warm water, and the good season runs from spring to early autumn in the South and Southeast. In the Northeast it occurs all year. It requires beach reading: it passes through the channels at precise tide times and disappears when the water cools or gets dirty. On the table it is one of the most prized fish.
fun facts
- Tatuí is the most effective bait: on a beach without tatuí, the pompano rarely stays.
- It is called pompano in the United States, where it is also highly valued.
identification
Tall, oval, very compressed body, blunt snout, no bony scutes on the lateral line. Silvery, with a blue-tinged back and yellowish belly, throat and anal fin. Short, sickle-shaped dorsal and anal lobes. Difference from the galhudo: in the galhudo the dorsal and anal lobes are very long and dark, and there are fine vertical bars on the body. Difference from the xerelete: the xerelete has bony scutes on the lateral line.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
where found
The whole coast, with the most famous beach fishing in the Southeast and South: São Paulo coast, Paraná, Santa Catarina and northern Rio Grande do Sul.
Habitat: Surf zone and channels of clean sandy beaches, inlet mouths and rocky shore edges on sandy bottoms.
coast
states
Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
when to fish
best season
In the South and Southeast the season runs from October to April, with a peak from December to March, in clean warm water. In winter it disappears from the beaches. In the Northeast, all year.
best time of day
Daytime. A daytime fish. The first hours of the morning and late afternoon with the tide flooding are the best times.
what affects the florida pompano
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Very sensitive: water below 19 °C or an inflow of cold water (upwelling) drives the pompano off the beach.
atmospheric pressure
Best with steady weather and a moderate sea; a cold front closes fishing for days.
moon
Full and new moon tides stir the bottom more and release tatuí, which usually helps.
rain
Light rain doesn't bother it; runoff that muddies the beach knocks fishing out.
water level
A moderate sea, with waves forming backwash, is ideal. A flat sea keeps the pompano away; a dirty surge closes fishing.
noise
Not very sensitive to noise; avoid stepping in the gutter you're fishing.
wind
A moderate onshore wind helps form the foam where it feeds; a strong head wind prevents casting.
tide
The rising tide is the pompano's tide: the water digs the backwash and releases tatuí. Fish from the first hour of the rising tide until near high water. On the falling tide, only at the channel mouths. At slack the school moves less.
depth
In the surf zone, 0.5 to 3 m; use slightly deeper channels in strong sun.
how to fish
- rod
- 3.9 to 4.2 m (13 to 14 ft), 50 to 120 g, sensitive tip
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- 5000 surf reel
- line
- monofilament 0.25 to 0.30 mm
- leader
- 0.45 to 0.50 mm shock leader; rig of 2 hooks with 0.35 mm droppers
- hook
- maruseigo no. 1 to 2 or chinu no. 2 to 4
lures
- 1/4 oz jig head with feather (pompano jig)
- metal micro jig 10 to 20 g
natural baits
- tatuí (sand crab)
- corrupto
- shrimp
- beach worm (polychaete)
- marisco
accessories
- grapnel sinker 60 to 100 g
- tatuí sieve
- rod holder
tip from an angler
Use a "soft" tatuí (one that has just shed its shell) and keep the line taut. The pompano bites and runs sideways: don't jerk, just lift the rod and reel in firmly.
beach and surf casting
Sand fishing with sinker and natural bait beyond the surf, after pompano, betara and croaker.
guidespinning reel: setting up, adjusting and caring for it
From a properly filled spool to drag set with a scale: the basics for the reel to work for you and last for years.
guidehow to read a rod: action, power and line rating
What the numbers and letters engraved on the rod mean, and how to match rod, line, lure and reel for each kind of fishing.
guidehow to read the beach and rocky shore
Find troughs, sandbars and rip currents, choose tide and time, and fish the rocky shore without risking your life.
rules for the florida pompano
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Not on the national list of threatened species.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Hold it by the tail and under the body, without squeezing. Return it to the foam, head toward the sea.
in the kitchen
Excellent: light, firm and tasty meat. Baked whole, grilled or fried.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01585, b = 2.82; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.
- scientific FishBase — Trachinotus carolinus (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 — Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Trachinotus carolinus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2023. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Trachinotus carolinus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 21/08/2012)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- scientific Carpenter, K. E. (org.) (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Roma: FAO.Chapter Carangidae (Smith-Vaniz, W. F.).
- scientific Menezes, N. A.; Buckup, P. A.; Figueiredo, J. L.; Moura, R. L. (orgs.) (2003). Catálogo das espécies de peixes marinhos do Brasil. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 160 p.List of the marine species recorded in Brazil. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites the catalogue for the species.
