When do pompano run at Perdido Key?
March through May as surf temperatures pass 65°F, with a shorter second run in October. Sunrise on a moving tide with clean green water is the window worth protecting.
Florida pompano · Perdido Key
Florida pompano in Perdido Key
Johnson Beach is the local pompano classic: miles of walkable troughs and cuts with far fewer footprints than the tourist sand.
Best monthsMarch–May run; October encore
Go-to baitssand fleas, fresh peeled shrimp, Fishbites on a two-hook rig
Local waterPerdido Pass · Old River
State rulesFlorida FWC
The local pattern
Johnson Beach is the local pompano classic: miles of walkable troughs and cuts with far fewer footprints than the tourist sand. The spring run works down the Key from March into May and back through in October.
Pompano key on clean, green surf between 65 and 75 degrees. Read the beach first: the trough is the highway, the cuts are the on-ramps, and the moving tide is the schedule. A two-hook rig in the right water beats six rods in the wrong water.
Common questions
What rig catches pompano at Perdido Key?
A two-hook pompano rig with small circle hooks, bright floats, and a sinker that holds bottom, baited with sand fleas, fresh shrimp, or Fishbites, cast into the first trough.
Plan the trip
Conditions decide more than tackle. The live dashboard scores each Perdido Key morning from NOAA tide swing, wind, and sky, with solunar windows and marine alerts, and Entertainer Bait & Tackle and Gray's Tackle carry live bait on the island approach.
Seasons and limits change. Verify with Florida FWC or Outdoor Alabama before keeping fish.