• As with the permit, tactics for pompano aren't very sophisticated or exotic. A very short bait list (crabs and shrimp) and small jigs about does it for these guys. 
• Bait fishing rigs are straightforward, whether you're fishing in the surf, around or off area bridges or piers, or on the flats. 
• One rig is often called a two-hook spreader. Start with about three feet of 20-pound-test mono. Tie a snap swivel on one end and a barrel swivel on the other. Then tie a pair of dropper loops about equidistant on the mono. Then slip the dropper loops through the eyes of a pair of #1 hooks and pull them back through. You're in business. If you're not into loop tying, most tackle shops would be delighted to sell you a two-hook spreader. 
• Another good bait rig goes like this. Start with about two feet of mono. Tie a barrel swivel on one end. Then tie on a hook at the other end. A second hook goes on a dropper loop tied in the middle of the mono. Slip an egg sinker on your line and then tie it to the barrel swivel. Once again, you're in business. 

• Sand fleas are the preferred natural bait for pompano. They can either be caught live along East Coast beaches or bought frozen from local tackle stores. 
• Hooking a sand flea is easy. Run the hook through the V-shaped flap on the flea's belly and rotate it on around so that the barb of the hook just protrudes from the top of the shell. 
• Fresh dead shrimp, available at local fish markets, is a good second choice bait for pompano. But do yourself a favor. Peel your shrimp and cut them into hook-size pieces in the cool comfort of your kitchen - rather than during the heat of the battle on the beach. 

• Jig fishing is rapidly becoming a popular second approach to catching pompano. In this area, 3/8 to 5/8 ounce white or beige colored jig heads with white, yellow, orange, hot pink, red and yellow or pearl skirts have been the most successful. 
• If you're surf fishing, the jig should be worked through and along the troughs between the sand bars paralleling the beach. While you are doing that, keep your eyes open for schools of mullet or whiting. East Coast surf fishermen have found that pompano, while not mingling, will follow along closely behind these schools. 

Squid strips, fiddler crabs, and soft plastic crabs rigged Texas-style with a slip lead will all (occasionally) catch very large pompano. 
If you’re using jigs, sweeten your hook with a small flea or bit of shrimp. 
To catch sand fleas on the beach, watch for clusters of tiny Vs in the sand as waves recede into the ocean. The Vs are caused by the antennas on the sand flea's head and mark the spot where you should dig. Digging can be either with your hands, using half a minnow trap, or a sand flea rake. 
In addition to the artificials mentioned above, a few others have a growing popularity with East Coast pompano fishermen. They include quarter ounce red jig heads with gold, green, or motor oil soft plastic grub tails and quarter ounce tube lures in roughly the same colors. 
Sand fleas can be preserved indefinitely even with repeated freeze / thaw cycles - - if you blanch them first. Drop live fleas into boiling water for not more than five seconds. That's it. 
If you're going to be fishing around pilings, use the permit trick and scrape off barnacles for chum.