Pompano are as pretty in the hand as they are in the pan.

Sarasota guide Rick Grassett is seeing the same thing.

"There's no doubt there's more pompano and the only thing I can attribute it to is the banning of nets," said Grassett. "It was just a few months after the nets were banned that we started seeing the pompano show up in greater numbers."

And this success story isn't limited to the west coast. East coast beach and pier anglers are seeing a big increase in pompano. Jensen Beach captain and outdoor writer Mike Holliday is very encouraged. Local pier anglers used to have contests to see who caught the most pompano each year. Before the net ban the winner was the guy who had caught 30 or 40 fish. Nowadays you need 300 to 400 to be competitive, he says.

Tampa Bay is another place where the rebound is evident. While the bay's bridges always have been a great place to catch pompano, more and more fish are being caught on the open flats. Clearwater Pass and Bay have become magnets for pompano at times and the sandbars around Anclote Key off Tarpon Springs are giving up some nice fish and anglers all along the central west coast are reporting skipping fish as they run their boats.

Where the fishery will top out is not clear. Already it's better than many have ever seen. One thing is for sure--pompano are an attractive target for poachers. A highly prized eating fish commanding top dollar, commercial netters often refer to them as Gold Nuggets. Although illegal to net in state waters, they remain a great temptation, making it more important that legislators do their best to ensure the integrity of the net ban. That coupled with good enforcement and a tough prosecution record and pompano fishing has a chance. Some believe it may become the state's next great recreational fishery.

But while the fishery may be on the rise and more and more anglers are experiencing their first encounters with pompano, many still find the species an elusive catch. What is required is an adjustment, says String.

The first thing, says String, is to understand where pompano like to hang out and that directly relates to the types of food they eat.

Pompano are bottom grubbers, preferring sandy bottom where they can nose out small crabs, shrimp and other creatures that burrow during the day. While String believes some of the best locations are a mix of patchy grass and sand, it primarily is the sand that attracts pompano.

For anglers north of bonefish territory, getting used to stalking sandy bottom in search of anything takes some getting used to. It is so ingrained in west coast flats anglers that grass, oyster bars and the like are where the fish are that sand bottom is seen only as that stuff you run over on your way to the good fishing spots.

"That's one reason a lot of people haven't discovered the fish," said String. "Most of the bottom we catch them on doesn't hold a lot of the fish people normally go after."

And outside of pompano, it doesn't, admits String. A trout or two will come off the grass patches now and again but the sand bottom rarely gives up anything but sea robins, puffers, squirrelfish and the like. That is until you get into the pompano.

Being a pro guide, String is aware of many good flats that hold pompano on his most often fished waters of Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Those new to pompano fishing may need to take a few shortcuts and one of the best ways to find some fish is to intentionally "skip" some fish. The process is little more than running over a likely grass bed at a fast idle or on plane. It is best to have a second set of eyes on board to keep a watch in the wake so the driver doesn't have to avert his attention from what's ahead. Even a single skipping fish can mean a school is present.

Once fish are located, a drift should be set up well above where the skipping fish was seen. Pompano settle down quickly after a boat passes and within a few minutes usually are back to their mindless bottom grubbing. String has found a moving tide to be conducive to pompano fishing, with action often falling off to nothing when the tide tops or bottoms out.

String's number one weapon is a jig of some description. Because of the number of "undesirable species," String prefers not to use live bait. He also does not tip his jigs, as it only increases the percentage of other species caught.

"I've found that when the pompano are on the flats they're eating," said String. "And when they're eating it doesn't help to tip the jigs and using live bait just means you'll be losing a lot of bait to the other fish."

String's choice of jigs ranges from plastic to hair. He likes a quarter-ounce lead head with a gold grub for most of his flats fishing. He also will use dark green or motor oil tails at times. Other colors will work at different times and it's wise to have an assortment on hand in case the fish decide to get choosy on you.

Also effective are traditional pompano hair jigs. Yellow heads with yellow hair tied to a short shank hook and trimmed up close have been the standard since anyone can remember. They are best suited for the deeper water of the passes and most anglers rely on a round-head half-ounce model. These are the places the fish retreat in times of harsh weather.

Whether working deep or shallow, the key to successful pompano jigging is keeping the bait on or near the bottom. The fish have their noses down there looking for food and that's where the jig should be presented. The puffs of sand it kicks up on the retrieve serve to draw the pompano's attention and mimics much of the natural prey that lives on the bottom. Like trout fishing, most anglers feel the fish on the take-up just after allowing the jig to fall.

Missed strikes are common with pompano, which often hit so fast and hard the angler doesn't have time to react. String likes to use a series of quick whips of the rodtip to try and entice the aggressive little fighters back for a second run at it. It doesn't always work but it's well worth a try considering you know the fish is there and could come back on the jig.