Pompano usually arrive on the Outer Banks in June, as soon as the surf temperature consistently climbs to the high sixties, but the best of the action for them is August through September. The first cool northeast blow of the late summer or early fall sends a signal to the pompano that it is time to head south, and most of them are gone by the middle of October.

I’ll bet it’s not easy being a finger mullet. These little fish are chased by everything from bluefish to tarpon, along most of the Atlantic coast, around the tip of Florida, and into the Gulf of Mexico. About this time every year, huge schools of small finger mullet begin an annual southward, inshore migration. You can see them in the breakers and on many days, bluefish, speckled trout, and drum are in hot pursuit. No wonder they act so nervous as they swim in the surf.

Blues and Spanish mackerel frequently follow the same movements and feeding patterns along the North Carolina coast and are available from spring through fall. But the blues are able to tolerate lower water temperatures and usually arrive a few weeks before the macks make their first appearance of the season.