Are the cigar minnows in the pass yet?

[captfrankie]

I have been on the river for 2 weeks, still have 2 weeks to go and after having a broke down boat while home last time I am ready to get out on the gulf to fish. Have the cigar minnows made it to the pass yet? I intend to persue them hard this year to stock my freezer.

[jonesrw]

They were available last weekend but not in great numbers. We managed about 2 dozen CMs and SS. It's been warm all week so I'd figured they'll be a lot thicker this weekend.

[Reedy J]

I have dove the Eglin bardge the past 2 weeks and sabikied it 2 weeks before that. Each time it has been LOADED with Cigar Minnows. It's worth checking out if you are looking to stock up.

I can't help you with the Cobia.

-Reedy

[JoeBagadonuts]

Frankie,
They were plentiful for us last weekend at the pass. We got all we needed (or so we thought, we still ran out of bait later) in about 45 minutes. We started just a couple hundred yards out of the pass, in the channel, and later moved out past the red buoy in 30'. We were fishing plain gold hook sabikis right at sunrise.

By the way, today there were huge schools of threadfins north of the bridge (around Dewey Destin's). If I had had my cast net we would have slayed them.

JBD

[captfrankie]

In june of last year the cigar minnow were all over pensacola bay and big lagoon, I am planning to fill a freezer this year, well maybe not fill it but put away plenty, so if I don't produce what I am hoping to in East Pass then I will make some calls and see if they are over there. Problem then is which boat to take. I can trailer the 17 ft Carolina Skiff but then I wouldn't be able to return off shore to use some of the new found bait as I would if I were on the bigger boat.

Thanks for the reports guys, if you don't mind keep em coming

[jonesrw]

The CMs were thick at the pass yesterday but would NOT bite. My neighbor left more than an hour before and was still trying for bait when we got there. We were able to get plenty of threadfins on the north side along with a FEW CMs. In the gulf, they just wouldn't bite. We gave up and went with frozen.

[captfrankie]

Every give any thought to what drives these creatures to bite or not, are they just moody or is it something with atmospheric pressure, stage of the moon, or maybe they read the latest Wallstreet Journal. Just imagine how they could influence the market for Sabikis if they didn't bite for a while.

[Mattatoar]

CM's have been "blot-out-the-sun thick" on AF barge... we put 60 in boat in 10 minuntes one day and the next day they would not bite anything... next time I'm taking TNT for back up.

[captfrankie]

TNT, unique way to start a chum slick!

[charliel]

Bait was scarce today. Didn't see much of anything on top and saw nobody catching any. But snapper are still happy with cut bait and squid for now.

[captfrankie]

I will return home in 7 days. However it will be nearly 2 weeks before I can take our boat out, trying to get a business of my own started can sure get in the way of some prime fishing time. Anyway I have to prepare some papers for a client that first weekend and then travel to Mobile to meet with them the following Monday and Tuesday. By the time I get to join you guys in the Gulf I will have a full blown fever to get out there, especially after reading these bait report. Thanks and keep em coming

[JoeBagadonuts]

Cap'n Frankie,

There were big schools of cigar minnows outside the pass again yesterday. Also quite a few hardtails. The minnows are hanging around the dropoff from 20 to 30 feet of water near the red buoy. The hardtails were just outside the jetties a hundred yards or so. Right at sunup, of course.

I see some other folks have had trouble getting them to bite...so far we have been lucky, fishing with homemade #8 Aberdeen gold hook sabikis.

JoeB

[Mattatoar]

I agree with Joe... the bait was there but did not go for sabiki rigs well.

Did much better with gold hooks and squid.

[Capt Rick]

The Baitman had plenty of nice large Cigar Minnows this morning
Friday 5-18, selling @ $20 per dipnet. (appx 40 to 50 minnows).
He was catching them in the mouth of the Pass on a incoming tide.