# live pinfish versus live cigar minnows



## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

what do you prefer for bottom fishing live pinfish or live cigar minnows?

Personally I give the edge to cigar minnows. Interested in other opinions.


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I prefer both with sardines, tinker macks, hardtails and threadfin added in along with whatever else I can sabiki up.

Options, options, options; never run offshore with one type of bait if you can easily have more. Last week, for example, I could only get the Scamp to eat live Cigs and smaller Pilchards. Pinfish, hardtails and everything else got rejected. Had I only taken pins and frozen bait, our box of fish would've looked a whole lot less impressive.


----------



## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

Cigar minnows will over the course of the season get more action than pins they will not survive in the bait well like a pin. we usually take both. On those rare occasions the fish prefer pins we like to be ready.


----------



## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

Cig's for snapper, Hard tails big king,, pins ,ruby lips, squid for amberjack , grouper. scamp


----------



## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

I have had the same experience with respect to scamp not biting live pinfish but biting live cigar minnows. 

Is that a common experience concerning scamp?


----------



## polar21 (Nov 5, 2007)

Live cigs for us. We have had zero luck with pinfish, almost to the point of selling our traps.


----------



## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

polar21 said:


> Live cigs for us. We have had zero luck with pinfish, almost to the point of selling our traps.


No luck as not catching any pinkish in your trap or no luck as in not catching any fish using pinfish for bait?


----------



## Tiretyme (Sep 29, 2014)

IDK, for us this year frozen cigar minnows have out performed live pinfish and the biggest Snapper have come from red lips......wish I knew, but as ChrisV stated, take a variety if you can.


----------



## polar21 (Nov 5, 2007)

markw4321 said:


> No luck as not catching any pinkish in your trap or no luck as in not catching any fish using pinfish for bait?


Zero fish on pinfish. Our traps work just fine! Heck, the last trip we must have had 50 of the jokers in there.


----------



## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

When catching my own bait, I always have a pinfish trap set out the day before, just to insure live bait for the trip, but I would much prefer live cigs , but sometimes they can be hard to come by coming out of perdido pass. Some type of live bait is better than no live bait.


----------



## wmflyfisher (Jan 17, 2008)

Hell its hard enough for me to catch a good variety of live bait without wasting a lot of time. That's my problem. How do you do it guys? I sabiki at the buoys going out with fair success but rubys and hard tails take time. But that's probably because I'm not good at it! 

What's your method for getting a variety of bait fast?


----------



## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Perfect timing . 
Bait is sometimes like a slot machine. 
It's all about good timing.


----------



## TheGreatBuzz (Nov 12, 2014)

Friday I was out and the only thing the snapper would take was frozen cigs. Live wouldn't get touched neither would squid.

Is there a good resource to get pictures of different common bait fish here? There are times I've caught a little fish but tossed it back because I wasn't sure what it was. I'm still kind of new to the area.


----------



## marksnet (Aug 22, 2014)

I find that scamp prefer the smallest cig in the well.

Day in and out for me I like Cigars but, Ruby's, Hardtails are hard to beat for grouper.


----------



## uscmas412 (Feb 15, 2014)

What's the consensus on using a cast net for bait outside the pass (Destin)? I've tried sabiki rigs with little success this year. After yesterday's 30 minute wait for the bait boat, I'm thinking there's got to be a better way? I've never seen 8-10 boats lined up waiting for bait!


----------



## marksnet (Aug 22, 2014)

My success comes from Hayabusa sabiki rigs and small squares of fish bites attached.


----------



## Solace (Apr 23, 2009)

You never know! Take whatever options you can. Scamp loved live cigars this week. Snapper vary between live cigars or pinfish, cut cigars, or squid.


----------



## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

LY's best bait on the planet even mars.


----------



## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Weird couple of days. Friday and Saturday the EARS would hit pinfish for the first couple of drifts, then only dead cigssicles. We could not find any live cigs at the pass bridge, or bouy or 3 mile chambers. Just a couple of hard tails that got sharked

I still bet on the pins though. Easy to get from the dock and something will eat them.


----------



## wmflyfisher (Jan 17, 2008)

Are you guys catching your bait while at your fishing hole (deep) or at the buoys or pass before you head out?


----------



## sabanist (Mar 28, 2015)

I typically get pins from the trap and cigs from the massechusetts


----------



## iJabo (Jul 6, 2013)

Went out last Saturday and struggled getting any significant number of cigars at/around the Mass. We had a solid 16-17 pinfish from the trap left overnight compared to the 6-7 cigars we managed to catch.

We had good action on what little cigars we managed to catch, but nothing would take the pinfish, cut or alive. Pinfish are definitely a good bait, but cigars seem to outperformed them, especially this past weekend.


----------



## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

I personally like to have as many options of baits live and dead. Cigs pins hard tails mullet sardines ruby's bonita but I do think that cigs perform better but that is not always the case for me.


----------



## sabanist (Mar 28, 2015)

I also catch cigars on the flats just east of the pass. In the pretty turquoise shallows. The bait balls will be noticeable on the surface. Don't worry about them moving around. Just get near them and put a sabiki on the bottom and jig. Caught hardtails and cigars two weeks ago in that area


----------



## WhyMe (Apr 21, 2013)

Cigs and pin fish for me, but the other day I had was given live Herron to put in the live well and with in 12 miles out on a smooth day 95% of the fish were dead. I can go all day with cigs and pins and they do just fine. Any secrect on keeping Herron alive in a live well? Plz tell me, if not I won't accept live Herron again. 
Whyme


----------



## 85okhai (Mar 15, 2010)

wmflyfisher said:


> Are you guys catching your bait while at your fishing hole (deep) or at the buoys or pass before you head out?


i can usually fill up my well pretty quick with sabiki's at the buoys but for some reason this year the bait fishing has been pretty tough at the buoy's and even tough for the guys selling bait


----------



## marlinchaser (Oct 11, 2007)

Last day of original fed snapper season we caught 239 pounds of red snapper almost exclusively with pinfish!!!!


----------



## Shark Sugar (May 26, 2015)

Red snapper will eat anything if they are down there! Ive seen them up-chuck some interesting "meals" after bringing them up. Usually a bigger bait and hook will keep the smaller fish away.

Ruby lips butterflied with tail left in tact has produced my biggest sow snapper this year and several red grouper.

Big slabs of fresh caught bonita is a grouper slayer as well.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## 2RC's II (Feb 2, 2012)

While we all appreciate the other baits everyone uses and the point that you should take multiple baits anytime you venture into the Gulf which I think we all know the original questions was Cigars vs Pins and my answer is still Cigars.


----------

