# Mingo and Porgies



## Fog Ducker

This past Thursday we were able to take some friends about eight miles south of the Pensacola pass for some mingo fishing. We were targeting trigger and mingo, and were on a spot we had tried for the first time last Sunday, so we weren't too sure what to expect. We fished from about noon until 5:30 p.m., enduring 3-5 foot seas and 15-20 mph winds, but fortunately the seas were of the rolling swell variety most of the day. 

We used chicken/dropper rigs, with 40lb test line and two 4/0 circle hooks with just enough squid to cover the hooks. The bite was steady the entire time, with three breaks of about 10 minutes where we moved a few hundred yards for a change of pace. We managed to keep about 35 mingo and 40 porgies, a few triggers, and one 20 pound gag grouper. We caught several more trigger, but they didn't make the size limit. We also had our fair share of red snapper, smaller grouper, and shark, none of which were kept. The little bit of squid on the 4/0 hooks seemed to be small enough to avoid the larger red snapper. The reds (and almost all of the bigger fish) we did catch were on live bait, either pinfish or pigfish.


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## JD7.62

Looks like a great catch!


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## sig226

can you keep a snapper that has been bitten or do you have to release him for another day?? I got a 30 lb king last year bit in half and took my half hm to eat


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## Badfish

Thats a great catch of B liners. Nice job skipper!


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## Boardfeet

Maybe the guy in the picture bit the tail off the Snapper????

Nice catch gentlemen!!


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## tailfisher

nice mess of fish


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## rbreedi1

Nice haul!


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## Todd

I am curious as well. Can you keep a bit in half fish if it's not in season?


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## jim t

Todd said:


> I am curious as well. Can you keep a bit in half fish if it's not in season?


No.

Open season or closed season.

I once kept a BIG grouper that was cut off, I was stopped and the very nice Officer said "Obviously it was legal, but don't try that next month..." when the season was closed.



Jim


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## ateupwitit

Nice catch guys, good idea on the smaller hooks to keep the snapper off the lines


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## piscator

Did you remember to vent that snapper before release ? 

Nice mess of keepers!


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## Ajerv

As I understand it, it is all about possession. For example, if you catch a legal fish that has no upper limit, and say the fish is huge and way over the lower limit,.....and if you fillet the fish off shore and the fillets obviously came from a legal fish.....and I mean really obvious(no question)........that is an illegal possession if you are stopped on the way in.

Anyone disagree???


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## thecalmbeforethestorm

wow thats a big chunk of snapper my friend


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## bjones20

Hey man i remember you from in the pass it was sheep head season and i was in the 21 foot cape . you had some guys coming down from atlanta and you were catching bait . remeber that ?


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