# Edge new guy, wisdom needed



## SaltyBones (Oct 29, 2010)

Hey guys, 
First time heading out to the edge tuesday and have no experience out there. Looking for some tips and locations to get me started. Mingos is the target. I know how to rig for them, but i don't know the where and how. Drift, anchor, or put for them. Does chum make a large difference out there? All help is greatly appreciated.


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## O-SEA-D (Jun 28, 2016)

Find the relief on your bottom machine. Concentrate on the tops side of the drop off. If your able to anchor and get on top of them I would. Use at least six ounces of lead to get down. Current is tricky sometimes. Best way to locate different spots along the edge holding fish is to spend some time trolling east to west or the opposite zig zagging back and forth over the drop off. Watch your bottom machine while doing this and you'll get plenty of waypoints along the edge to fish for mingo.


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

Tuesday looks pretty good. You should do well out there. 
Get out in the area and look for the drop off on your sonar. Its pretty long stretching from the southwest to the northeast. If you have some time, "look" around. Some relief is better than other spots. Mark a couple good ones showing fish and you can anchor on them - or just barely up current. Or motor up current a ways and drift along it (it depends on the wind and current as to how well you will be able to optimize the drift with the "edge"). 
I'm old and lazy, after "shopping around" for a productive spot, I use my trolling motor "spot lock" to hold us on it. If you have an IPilot or Xi5, it's the best way to fish it, of course. It allows me to "fine tune" my fishing spot, or change locations easily.
We use fresh cut squid - as most probably do. It works pretty well for us. I carry some cigar minnows too to change things up. You can also use them or some live baits for a drift line while you are pulling up mingos. 
We use standard "chicken rigs" with small thin 3/0 wire hooks and 8 oz weights for the mingos. And there are some nice sized ones out there- so even though the size limit is 10" min, we typically don't like keeping anything under 12". 
Anyway, you can hook a few different species- mingos, almaco jack, AJ, porgies, grouper.... etc, bottom fishing. You can catch king, Blackfin, cobia, maybe mahi on the drift. Just be aware of your regs.
It's about 200' so I don't know how well chumming will work for your bottom bite, but might help you topside productivity.




Anyway- this should get you started in the right direction.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

Anchor and chum. Keep baits out the back on top and some down about 30 feet for kings, wahoo, mahi, and tuna. Watch for them and cobia in your chum line. Use a conventional two hook snapper rig with small live baits to catch scamp on the bottom. (Amberjack is not in season, so no need in setting out an amberjack bait.) 3/0 circle hooks with squid for mingos.


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

My wife tried to get me to go out Tuesday- but I didn't have any buddies to go on short notice and I really have too much work to be done this week. But, be warned, "friends"- I might be looking for some participants in the next week or two for a weekday trip out there if a real nice day presents itself.
Anyway- saltyBones. Be sure and share your adventure here afterwards! Good Luck!


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## Fishermon (Oct 19, 2007)

Not and expert, but had some luck last year trolling Yo zuri bonita lures for wahoo zig zagging the area. You can free line a mingo and you ll get a screaming line for sure. Good luck out there.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Solid advice here. We usually drop some small trolling tubes on bait we see on the way out to catch a bobo or two. Fresh bobo hunks seem to catch the biggest mingos. I think they have seen a lot of squid.


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

hjorgan said:


> Solid advice here. We usually drop some small trolling tubes on bait we see on the way out to catch a bobo or two. Fresh bobo hunks seem to catch the biggest mingos. I think they have seen a lot of squid.


Why not! Works on Red Snapper sometimes. I'll have to try that!


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

Anchor just on top of the "Edge".

Just short of the dropoff. Chunk and chum...continuously. You'll get a slick going and after an hour or so you'll get some takers.

You can troll too... about 060 degrees to 240 degrees, but it's a bit early for Wahoo and Dolphin, but ease back and forth along the drop off and look for "better" relief.

Good Luck,

Jim


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## Pnther15 (Mar 11, 2017)

Sounds like some great information. I'm hoping to take my first trip out there in the next couple weeks.


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## VandalRefugee (Jul 16, 2016)

O-SEA-D said:


> Find the relief on your bottom machine. Concentrate on the tops side of the drop off. If your able to anchor and get on top of them I would. Use at least six ounces of lead to get down. Current is tricky sometimes. Best way to locate different spots along the edge holding fish is to spend some time trolling east to west or the opposite zig zagging back and forth over the drop off. Watch your bottom machine while doing this and you'll get plenty of waypoints along the edge to fish for mingo.


When you say relief, how much of a ledge are you looking for? 3-5'? 10' or more? I haven't made it out there yet, still working up to an edge trip and need to get both motors working reliably but I can't wait!


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## O-SEA-D (Jun 28, 2016)

VandalRefugee said:


> When you say relief, how much of a ledge are you looking for? 3-5'? 10' or more? I haven't made it out there yet, still working up to an edge trip and need to get both motors working reliably but I can't wait!


It drops from 175-180 to 200-210 right on the edge drop off. I typically mark most of the fish hanging right on the top side of the relief.


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## SaltyBones (Oct 29, 2010)

hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the knowledge. We ended up limiting out on mangos before 10 am. Then, we trolled and hooked up on a wahoo. jumped almost onto another guys boat out there. absolutely a great trip. Thanks for the knowledge guys


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## jwmd2010 (Oct 26, 2015)

When you guys talk about chumming is this from the boat? Throwing cut up bait in? Or sending down a chum bag down with the anchor for attracting fish deeper?


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

jwmd2010 said:


> When you guys talk about chumming is this from the boat? Throwing cut up bait in? Or sending down a chum bag down with the anchor for attracting fish deeper?


Pretty much talking about the top baits. We typically use a chum bag and either use some home-made ground baits, or store bought block. Might bring some cobia, tuna, mahi, or even wahoo closer for your drift baits.


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

I was talking of both. A Chum Churn and chunk bait thrown over the stern every few minutes.

Good question. I think guys in south Florida will clip on a brown bag of frozen chum and sand ball (Chum doesn't sink so they add sand, then freeze) to weigh it down and drop it deep. Then jig it to release it. I've never tried it.

Jim


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## Fishermon (Oct 19, 2007)

SaltyBones said:


> hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the knowledge. We ended up limiting out on mangos before 10 am. Then, we trolled and hooked up on a wahoo. jumped almost onto another guys boat out there. absolutely a great trip. Thanks for the knowledge guys


Wahoo, awesome...what did it eat ...:thumbup:


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## Wms128 (Mar 28, 2017)

How far is the Edge from pensacola pass?


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

It shows up well on Google Earth. The big arc south east of Pensacola.

Jim


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

Wms128 said:


> How far is the Edge from pensacola pass?


About 25nm


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## badonskybuccaneers (Aug 19, 2013)

jim t said:


> I was talking of both. A Chum Churn and chunk bait thrown over the stern every few minutes.
> 
> Good question. I think guys in south Florida will clip on a brown bag of frozen chum and sand ball (Chum doesn't sink so they add sand, then freeze) to weigh it down and drop it deep. Then jig it to release it. I've never tried it.
> 
> Jim


I'm sure we could put a couple 8oz weights in our chum bag to put it on the bottom. I usually don't have much of a problem getting a bottom bite- but I might try that next time- then send the camera down to see what happens! Lol


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