# Drifting for mingos



## OutsmartedAgain (Oct 12, 2018)

We went out on sunday to the 20 mile range to a spot that has consistently yielded big mingos and trigger. I wanted to try to work on holding the boat near the marker bouy while fishing and got a massive trigger on the first drop, then switched to bucktail jigging which produced a small AJ that was snagged and plenty of 10lb+ red snapper. They didn’t seem to care for metal jigs. Switching to 3/0 hooks and a thumbnail piece of squid was the ticket to the triggers, it really inproved our hook up ratio.

I tried drifting squid for mingos and couldn’t get a bite. In fact this is a pattern I have started to pick up on. When I drift for them I get a few small mingos. When I anchor up the mingo size and number of bites goes way up. If we are anchored and someone else is drifting we catch more fish than them. Is there some trick to drifting for mingos? Usually we use 6’ 40 lb flouro leaders which seems fairly standard so I don’t think it’s about fish that are leader shy. Never got a mingo, just all the reds you could handle until we called it a day.


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

I usually use a hi lo rig for Mingos. One cut squid and cut cigar.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

Mingos love LY's.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Trick is Minn Ko Ta


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## cody&ryand (Oct 3, 2007)

The key with mingos is locating the schools and when you find them pretty much any small bait will work.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

We usually locate a school drifting (sonar or by catching a few). Then anchor and chum. If you are close to the school the chum usually makes them frisky.

Something that may help is a drift sock. I have a small 40" on that I stick toss out from the bow. Slows the drift and keeps the bow from swinging over lines.


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

20 mile range is probably a little shallow for big mingos in my opinion. The bigger fish, and bigger schools, are typically out in the 200ft and deeper range. I'd start at the edge. Or running SW you'll need to go even farther. 

Me back in my slightly younger pre kids days back when I fished a lot.


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Another tactic that's probably not entirely legal is to make a chicken rig with 10 or 12 hooks on it. Put it on an electric reel with a couple pounds of weight. Let it drift out while you drift and you can get your 10 fish limit in one drop. 

It's not sporting, it's basically commercial fishing, but it works if you are meat fishing and short on time after a deep drop trip.


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

FenderBender said:


> 20 mile range is probably a little shallow for big mingos in my opinion. The bigger fish, and bigger schools, are typically out in the 200ft and deeper range. I'd start at the edge. Or running SW you'll need to go even farther.
> 
> Me back in my slightly younger pre kids days back when I fished a lot.


i remember that pic. you said you wanted to take a pic with my mongo mingo.:whistling:

jack


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

I believe that was the trip we lost a motor at marathon and anchored up there all day! Caught some weird crap. It was a slow ride in from 60ish miles out on one. And yeah I don't remember who caught that one but we had a cooler full of studs.


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## OutsmartedAgain (Oct 12, 2018)

hjorgan said:


> We usually locate a school drifting (sonar or by catching a few). Then anchor and chum. If you are close to the school the chum usually makes them frisky.
> 
> Something that may help is a drift sock. I have a small 40" on that I stick toss out from the bow. Slows the drift and keeps the bow from swinging over lines.


What's the smallest size spot you're willing to use a sea anchor on? Like would you use it for a little spot like a wreck or small artificial reefs? And how well does it work when the current is strong?

I take it nobody else seems to have better luck with mingo's while they are stationary? I guess it's probably because I'm not keeping the baits in their zone, and the triggers are getting at them first then.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

FenderBender said:


> I believe that was the trip we lost a motor at marathon and anchored up there all day! Caught some weird crap. It was a slow ride in from 60ish miles out on one. And yeah I don't remember who caught that one but we had a cooler full of studs.





Good grief I would take a cooler full of those!!!!!!!!!!


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## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

When we drift, we usually get the Mingos outside of where the Triggers are. Try a little farther drift. Circle around the Trigger and see if you can find another school.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

OutsmartedAgain said:


> What's the smallest size spot you're willing to use a sea anchor on? Like would you use it for a little spot like a wreck or small artificial reefs? And how well does it work when the current is strong?
> 
> I take it nobody else seems to have better luck with mingo's while they are stationary? I guess it's probably because I'm not keeping the baits in their zone, and the triggers are getting at them first then.


The drift anchor (sea anchor is a different deal) is used with a East wind on or over the Edge usually. It's a natural bottom technique, not a spot technique. If you catch the right current and wind at the Edge you can drift productive spots for 5 or 6 miles. I use the engines to bump the boat left or right to stay on the structure. Takes some practice but it works.


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## Sean Summers (Jan 3, 2008)

Don't know why but areas that usuually hold a ton of mingos were void of life this past weekend when we hit them.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

It was weird. We didn't get into anything worthwhile until we hit 180 ft of water. Saw clouds of fish in 80ft. Had to be triggers in there. Had lockjaw.

Or maybe the bite turned on after the 45 min ride. Who know.


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## PCfisher66 (Oct 13, 2010)

I have a Rhodan on my boat so I stay in pretty much one spot, I've found out if I'm catching small one I'll move to another spot and I seem to do better. I don't keep the small ones. I also use 40lb chicken rig.


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

PCfisher66 said:


> I have a Rhodan on my boat so I stay in pretty much one spot, I've found out if I'm catching small one I'll move to another spot and I seem to do better. I don't keep the small ones. I also use 40lb chicken rig.


i don't know if this is true all the time but when i'm catching the small 10" i usually crank up the line bout ten times and find the mongos. squirrel and ruby reds are on the bottom.

jack


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

jack2 said:


> i don't know if this is true all the time but when i'm catching the small 10" i usually crank up the line bout ten times and find the mongos. squirrel and ruby reds are on the bottom.
> 
> jack


Exactly Jack. Big mongos will come up for the bait. Small ones are skeered to leave the bottom. Also the chum bag will bring them up as well.


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## PCfisher66 (Oct 13, 2010)

I always try to stay a little higher too. But it's funny I'll move 100 feet to another spot and go from catching 12" fish to 15-16" fish. Sometimes I'll get bored and drift to find a new spot and hit the trolling motor to keep us their, that thing has earned it's keep, plus I sucks at anchoring.


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## OutsmartedAgain (Oct 12, 2018)

I went deeper to the edge this weekend and after a couple drifts we picked up a couple small aj’s. Then I tried holding position with the motors and I started to get a hang of it by bumping the engines in and out of gear to hold our bow into the wind and we were holding within about 25’ of the spot until I’d get distracted by hauling in fish. I’m not as good as an I pilot but I also don’t cost 3 grand so there’s that. We started hauling in mingos and porgy as soon as we started holding position though. Maybe it’s corincidence, maybe our baits weren’t close enough to the bottom. I also thought it was interesting that everything ignored our frozen cigs. But when I caught a tiny porgy on that died on the way up I sent him back down and immediately got hammered by a nice red snapper. That fresh bait makes a difference! The seaqualizer did a great job working as advertised. I love that thing.

Ended up keeping 5 mingos and a porgy. We didn’t find the triggers but mingos are easier to clean!


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## aqua-holic (Jan 23, 2010)

PCfisher66 said:


> I have a Rhodan on my boat so I stay in pretty much one spot, I've found out if I'm catching small one I'll move to another spot and I seem to do better. I don't keep the small ones. I also use 40lb chicken rig.


How big is the boat you are using the Rhodan on? How well does it hold position for you.

Steve


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

OutsmartedAgain said:


> Ended up keeping 5 mingos and a porgy. We didn’t find the triggers but mingos are easier to clean!


Man. That's a long run for a few fish. Get you a wreck anchor (I use a Mighty Mite 16 lb) and get stuck over the "blue fuzz". Set out a chum bag and you will load up your boat. If you get an anchor ball setup you can drag your anchor from spot to spot easy and fast.

Now fresh bait is a key, and you can fillet and use small chunks of rubys or squirrels. Bonita is great, but fresh bait is better. Some people may use short mingos (but that would be illegal) and would possibly catch a bunch of bigger fish. Also a fly line with a livie might get you a surprise tuna, king, or wahoo.


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## PCfisher66 (Oct 13, 2010)

I have a 25' Grady White,and it works great. Now this past weekend it had some trouble in the washing machine the gulf seemed to be, but I like it.


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## OutsmartedAgain (Oct 12, 2018)

hjorgan said:


> Man. That's a long run for a few fish. Get you a wreck anchor (I use a Mighty Mite 16 lb) and get stuck over the "blue fuzz". Set out a chum bag and you will load up your boat. If you get an anchor ball setup you can drag your anchor from spot to spot easy and fast.
> 
> Now fresh bait is a key, and you can fillet and use small chunks of rubys or squirrels. Bonita is great, but fresh bait is better. Some people may use short mingos (but that would be illegal) and would possibly catch a bunch of bigger fish. Also a fly line with a livie might get you a surprise tuna, king, or wahoo.


How much scope do you use with those wreck anchors in 180' on natural bottom? 

Another rookie edge question. Do the bottom fish hold on any given spot out there or do they cruise whatever depth contour they like? I don't fish natural bottom much but after a few passes that blue fuzz turned into a pretty good show on the fish finder. Is that fish coming up out of the cracks or are they different schools of snapper just passing through?


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## PCfisher66 (Oct 13, 2010)

I'll look for the big spikes, sometimes I'll see fish spikes 30' tall off of the bottom. I may fish 5-8 of those spikes in a few hours. I don't like to hit one area too much. Every time I go out I'm always finding new spots.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

OutsmartedAgain said:


> How much scope do you use with those wreck anchors in 180' on natural bottom?
> 
> Another rookie edge question. Do the bottom fish hold on any given spot out there or do they cruise whatever depth contour they like? I don't fish natural bottom much but after a few passes that blue fuzz turned into a pretty good show on the fish finder. Is that fish coming up out of the cracks or are they different schools of snapper just passing through?


Scope depends on the sea state but I usually let out max scope (300 feet) then pull back up on the anchor once it catches bottom. I have a windlass so that makes life SOOO much easier.

We have caught more and better mingos over what looks like just flat bottom with the blue fuzz over it. Either the fish are holding off the big marks (ie big predator fish) or they are responding to our chum. We have had boats fishing around us on the "proven spots" not do well, while we catch fish over what looks like nothing on the sonar. 

I just started using the CHIRP features on my new Garmin unit, but I can attest that I'm finding better fish quicker now.


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## Wolfithius (Sep 8, 2013)

I have a newbie question. I see references to blue fuzz on different posts. I know this is in reference to the depth finder, but could you explain more. On my Simrad, at my current settings, I can see clouds of bait fish, often with fish symbols mixed in. The clouds tend to be read on my machine. I’ve only been fishing out to about 115 feet of water.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Next time out I'll get a screenshot, that may help.


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## Wolfithius (Sep 8, 2013)

Wolfithius said:


> I have a newbie question. I see references to blue fuzz on different posts. I know this is in reference to the depth finder, but could you explain more. On my Simrad, at my current settings, I can see clouds of bait fish, often with fish symbols mixed in. The clouds tend to be read on my machine. Iâ€ve only been fishing out to about 115 feet of water.




The word read should be red


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## OutsmartedAgain (Oct 12, 2018)

It’s hard to find a picture of it online because most the sonar pictures are of the latest and greatest electronics which helps find fish on the bottom, but this is the closest I could find.

http://www.raymarine.com/view/?id=9459

Look at the bottom right corner of the blue image, near the “6”, that’s what it looked like, just a little closer to the bottom. My guess is the fuzz is fish holding so close to the bottom my fish finder just reads it as a different bottom type instead of a pile of fish.


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## Boat-Dude (Sep 24, 2011)

I am sure a school of tom tates looks the same.


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