Cigar Minnows

CIGAR MINNOW BIO

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Decapterus punctatus
AKA: cigar fish, hardtail, cigars, round scad

PROMINENT FEATURES:

Narrow, round body; blue/grey above and silvery below; has a yellowish lateral line with tiny black spots running along just above line. There is a ridge that is on the side that will cut your finger if run from tail to head (So don’t do that!). There are also two small spiked fins just before its anal fin that can poke (So look out again!).

USES:

Similar to a Spanish sardine, cigar minnows are an excellent bottom bait, especially for grouper and snapper. May be used whole or as cut bait.  Charter boats like to use them to troll for striking fish, such as kingfish, because they hold up well and are less expensive than ballyhoo. Cigars are a good bait to take in addition to sardines to ensure you have matched the hatch to the desire of your target fish to meet their changing tastes for the day. Very popular in the Florida Panhandle.

PACKAGING FORMS:

Whole fish -1 lb box
Whole fish – 5 lb boxes
Whole fish in bulk boxes