COBIA TACTICS

[Salt Life]

Want to target Cobia in Apalachee bay this year. Looking for some help. Here is what I was thinking on trying, Ya'll correct if I a astray here . Figure on anhoring in 20 ft of water chumming and setting out live baits on surface and mid water colum .
I know I will probably have other visitors ie: shark, Mackerel and the like but thats OK . Thanks !

[Reel Cowboy]

Cobia this timeof year is easy:
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... ilit=cobia" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just do what ever is was that Litt did.

[Salt Life]

Wow nice ling ! In a yak no less

[big bend gyrene]

Salt Life, sure hope I don't jinx 2008 but I've had pretty good luck with the cobia the past few years during the summer months. Basically do exactly what you suggested minus the chum. I put out live pinfish and/or dead cigar minnows at the top, middle, and even bottom of the water column... usually wanting grouper to take the bottom rig but almost each trip out I end up having one or two cobias picking up the baits off the bottom... the mackerel love the ones on top, but again, not unusual to have a cobia or two hit them when cruising by.

I personally don't chum for them because of the number of sharks/mackerel that show up... if I'm chumming it's because I want to catch the mackerel and/or sharks, but not to increase odds of the cobia showing up. The two things I do you didn't mention is target heavy structure (bird racks, wrecks/reefs, etc...) and to stay during the hot part of the day even when little water is moving. Think I read somewhere that some folks call them the "gentleman fish" for their tendency to pop up, visibly swimming near the top of the water column midday during slack tides when little else is biting. Can't tell you how many times I've caught them midday when other boats have given up and headed in. One last tip is that I do believe they are drawn to motor noise, though I don't know why (maybe someone else on the board can chime in if they know...) -- I chalk it up to "morbid" curiosity . More than once when I've been grouper/mackerel fishing I've had the bite die, waited for a cobia to come by, and only have them show once I started the motor and started moving. If I'm targeting cobia, I'll sometimes crank the boat up and do a few circles only to re-anchor on the same spot. Not 100% guarantee, and could be coincidental, but more than once I've seen 'em come up to check things out after cranking the motor.

And just so you know I'm shooting straight with you ,
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... =3&t=15684" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... =4&t=15122" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/phpBB3/vi ... =4&t=14833" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Killed me last year when the NFGFC pegged the cobia as it's "mystery fish" for several weekends running. I wasn't fishing the tournaments but caught cobes every trip out only to come home and read that no one else was having any luck catching cobes!

[Salt Life]

Wow, look at you !

Nice job and great reports !

Thanks for your advise and rest assured I will be employing the tips this spring and summer !

[gonefishing]

try eels,pool toys,turtles,rays,and every channel marker,duck decoys work as well.........or and i know its wrong,try burning 2ft flats at 50mph in big circles till they spook then find the push pole and put your back into it,i know its wrong,kinda