St. Marks 4-5-04

[Algaegator]

Tod and I put in at the fort at 9 a.m. Low tide was at 8:55. Headed down the river and east past the lighthouse. Started fishing between Blackhead Rock and Grey Mare with no bites. We threw everything in the tackle box and still had no bites. We decided that the cold weather may have pushed the fish inshore and/or up the river, so we headed toward the lighthouse in anticipation of fishing the river mouth. We stopped about a mile east of the lighthouse to see if anything was happening, on our way to the river. We immediately started picking up trout on SA candy corn under a Cajun Thunder. After our first drift proved successful, we repeated the drift with success on several occasions. Our total trout count was around 30, with only one keeper. The highlight of the day, however, was when I caught a 28" cobia on (you guessed it) a candy corn SA. I have a photo of the cobia, but don't know how to post it. Also, early on, Tod caught a puffer fish (a nice one), but deferred having his picture taken with it. All of our fish were caught in 3 - 5 feet of water, after the temperature of the water reached 63+ degrees.

[tin can]

Sounds like a good trip. Glad to hear there's a cobia in the area.

[Aucilla]

That was really cool! Congratulations on that cobia! I would love to catch one of those babies!

Mostly what I am catching these days is up on lost time. And that involves a lot of learnin'. So here is the dumb question of the day: What is a candy corn SA?

I have never gotten a cobia and I sometimes wonder if it is a lost cause using my little 13 footer. But you give me hope that luck will prevail!

Thanks for a fun report.

[Tod]

Nolester, alaegator is most likely at work and can's answer your question right now so I will help him out. The SA is for salt water assasin and candy corn is the color. Candy corn is a red and yellow combination and we were fishing these under the cajun thunder.

[Aucilla]

The SA is for salt water assasin and candy corn is the color. Candy corn is a red and yellow combination and we were fishing these under the cajun thunder.

OK. At least I know what that is! That is a great story. Imagine getting a cobia on that!

How deep were you? How were you working the jig? What size jig head, etc.?

I have always heard the best way to try to get a cobia is to fish a tower or somesuch, with a live pin fish. That seems sort of way out for my little boat. But that is the great thing about fishing, especially salt water: you just never know what fun thing might happen.

[RedMann]

Nolester -- I'm certainly no expert on cobia but have managed to snag one every now and then. Although structure is the most reliable place to look for cobia, they cruise the flats on a regular basis. Plus, sometimes "structure" is nothing more than a crab trap buoy or channel marker. Anyway, just 'cuz you're not offshore doesn't mean you can't catch a cobe. Last summer a friend caught a 35 pounder at Keaton Beach less than a mile from shore (he was cruising around with a bull shark in about 3 feet of water amongst all of the scallopers ). And I know Big T catches them on a regular basis in shore. Anyway, it's always a good idea to drag a pinfish on a float when you're drifting the flats 'cuz you just never know what will be cruising by.

[Tom Keels]

I would be willing to bet that in our area there are 5 times as many cobia caught in less than 10 feet of water than are caught in more than 10 feet.

Redmann's advice is good. From now until November you should have a pinfish drifting behind your boat on a stout rod at all times.

Second thing I can reccommend is CHUM! They are suckers for it more than any other fish. Find any piece of structure whether it be a rock, channel edge, birdrack, channel marker, piling, even a deep sandy hole -- get up current and anchor and start chumming. Keep a pinfish under a cork out in the chumline and fancast with trout stuff like you normally would.

The first 5 or six I ever caught came from my 13 foot johnboat in less than 8 feet of water.

[dolphinatic]

We have been fortunate enough to catch 2 keeper size cobia in the past 2 weeks (one was 33" at the fork, the other 36"). Both were caught off the same bait.....a 3/8 oz. jighead with a 4 inch split tail curly grub tipped with shrimp. Also, both were caught in 5-7 ft. of water right smack dab in the middle of the St. Marks flats. Pinfish is definately my preferred bait, but I haven't been able to find many here lately.

[Tod]

Nolester, we were fishing in 4 ft of water just east of the lighthouse. Both were fishing under the cajun thunder. I had a 1/8 ounce jig head and I missed him on the hit , then algagator threw in where I have missed and bam, when he set the hook and the fish set back I was like , great time watching the fight . Bottom line is we were just trout fishing and look what happend.

[Aucilla]

For me, this is really fantastic news and advice. I can hardly contain myself from dropping everything I should be doing and heading out again right now! What a beautiful day it is.

Instinct has told me to keep a pin out there, and I have gotten a shark or two doing so. But a cobia?! Now I stand very encouraged, and informed, and that will be part of my new standard deal!

Chumming, too, I will come! And my sabicki rod will get a workout. [fade]Now all I gotta do is "perfect" my net-casting for pins [/fade] [fade]And get a new, stout rod....[/fade]

I, like you, just love this stuff! So, thanks!

[tin can]

Nolester, you've gotten some good info here. But, I couldn't help but pick up on your comment about the sharks. The first cobia I caught was in 3 feet of water fishing a Bomber Mullet. When I realized you could catch cobia that shallow, I started floating penfish and have caught a few more that way. But you're gonna catch more than just cobia drifting a penfish. You'll catch spanish, blues, trout, maybe a cruising red, ladyfish, and, as the water warms, a lot of sharks. You never know what you might catch out there.

[RodBow]

nolester, If you ever get to the point of not appreciating your 13 foot boat, you can go fishing with me in the 12 foot deepvee. I don't think the cobia, specks, or spanish know the diff!

I too have never caught a cobia, but will use the pinfish ala drift next time I go!

Anyone have the secret to catching your own shrimp?

[Algaegator]

I hope this works. I'm trying to post the picture of the cobia.