May 24-First Cobia

[LucWilliams]

Fished with a couple of my buddies today out of the lighthouse. Plan was to run way east, past where I have ever run in our boat. We ran past Black Rock and I'm pretty sure fished around Grey Mare although I'm not sure exactly where that is. I was hoping to find a more decent trout bite by running further east, didn't happen. We caught a few trout here and there but no keepers. We ended up with 3 keeper spanish while focusing on the flats. I decided we would try to get in on the cobia action since we had some pinfish in the bait bucket. I have never fished for cobia but read and hear about it all the time. We ran up to some structure and I spotted two fish right away up on the surface. We anchored up off of the structure and started fishin. At this point we were down to one dead pinfish and one glass minnow. The pair of fish continued circling the structure while I did my best to get the dead pinfish in their faces. Eventually, I hooked up on one of the fish and landed my first ever cobia. It wasn't quite a keeper but I was thrilled to catch one at all and especially one that size. A minute or so later my buddy hooked up on a much smaller one on a shrimp. We spotted a much larger fish that was definitely a keeper circling the structure and began to drop baits in his face. We dropped shrimp, a glass minnow, a bomber, topwater, a mirrodine...pretty much everything in his face and he wouldn't eat. I thought the Gods were sending a message that they were on our side when a crab came floating up next to the boat. I netted it and then put the crab in the big cobes face for about a half hour. He still would not eat. We ran to an area to get some fresh pinfish and then spent at least another hour putting the live pinfish in front of the big cobia but he never did eat. Oh well, really fun experience watching them eat and catching my first one. Tight lines!

[Jhults11]

Congrats man on your first cobia. I think i saw you last thursday. I was wading off the oyster bar by the lighthouse ramp. I think yall drove by in the green jon boat with the 15 yamaha on it. I threw yall a wave. Anyways sweet job on cobes....trout fishing has been really tough this year off st marks...there are good reports coming in from the east towards keaton and ecky and decent reports coming in from the west near port st joe and lanark....fyi the better reports iv seen out of st marks have been coming from the west flats towards shell point and pattys island. Good luck with it

[Williamsdad]

Guess I'll be needing to learn to clean a new species. Filet advice?

[LucWilliams]

Yea I thought that was you out there Jordan. I've fished the West Flats out there as well and it's been a bit better, but still slow. Maybe they will start showing up a little more here soon.