COBIA AT AUCILLA

[CROCKER]

6/3/2006
WATER SLICK AS ICE
TOP WATER SMALL GOLD SPOOK WAS BEST LURE

STARTED OUT FISHING FOR REDS HAD SEVERAL LARGE TAKERS BUT THEY WERE LOST IN THE GRASS AND ONE BROKE LINE ON THE ROCKS
FINISHED THE MORNING AROUND THE EDGES WITH ONE 24" RED AND A 21" TROUT.

THAT AFTERNOON WE FISHED THE FLATS 7' OF WATER THE TROUT WERE HITTING THE TOP WATERPLUG KNOCKING IT A FOOT OUT OF THE WATER. WE PROBABLY HAD 20 -30 STRIKES ON THAT LURE AND ONLY MANAGED TO BRING IN A COUPLE OF SHORTS. THE FEW KEEPERS WE MANAGED TO KEEP WERE ON HALF AND WHOLE PIN FISH. WE SAW AT LEAST 15 COBIA 15lbs AND OVER THEY HIT THE WHOLE SHINER A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT NEVER REALY TOOK IT. WE HAD AT LEAST 6 COBIA HIT THE TOP WATER PLUG BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO HOOK-UP. IT WAS A VERY EXCITING DAY BUT WE DIDNT BRING HOME MANY KEEPERS.

MY DAD WENT TUESDAY AND WAS ABLE TO HOOK UP WITH A COBIA THAT HE SAID WAS PROBABLY AROUND 30 LBS. TOOK OUT A 100 OR SO YARD AND BROKE THE LEADER (80LB).

TACKLE QUESTION. I TYPICALLY USE 50-80LB FL CAR MONO LEADER WITH A CIRCLE HOOK, USALLY IF A SHARK GETS ON HE WILL CUT THIS AND SAVE ME THE HASSEL. WHEN FISHING FOR COBIA WITH LIVE BAIT IS A WIRE LEADER TYPICALLY USED? I HAVE CAUGHT THEM ON LARGE PLUGS WITH A 30 LB LEADER, BUT USALLY THE FISH DOESNT HAVE THE LEADER IN HIS MOUTH WITH A LARGE PLUG.

[RHTFISH]

With that much topwater activity I'd have to take some extra
heart medication...that's exciting!

I'm sure everyone has their favorite(s) and my standard setup
is 15# power pro line with 20# fluorocarbon leader for
everything except my late summer shark rod. I use only
Daiwa ss 1300s and 1600s on 6'6" medium action ugly stiks
and a couple of older Shakespeare boron rods.

Great report! Now I'm pumped for the weekend!

[Tom Keels]

Don't use circles for cobia. Use a straight J hook or my favorite a khale. Cobia have tough mouthes and thick jaws and circles just don't work well. A khale has a much wider gap and hooks much better. You don't need wire but a good 60 pound leader about 4 feet long is a must.

[Reel Slow]

Sounds like a great trip. We had the same problem with short strikes. Maybe a trailer hook would help ?

[leonreno]

Sounds very exciting, especially the topwater action. One tip is to always sharpen your hooks on your plugs, or do what I do, replace the factory hooks with some good Gamakatsu or Owner trebles, its amazing how many hook ups a plug with very very sharp hooks will catch. Lots of times you will hook them on the outside of the mouth because the hooks are so sharp they snag anything that smacks them, and lots of times the fish only swipe at the topwaters without puting their mouth on them.

Can't give you much help on Cobia, have yet to catch one, but my favorite live pinfish hook is a octopus hook, to me its a cross between a j hook and circle hook. Look for one large enough for cobia and give it a try.

[pops]

Tom
what size hook do you use 5/0?