St. Marks area: Cobia structure within kayak range?

[niceShoot]

Hey gus, my one big project for this year is to land my first cobia. Been fishing the area for 14yrs now and have yet to cross this one off my list, although I've never actually targeted cobia other than occasionally sight casting them off the long piers farther to the west.

I'll be working from a kayak, and my general plan is to drag a chum bag and blind troll Yozuris or similar outside of the second sand bar along various beaches. I'll also keep a casting rig with a cobia jig or plastic eel ready at hand. That's basically it, and I'm sure I'll be wasting a ton of time doing this while hoping to get lucky. I can also bring a livewell and fish live bait if necessary but I prefer artificial presentations for simplicity's sake when possible.

To increase my odds of success, I'm wondering if there's any "cobia structure" within range of a Hobie that I might also work into the mix to tip things slightly in my favor. On basic reconnaissance the only thing that's so far caught my eye is the strip of 15-20ft deep water in the channel just off of the Mashes Sands pier, but I've heard that cobia tend to stray away from the river outlets due to lower salinity. Not sure how accurate that is, but don't want to waste precious fishing days chasing areas that aren't likely to hold my prize.

So, anyone have any advice? Are there some debris piles or markers within my range that I might be able to try?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[big bend gyrene]

Don't need to go out far or deep for them once temps get high enough to have them cruising the flats. With their love of harassing bait trying to hide near structure, your best bet in a kayak is targeting bouy markers / bird racks out of St. Marks to Econfina. Hurricane Dennis wiped out a few favorite bird racks that were close in, but I've seen a time or two that double digits were feeding aggressively around bird racks in no more than 6' of water. Sure doesn't happen that way EVERY day, but have witnessed it happen.

Depending on whether you want to paddle out all the way to markers / bird racks, my BIGGEST advice to you is to keep a live pinfish under a cork a ways back from your kayak at ALL times you are fishing the flats. You're going to hook a lot of other species when doing this, and sharks will drive you crazy before you likely haul in a cobe, but it WILL get you cobes cruising around the flats off / between structure. Only other tip is to cast towards any big rays you see cruising by, as cobes definitely hang with them more often than you would think.

[niceShoot]

Hey big bend, thanks for the great reply! I've never headed more than a couple of hundred yards offshore in the St. Marks area, so I don't really know where any of the bird racks actually are, although I seem to recall the first one being straight out past the "sand bar" somewhere, is that right? If conditions are appropriate I have no problem peddling out there, is it a couple of miles?

Anyone have some numbers I could plug into my Navionics app for those markers so that I have something to aim at? I've never actually seen a large ray in this area either, I suppose because I've mostly stuck to the shallow trout and redfish habitat in the past. But I'll definitely keep an eye out for them. Cobia start moving through here around 68 degrees water temp, correct?

[Salty Gator]

If you really want structure you may be able to get to st marks reef. It's a little less than 3 miles offshore. If your navionics doesn't have it marked , you can get the numbers of the map section of this forum. I wouldn't paddle out that far, but I'm sure there are those that have gone much further. Be careful, it could get terribly dangerous ( may be a good idea to post a float plan) good luck.

[big bend gyrene]

If you really want structure you may be able to get to st marks reef. It's a little less than 3 miles offshore. If your navionics doesn't have it marked , you can get the numbers of the map section of this forum. I wouldn't paddle out that far, but I'm sure there are those that have gone much further. Be careful, it could get terribly dangerous ( may be a good idea to post a float plan) good luck.

What Salty Gator said... St. Mark's Reef would be ideal. But don't HAVE to go that far, lots of channel markers on the way out to the sandbar, and few other folks on the board could witness doesn't take much structure at all to drawl them. And doesn't really take any if you'll keep a pin floating back behind you on the flats until the time comes that one cruises by. Many, many reports of folks having hooked them this way over the years on this board.

Bird racks I frequent are out of Ecky, and yes, a few miles out. One I liked the most but was lost to Dennis seemed to be about half that far out. Cried the day I saw it finally gave up the ghost.

[FishWithChris]

don't hesitate to explore the dickerson bay area, towards the mouth out into the bay... I've hooked up to one or two out there

all times were in June

(one of them on a pink spoon )

[silverking]

I had a client catch a legal fish on the East Flats in 3.5 feet of water on a chartreuse spoon and I've seen fish up to 60 pounds on the bird rack off the party bar at the St. Marks River. Both are within range of a yak launched from the Lighthouse.

I'd highly recommend rigging one rod with an Al Gag's Whip-it Eel in candy apple red or lime green on a 1/2-ounce head. They can't stand to let those get away.

Good luck!

[2true]

I have hooked into a six-foot cobia off saint
Teresa beach new another guy the caught a 5 foot cobia off alligator point Beach.

[Salty Gator]

I was fishing in a small charity trout tournament in steinhatchee this weekend, and we were drifting in 4' over grass. We had a pinfish behind the boat under a ct, looking for some nice upper slot fish when the rod bends over and starts screaming. 20 min later we net this. It's tail was macerated, but he was around 36". Not bad on light tackle. I thought of this thread.

[onefishtwofish]

Macerated? Does that mean a mackeral ate it?

[youngbearman]

Konrad’s Cobe had the same problem...the top of the caudal appeared to be cut clean off. Is that more common than I realized? What’s the cause? It looks like it’s clean through the bone.

[Salty Gator]

Konrad’s Cobe had the same problem...the top of the caudal appeared to be cut clean off. Is that more common than I realized? What’s the cause? It looks like it’s clean through the bone.

Tommy, mine didn't look like a clean cut. Looked like maybe an old injury that didn't heal all the way. A little ulceration was present on the most dorsal part of the tail. I've never seen this on a cobia before. Redfish and sheepshead for sure, but never a cobe

[Bluewave]

Howe far out is the Saint Marks Reef? are there trout and reds out on the reef?

[big bend gyrene]

Howe far out is the Saint Marks Reef? are there trout and reds out on the reef?

About 4 or 5 miles out from the lighthouse -- 20' deep water. Sure that at times of the year bruiser reds visit it like they do other nearshore / offshore structure spots.

Less certain whether anyone's caught trout there. I haven't because when I visit it, not trout (nor honestly reds) I'm targeting. Have caught trout out to 15' depths or so, and accordingly can't say it would shock me if someone has caught them out that way when temps were blazing / fish were looking for deeper / cooler waters. However, even when we've caught them deeper we've still been over grassy bottom. Not sure how grassy the bottom is out towards the reef.

[tabb]

Earlier this year I was at a spot with lots of stingrays in close to shoreline, very shallow. Would that be a good place to look for cruising cobia? Never fished for them off the beach like that usually luck up with some in the flats around Econfina.

What is the attraction to the stingrays? Or is it the rays attracted to the cobia?