It's about that time..

[Dixie Dawg]

What's everyone's favorite pitch rod setup for cobia. Artificial eel, bucktail jig, plug, soft bait...???

[silverking]

Thought this thread was about opening day of major league baseball! The Atlanta Braves are going to be in the hunt this season.

Seriously, for our waters my first choice would be a medium heavy 7-foot rod with fast tip, 4000 Shimano spinning reel and 30-pound braided line with 40-pound fluorocarbon leader and a 3/4-ounce Gag's Whip-it eel in olive/white. Had too many interested players swim over for a look to start with anything else.

[jsaunders]

How often do you guys spot cobia inshore?

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[Dixie Dawg]

How often do you guys spot cobia inshore?

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It's not an every trip thing but if you keep your eyes open you see them here and there. That's just me I don't really target them, I'm sure the guys who are chumming and targeting cobia specifically see them more. I've never really had much luck casting to one I've seen, mostly just catch them blind dragging pinfish or they'll grab whatever I'm casting for trout.

[Blue spinner]

[quote="silverking"]Thought this thread was about opening day of major league baseball! The Atlanta Braves are going to be in the hunt this season.

[silverking]

Hope springs eternal, Spinner. We've got a fancy new stadium and a perfect record so far.


Cobia on the flats are more common that most realize. Not many monsters but enough keepers to make things interesting. As Dixie Dawg noted, most are caught dragging a pinfish off the stern. It pays to check out any structure though, like the refuge markers, buoys and even crab trap floats to see if any are hanging around. My most consistent tactic has been to anchor in nearshore waters and chum to bring them to the boat.

[countrycorners]

Thought this thread was about opening day of major league baseball! The Atlanta Braves are going to be in the hunt this season.

I think Chipper Jones knew how to hunt, don't know about these new guys

[Can'tCatchAnything]

I want to catch one from my kayak. How deep of water you guys usually start consistently seeing them?

I have the tackle, just need to luck now.

[silverking]

Anywhere from four to forty feet, with the deeper half more consistent.

There are some places where fish will hang around for brief periods that are accessible by yak. You're gonna have to be in the right spot at the right time, though. Incidental catches are possible anytime if you soak a live bait behind you while fishing for trout and reds. Good luck!

[Salty Gator]

I like a bucktail with a soft plastic jerkbait or eel. I also like a large swim bait. I use a heavier setup than SK. I use a 7.5' heavy rod ( rated 15-40 lb line) with a 80000 size thunnus ( they are smaller than some 8000, but I wouldn't go smaller than 6000). Same setup I use for tarpon. A couple of years back by buddy caught a legit 80 pounder. He caugh it on a light jigging rod with 30 lb test. He couldn't whip it quickly, and had to tire it out. He wanted to release it, but couldn't revive it after a long fight. Good luck

[big bend gyrene]

Aren't cheap but like Salty Gator I too am a BIG fan of the Thunnus line, and also like to go a bit heavier on gear for cobia than light because never know when a 60lb+ monster is going to hit your bait versus the more standard 20lbers.

Had a scary big one hit me a few years ago I couldn't turn even with heavy gear... it took off towards Pensacola and NEVER looked back... if only Bman had pulled anchor I would have gladly followed it to Pensacola... but alas, I digress...

As for depths, I've caught one or two as close in as the MOUTH of Econfina, but 6' to 8' is the depth range where I've more regularly seen packs swimming together (and HAVE seen a few 40lb+ inshore as well).

Pinfish pulled up a few feet off whatever bottom is being fished is my favorite setup. Inshore, that means fishing them below a big bobber with a leader 3' to 4' long. Offshore I'll bottom fish one rod with the pin reeled up 3' or so from bottom, free line another pin off the back of the boat in the middle of the water column, and have at least one rod fishing a pin just a couple of feet below a bobber way off the back. The pin fished off the bobber will get hits from sharks, kings, big macks, and cobes whereas the others fished closer to the boat will tend to get less hits from the other species.

[big bend gyrene]

I want to catch one from my kayak. How deep of water you guys usually start consistently seeing them?

I have the tackle, just need to luck now.

If you plan on paddling from shore you need to commit a full day to the effort and anchor up against either a nearshore bouy or bird rack if you an make it to them. Don't mean you'll want to paddle a full day, but instead be willing to wait for a cobe to cruise up to the structure. You pick a warm, relatively calm summer day and sit against structure long enough you should have at least one cobe show up. If you can do it on a new moon or the day or two leading up to the full moon, all the better (at least from my experience / data collection).

Have to change your user name if you land a trophy though!

[Can'tCatchAnything]

Thanks for all the great information guys. I think I have a gameplan that I can try out with these tips. I'm going to try to go after some big fish this season and a cobia is up there on that list.

[Dixie Dawg]

Surface temp got up to almost 75 Wednesday. Isn't the magic number consistent 78 or so Before the flats livin back up with migrations?

[Dixie Dawg]

Surface temp got up to almost 75 Wednesday. Isn't the magic number consistent 78 or so Before the flats livin back up with migrations?

To answer my own question, I caught my first 3 Spanish of the year today and briefly hooked up with a cobe. Water temp was about 75.