I'm transitioning over to Cobia fishing, looking to land my first Cobia and hopefully a keeper at that. This is a run and gun approach from structure to structure. That would depend on how you plan to fish for them. We seek to stand out from the crowd by offering innovative solutions and value that is unsurpassed. I keep it on hand when I pinrig in SC with a 3oz bucktail tied on. I use PENN battle 7000s, one mounted on a Ugly Stick jigging rod and the other on a Shimano Trevala butterfly jigging rod. Cobia aren't just for anglers fishing from a boat, the Gulf piers see quite a few fish every spring as well. Plus, a sabiki setup to catch live bait if need and timing allows. I'm using Star Steller Lites. Captain Austin Hayne is USCG Certified and Licensed. Here in Virginia when the water temperature reaches about 68 degrees Cobia have already arrived. Casting distance, strong hook-setting power and reaching deep water are benefits of the heavy rigs. We where using a 7000 class Peen spinning reel on a ugly stick jigging rod. Also, lighten up with the same lure setup for sight casting when cobia rise to the surface. The chumming hopefuls had become sight-casting cowboys. We recommend Costa Sun Glasses with an amber lenses. From a boat either cast or bait . The proper sight fishing apparel is almost as important as the right Cobia fishing gear. I tried different Costa sunglasses, and I still agree the best choice for sight casting are the amber colored lenses. I'm new to the Big Bend area and new to fishing out of this area (Apalachee Bay) in general. The method is most effective when the fish are in a fairly concentrated area, and sight-casting to them isn’t working well because of cloud cover, rough seas, or off-color waters. Posts: 11 Location: Whiskey Creek . We normally leave for our Cobia fishing charters at around 10 am and fish until 3pm giving us the best visibility that day. I probably don't need high end tackles. We recommend using Owner 10/0 J hooks. We had one yesterday that was a whopper and took quite a while and a lot of drag. There are many Cobia fishing Rod and Reel on the market but we use top of the line equipment on Finao Sportfishing to ensure our best chances to catch the fish of a lifetime. 22k Views. The emerald green water makes this exciting fishery possible. It took a lot of pressure to whip it. 8000 series spinning reel on a stout rod for bucktails and I use Daiwa 35h on a trevalla xxh if I have baits on the bottom. I sight fish for Pompano and keep an eye out for the occasional cobia. This is a run and gun approach from structure to structure. Here in the Panhandle of Fl we use 2 to 4 oz jigs. If you prefer to sight fish, cast the bait a few feet away from the fish and let it move in front of the fish’s path. The HCL Bronze lens has a VLT of 12% and utilizes PolarizedPlus2 technology that maximizes color transmission and enhances the visible color spectrum by filtering certain wavelengths. About 10 years ago, local anglers returning from the fabled cobia waters off Florida brought heavy spinning rods, big bucktails and stories of free-swimming cobia. Back to top. The 80lb braid was much needed since this fish was stubborn and fought really hard. The advantages to using braided line over your common mono filament fishing lines is that braided line is more durable, stronger, and thinner than standard fishing line. Another important thing that every Cobia fisherman needs to know is the proper live bait for Cobia. After watching the video below, I think I need a new set of tackles for CBBT Cobia. When the water temperature drops into the 60s they begin to migrate South for the Winter. Needs to be able to cast a good distance easily with typical cobia/dolphin jigs and plugs. I was one of them. The hat will keep the sun out of your eyes so you can see the water better and spot fish. Just as important as the Rod and Reel you are using is the fishing line and hooks. Looking for everyones opinion on best rod and reel setup for Cobia. Not only popular for there size but what makes these fish so exciting to catch is the variety of techniques you can use to catch them. Cobia do like structure and you can find them around buoys and the pilings of the CBBT. While both methods are working well, we’re seeing a sharp shift to sight fishing due to the serious ray-and-shark-carnage for chummers. I don't have a trolling motor or push pole so sight casting is probably a no-go for me. This to me is the deadliest combo to use for trolling for either kings, bobo, Spanish, cobia, wahoo, mahi, sailfish, or tarpon. In the end, I found chumming the most cost-effective and productive method. The line that we recommend to use is 65# Power Pro Braided line. I recommend staying a distance away to allow the manta to stay calm … When it is cloudy it makes it very difficult to spot fish since the clouds increase the glare on the water. The sight casting fishery is also available all season but it really gets special in August and September. When using live bait it is important to make sure that your bait doesn’t die. A 9ft rod is definately an advantage when sight fishing Cobia from a pier. Since I will use the new tackle for 2-3 years possibly (kayak fishing only) and probably 2-4 trips a year. This temperature usually begins 2cnd to 3rd week of May. One of the most important things to know when Cobia fishing is the time of year to target them. The cobia bite is proving too tempting to resist—the bulk of Virginia’s fleet is hitting cobia hard right now. 11k Views. Laks: Do not set up in front of the ray. Don't miss the exciting spring run of cobia off mid-Atlantic beaches. Learning how to catch Cobia is one of the most rewarding things to do in fishing. I was hoping anyone could share some advice on rigging setups? Shimano Tallus Rod with a Penn conflict reel is my go to. The Cobia fishing rod and reel that we use when sight fishing are Saltist 4500 Spinning reels on Ugly Stik Tiger rods. The best time to fish for Cobia if you are sight fishing is when the sun is at its brightest / highest. Captain Mike Hogan sight fishes for cobia just off the beaches of Stuart, FL using the Hogy Flounder Soft Bait. Click here to Learn more about cobia fishing charter, Click here to Learn more about finao swag, Click here to Learn more about meet the captain, Click here to Learn more about seminar speaking, Click here to Learn more about fishing report, Click here to Learn more about fishing info, Click here to Learn more about fishing charters, Click here to Learn more about species of fish, Click here to Learn more about fishing videos, Click here to Learn more about gift cards, Click here to Learn more about video gallery, Click here to Learn more about contact us, Click here to email info@finaosportfishing.com, Click here to view location 8166 Shore Drive, Norfolk, VA 23518. The spinner is more accurate and allows you to put the jig right on the fish's nose and will stay there . Bucktails come in many different colors and sizes. A strong big hook is needed for these powerful fish. Loaded with about 300 yards of 30# braid, with a 3' fluorocarbon leader (40# test) connected by a FG knot. I joined Zack up in the tower and helped look for our target. When looking for these fish on the surface it is difficult to see them early in the morning and in the evening. Some come to the boat scary easy. A hat or sun visor can help when sight fishing as well. Sight casting bucktails, Bait and wait, Live bait, From a boat, Pier, surf. Cobia will stay in Virginia usually until the first week of October. In the fall, the cycle starts over when the fish begin to migrate down as cool weather sets i… The proper sight fishing apparel is almost as important as the right Cobia fishing gear. Make sure that the water stays new inside the bucket and live well so that the live bait is always breathing good water. The net makes sure that the Cobia gets boated safely so he can swim away unharmed to fight another day! Sight casting bucktails, Bait and wait, Live bait, From a boat, Pier, surf. jirrera. It makes the greens greener and the reds really come to life. To Learn more on Live Baits for Cobia and how to hook them Click the Video Below! Click the video below to view what to wear when Sight Fishing Cobia! There are many different live baits that can be used but the best we believe are Eels and Croaker. How and where. Latest. The Cobia can be spotted as they travel in shallow water flats, around pilings, navigational markers, buoys and anchored boats. Looking to keep the blank price reasonable in the 80-130ish range, 150 max. Trending . Trending Hot . Another important thing to remember is a good hook. You don't need really heavy tackle to get a cobia to the boat, but you better have a good gaff and put the fish immediately into a fish box or have some sort of attitude adjuster ready when he comes over the rail. Mostly sight casting to schools, fish following rays, or ones that follow hooked fish to the boat. A 2lb dead blow hammer is my favorite thing to stop the commotion but a bat or rubber mallet will work as well. As most of you know there are hundreds of thousands of different lures on the market but what makes a “good” Cobia fishing lure? What is most important in the bucktail is the hook and size of the bucktail. If casting live or dead baits in open water, then use a 6/0-8/0 hook snelled on an 18-inch piece of 50-lb fluorocarbon leader. Capt. Many of the common ways to target Cobia are Chumming and Sight Fishing. The BP rods have wire guides I believe so they might not be braid friendly. Attach the leader to the main line with a 60lb swivel and you are ready to go. The sight casting fishery is also available all season but it really gets special in August and September. Watch the video below to see Finao Sportfishing Gaff a big Cobia! The Basspro rod is adequate for fighting Cobia. We recommend using a bright color lure like pink, green, or orange. Make sure you have enough backbone to cast a weight that heavy. Bahamas Update: Post-Storm and Mid-Pandemic Report. I load all of my spinning setups with fifty pound Spiderwire blue camo braid. Patriotic Angler Episode 11 – When Is The Best Time To Fish. Cobia do not react nearly as aggressively to a dead bait as a live one. This gives anglers the time to set up their cast and when the fish is hooked, it will usually swim away from the ray at first. A one rod setup that will catch cobia or king is quite doable! I usually bring between 2-3 trolling setups and at least one 4-5000 spinning setup for sight casting. Tue Jun 07, 2016 4:53 am. Mounted on a 7' rod rated 12-20# med hvy. Put a sealine 50 with 50 pound test power pro on a 5 1/2 to 7 foot fast taper standup tuna rod [30-60] class. Due to my poor bait-cast reel casting skill, I think I should use spinning reel combo. Updating their product offerings to accommodate the needs of local anglers even further, Blue Water Candy Lures has a new line of Cobia Jigs on the market designed to surpass the performance of the classic bucktail when sight-casting to cobia, bull red drum, and other powerful oceanic predators. The best way to keep your live baits alive and well is after hooking them place them into a live well or a bucket of saltwater. Now that we have talked about the gear and time of year lets get into Cobia fishing lures. Day in and day out Cobia can be the easiest fish to catch or the hardest! On retrieval, be sure to use lots of … There are hundreds of fishing charters in the Mid-Atlantic region. It’s like having a tree stand in my boat. Monday Fish Pics (53 Colorful Images for the Start of the Week) 19.8k Views. Travel. Topwaters work, too, and are fun to work across the surface. We will go over step by step on how to catch Cobia Sight Fishing. For casting bucktails, I use a 6000 size spinner (Shimano Saragosa) but a Penn Battle or Conflict, Quatum Smoke, Cabo, or Boca will also work great. Looking to build a spinning rod for throwing to cobia and dolphin. 10.8k Views. If I’m sight casting to Cobia with Bucktail or live bait I use a PENN SpinFisher VI 6500 jigging combo SSVI3080S66 or a PENN Slammer 5500 spinning reel with a PENN Carnage jigging CARJG50130S64. If you are not familiar with Sight Fishing please click the video below to view a Cobia Sight Fishing Video on Finao Sportfishing. Ask A Captain Part V. Trending . Fluorocarbon Leader VS Fuorocarbon Line. In the spring, the fish move north to their summer grounds the Panhandle on the west coast, and from northeast Florida up to North Carolina or higher on the east coast. All states have different laws about gaffing fish so be sure you are up to date with the fishing regulations / laws before doing so. Netting a big Cobia can be difficult to do compared to gaffing one. Ross Gallagher shares his favorite tips and techniques for sight casting jigs and soft baits to mahi holding near floating Sargasso and debris. The hook is probably the most important part to remember when choosing the right Cobia fishing lure. A very important thing to factor in when sight fishing for Cobia is the clouds. Using a Gaff for these fish is recommended for the bigger Cobia. The winds were SW around 10 knots and the skies were clear, perfect for sight casting for big cobia. Most of the cobia are caught by fisherman in boats with a cobia/tuna tower. Jacks. Cobia are one of the most popular fish that we have on the East Coast. Within two summers, sight-casting towers were popping up like tulips in spring. Our most commonly used Cobia fishing lures on Finao Sportfishing are bucktails. Previous article Cobia; You May Also Like. cast a 6-8 oz sputnick sinker and let it dig into the sand. To view more on Rod, Reels, and equipment about Cobia fishing click the video below! By Rob Wittman. Watch the video below to learn more about netting Cobia. These two live baits are strong so they stay alive best. Sight-fishing is a favorite for me, because it provides the feel of a real hunt… but on the water, not on land. Back to top. The challenge with that kind of fishing is keeping a hooked cobia … I am zeroing into CBBT Cobia this year. ... Capt. A 6 foot Afto Gaff with a 4 inch hook is what we use when harvesting these fish. eyefish. Sight fishing for Cobia is one if the most productive fishing methods whether you are using artificial baits or lures. A hat or sun visor can help when sight fishing as well. There are variety of baits that can be used to seduce a Cobia, there favorite being eels. Hewes Redfisher 21 First Glance. Polarized glasses cut the glare off the water making it so you can spot fish below the surface of the water. Cobia do like structure and you can find them around buoys and the pilings of the CBBT. When I first began fishing for cobia, I tried everything from sight casting to trolling to chumming. The one-level cockpit and low-profile bow rail allow you to fight a large pelagic in a true 360-degree circle around the total perimeter from bow to stern with no hang-ups. Topwater Amberjack. I would run out and set up my chum slick in 20 feet of water along the edge of a shoal that ran west of the 12-Mile Marker on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Sight Fishing for Cobia Using the Hogy Flounder. I use a 12 or 13 foot rod for Pompano but have a 9 foot spinner in a spike on standby. We recommend Costa Sun Glasses with an amber lenses. To view and learn more on different Cobia Bucktails Click the Video Below! Cobia can be found year-round in some areas, but are generally migratory. Boat Reviews. Last but not least we recommend using Buff face mask to protect your self from the Sun and saltwater. … The lower the sun is on the horizon the more glare will be put onto the surface of the water. If you are fishing for cobia near structure, then a bit heavier leader may save you from break-offs. But if sight casting is your thing, a Starboard insert snaps into place between the forward bench seats to offer a solid elevated casting deck to smooth the process. While you don’t have to have a tower it sure makes it easier to spot the fish. We use numerous tactics when targeting cobia: bottom fishing with live and cut bait, deep jigging with artificials and sight casting are a few. As for the sizes of the lure 2 – 3 ounces is a good size for all sizes of Cobia. level 2 Cobe sight casting setup I have is a Penn 706Z with 30 pound fireline on a 8 foot ugly stick tiger light. We always keep a large landing net on board with us for when we are catching and releasing these fish. Most of the cobia are caught after sight-casting on the fish as they migrate by in 10ft to 60ft of water. The HCL stands for “High Contrast Lenses”, which is exactly what you want when sight casting. Sight fishing and chumming remain fair to good around the CBBT and Cape Charles. The classic method is to “run the buoys”. The fish migrate to find a preferred water temperature, and can be found overwintering in south Florida. Cobia will sometimes try to return to the ray but if the boat is behind, you can often hold the fish away from the ray and land the fish safely and determine its size. Polarized glasses cut the glare off the water making it so you can spot fish below the surface of the water. May 8, 2018. The classic method is to “run the buoys”. for live baiting/ballooning for them i use my speedmasters on livebait key largo rods. Here on Finao Sportfishing Cobia fishing charters our most common way we catch them are by Sight Fishing. Before getting into Rods, Reels, and Line used for Cobia fishing it is important to have the right Cobia fishing equipment to help you land your fish. Last spring, I upgraded my boat Fly Girl, adding an elevated tower with steering and throttle controls, in hopes of becoming a better cobia hunter. He is a member of NACO and fishing charter boat associations. Sight Fishing Apparel. Sight fishing is one of the most popular cobia fishing techniques, especially when you are using a light tackle or when fly-fishing. Capt. Sight-Fishing Cobia off North Carolina. Laks: Most of the sight casting for cobia from Jupiter south is done around big sharks.