How to Catch More Cobia

Is the kid in this picture crazy for cobia? It would certainly seem so – and we don’t blame him. These are hard-fighting, awesome-tasting fish. That’s why we’ve talked about them before, in Galveston Cobia,  and Tuesday Tip: Lures/Baits for Ling (Cobia). If you want to go after this savory species, we have two bits of advice: first off, don’t jump overboard to swim with them. Sure, it makes for a cool pic, but that time you spend swimming could b better used hunting for more cobia. And second, try using these three cobia-catching tips.

 

1. When you spot a cobia swimming at the surface, don’t give up on the fish if it turns down a lure two or three times. Keep casting until the fish gets aggravated and swims away, or it finally strikes – which is often the eventual outcome, even if it takes 10 or 12 tries. Cobia feed at or near bottom, and most of the time when you see one up top it’s not actively feeding. As a result, they often reject baits or lures until they’re teased into attaching.
2. When a lure lands three or four feet in front of the fish, instead of retrieving it, allow it to free-fall. For whatever reason (we don’t know why, and the fish aren’t talking!) a lure going straight down often triggers an attack. The cobia will seem to simply disappear, then a second or two later, you’ll feel a bump as it hits the lure.
3. Try chumming with your chum bucket dead on bottom, on a the down-current side of a drop-off. Chumming is often the most effective way to load up on cobia, since you’re drawing in active fish and truth be told, cobia will eat just about anything. It’s important, however, to make sure your chum (and the bulk of your baits) are tight to the bottom. Anchoring so your chum flows down the drop-off is also good, since the bits and pieces will travel a longer distance along the bottom moving downhill as opposed to uphill.

Beyond these three tips, of course, always remember that cobia will often be found near large floating objects. Chanel markers, buoys, and even dead sea turtles will often have a cobia or two hiding near by.

AWESOME cobia recipe – you will seriously be shocked at how good this tastes!!!

• Mix mayo and blue cheese salad dressing, 50-50
• Slather the fish with the mixture
• Bake at 350 until the fish is almost cooked through
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top
• Pull from the oven and serve as the topping begins to brown and bubble