Trolling for Cobia

Wait a sec – trolling, for cobia? Yes, cobia. Few anglers target this species by trolling, and far more often we sight fish or chum for them. It is possible to go after cobia on the troll, though, and in some cases, it can be the most effective method for bagging these bruisers.

HOW to troll for cobia boils down to using planers and “surgical hose” type artificial eels. Get the big eels, two feet long, in pink, red, and green. Then rig them behind a 15 foot leader of 50 to 80 pound test. Be sure to rig a ball-bearing swivel inline, to reduce line twist. Then pull the eels behind number two and number three planers, at four to five knots.

WHERE to troll for cobia depends on your exact location, of course, but the general rule of thumb is to employ this technique when the fish are meandering along channel edges, in migration-mode. When they’re orienting to structure or can be sighted on the surface other techniques usually prove more effective, but when these fish are on the move, trolling is the way to fill the box. Also note that areas with depths in the 22 to 28 foot range will prove best, because this is the depth range where those planers will run. Quite often, you’ll catch your fish when the planers are just off bottom and occasionally hit it.

WHEN to troll for cobia depends entirely upon the tidal cycle. As any cobia sharpie knows, chumming for them is best on the end of the tide and the change of the tide, but there are long stretches of time in-between when chumming is non-productive. This is when you’ll want to pull out those hose eels and planers.

Sure, you’ll catch cobia on occasion trolling with different gear and different tactics. They’ll sometimes hit spoons, plugs, or bucktails. But if you really want to hone in and focus on this species while trolling, surgical hose eels behind a planer in the times and places as described above can’t be beat.

Lenny Rudow

www.fishgame.com