What is the best bait to catch cobia?
Top Baits for Cobia
- Pinfish are a feisty baitfish with lots of energy, caught inshore around the docks. Lob a frantic, tail-hooked pinfish a few feet in front of cobia, and that’s pretty close to a sure hookup.
- Marsh minnows.
- Squid.
- Cigar minnows and Spanish sardines.
- Ribbonfish.
- Menhaden.
What lures do cobia like?
They love lures like bucktail jigs like the SPRO Prime ½ oz Bucktail, plastic shrimp tails, and nylon flare jigs. Bucktail jigs can be especially effective when fishing for cobia in heavy cover, such as seagrass or near docks and bridges. These jigs are also a great choice if you’re targeting speckled trout too.
How deep do you troll for cobia?
20 to 30 feet
Troll over shoals and structure in 20 to 30 feet of water. When you get a hook-up, always have a rod rigged and ready to cast with a jig. With some regularity, the cobia on the end of your line will have a buddy swimming close-by.
How much drag do I need for cobia?
The reel should be spooled with at least 225 yds of 20-30 lb test. This is a powerful fish so a smooth drag is a must. You will also want good casting abilities with your rig. I prefer this Penn rod-and-reel combo for cobia and king mackerel fishing from a pier or boat.
Are cobia bottom feeders?
Understanding these migration patterns will increase your success rate. Cobia are bottom dwellers and are known for eating whatever comes their way, including smaller baitfish, squid, eel, and crab. They can be found in waters as shallow as 3 feet, or as much as 20 feet deep.
How do you chum for cobia?
The trick is to chum enough to bring up the cobia without alerting every bull or tiger shark in the area code. Basically, Steve usually cuts up a pogy, and drops a piece at a time until each piece has had time to reach the bottom. Remember, you’re serving appetizers, the main course will have a hook in it.
What do you catch cobia on?
Cobia can be caught on a wide variety of lures. Topwater plugs, suspending and diving crank baits, and imitation eel lures all catch fish. But the favorite cobia lure is the cobia jig. It is a large bucktail jig weighing 4 to 8 oz or more and can be just about any color you can imagine.
What should I troll for cobia?
You can try trolling for cobia using large spoons or plugs. The Drone 4-1/2 or Stretch 30 will work just fine. Look for schools of menhaden, turtles, tidelines or any other structure you can find. Cobia will swim just below the surface with the tip of their dorsal fin above the water.
How do you attract cobia?
Do cobia feed at night?
Cobia don’t have teeth in the traditional sense, so all food is swallowed whole. Feeding takes place from the surface to the bottom during daylight hours, with the heaviest feeding at dawn and dusk. They may feed at night, but the sight-feeding nature of the fish probably limits this behavior.
Where do cobia hang out?
Cobia is generally found in nearshore and inshore waters with inlets and bays – the fish like structure and are frequently found around buoys, pilings, and wrecks in these areas.