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Date: Cobia Phobia
Title: May 16, 2004
Date: 18 May 2004
Time: 22:11:40 -0400
Trout and grouper are the principle inshore and offshore species sought after in Steinhatchee. The jolt of a trout taking a jig then splashing on the surface is something every flats fishermen has fond memories of. The sharp strike of a two pound trout has sold millions of pounds of lead for the jig heads and an equal amount of plastic to make the endless varieties of jig bodies on the market today. I don’t know how many trout are taken in state waters annually but I really can’t imagine how much money is generated to fish for them. It would be interesting to determine how much a trout is worth per pound. Boat, gas, oil, ice, handful of $100 rod/reel combo’s, shrimp, tackle box slap full of ‘trout candy’, and license make a trout fillet worth well over... I can’t do higher math but let’s just say eating the best steak at a fine restaurant would save you several twenty dollar bills. But it’s worth the expense. The thump of grouper ending a pin fishes life is something all should experience. The blast of force as the fish tries to return to the rocks and coral is powerful enough to unfold the arms of the largest man on the boat. Numerous times I’ve heard Little B, Brian Hornsby our best mate, yell “reel, man, reel” only to hear the fella grunt in return “can’ t huuuuuh reel”. This week I saw him run over to a man clinging to a doubled over rod and give the reel ten or twelve cranks to keep the fish out of the rocks. It would be interesting to determine how much a grouper is worth per pound. Big boat, gas, oil, 60 pounds of ice, handful of $200 rod/reel combo’s, 25 pounds of frozen bait, live pin fish, tackle trays full of hooks, swivels, sinkers and leader, and license make a grouper fillet worth well over... my brain hurts thinking about it but let’s just say it may be cheaper to own the restaurant were you eat the grouper. The brief writing about the ‘big two’ was to give them credit for generating interest and income to our small fishing town of Steinhatchee. Lord knows how much money is spent in this town in a year because trout and grouper swim off our coast. As a captain, my livelihood is very much dependent on those two fish. I give credit where credit is due. With that said, if someone asked me what is your favorite fish, I’d say cobia. You don’t fish for cobia. You hunt them. I’ve seen high dollar bay boats rigged with elevated sighting platforms designed to look for cobia on the grass flats. I’ve seen ‘redneck’ skiffs with an eight foot step ladder fastened to the deck for the same purpose. You leave a country boy alone with his boat, a picture of a boat he likes, fiberglass and a welder and he’ll McGyver a floating deer stand. In the panhandle of Florida, folks are using million dollar yachts with towers thirty feet above the water to search the beaches for cobia. Cobia are a special fish. It is the only fish, when I see it free swimming, that makes my hands shake with excitement. Stupid, fickle, surprising are adjectives used to describe their behavior. “Hey Captain what’s that behind the motor?” It’s a 50 plus pound cobia that is mesmerized by the flash of the stainless prop flopping about in the current. “Get out of the way”. I dash to the bait box, sling out a couple of handfuls of whatever at midship, grab a big spinning rod, hook a live bait and dip it behind the boat. Hand the rod off and say “Hold on”. She, the cobia, meanders around the chum, sniffs some, eats some then sees the live bait who has noticed her since being tossed overboard. The little fish darts about elusively as can be, tethered to the rod. The juke moves entices the big brown girl. She gulps him in. Bye bye little fish, set the hook and hold on. Before the hook set, the cobia was moving around the boat tranquil. The sting of the hook changes her attitude from blonde to redhead. She jerks the rod down to the gunnel, crushing fingers between the rod and rail. It hurts, but strangely feels good at the same time. The game is a foot. The open-field power of a large cobia shames the ‘three minute man’ tug of a grouper. The fish sounds, dives to bottom, swings off port to bow then switches 100 degrees to drive deep to starboard. The angler is moved from stern to bow, physically and verbally. On the bow, the rod is passed under the anchor line and handed back. Game continues to starboard. Game is run around pass the motors to port. Toward bow and under the anchor rope again. The fish rises in the water. Sixty feet off the rail the ‘Bahama mama’ cruises just below the surface. She looks at us. The look translated to ‘I’ve been swimming these waters for years how dare you monk with me!’ In a moment, for the angler all time is stands still yet is in fast forward, the fish is in control. Tender with the fish, as well as, the reel drag, do the best you can, adjusting by the nanosecond to the abrupt actions of the fish. Talk the angler down to prevent the ‘male pump’ to reel the fish in as fast as possible. Women are better at bringing in cobia than the guys, in open water, because the girls listen and don’t muscle up. “Dude, relax, it’s all good”. The ‘girl’ is real good and makes him listen. He just gets tired. She’s whipping his butt. In time, the big fish tires, no longer having the energy to pass around the boat the cobia struggles on the port side. She does three drive bys on the port side before coming within gaff range. One heave and grunt and the fifty pound class fish is brought over the rail. On the deck, the change of environment regenerates the survival instinct of the fish. She thrashes wildly coming off the gaff. A 120 qt cooler is used to slide her to the stern and pin her in. She beats against the transom and cooler from several minutes then quiets down. It’s over except the clean up. The angler flops down on the first available spot, eyes wide open seeing nothing, wet from sweat and seawater, somebody removes the rod from his hand. Friends are hollering and high fiving. But it’s so good for him he’s quiet. I have thoughts. What a wonderful fish. She made the charter trip. I hate to kill her. I killed her. She’s not going to make any more cobia. If I wasn’t on charter, I would have released her. The battle is the best part. A quick photo op is all I’d like to have extra. How do you hunt cobia around Steinhatchee? Whether your planning an offshore or an inshore day, you can simply start by drifting by the channel markers and tossing live pinfish to them. It will take up about twenty to thirty minutes to hit all the markers, but if somebody is home...it’s a great way to start the day. It’s an one angler opportunity. Pick one person to do the fishing, preferably the best caster, arm them with a heavy spinning outfit lined with 20-30 lb test leadered with 60-100 lb test tied off to a 7/0 hook. Hook a pinfish lightly at the top of the dorsal fin and let them flip the bait at the channel marker. If you’re staying inshore, you can anchor up current of a channel marker, hang a chum block out on one of the boat cleats, toss out a live bait on a float rig and one on the bottom. You can set out as many rods as you and crew can manage but keep in mind that once a fish hits all the extra rods must be reeled in and stored neatly to prevent a huge mess. You can do the same thing in one of the many sloughs that cut through the grass flats. Set up for half an hour at different spots then move on to the next. Besides cobia, you’re going to hang into sharks and possibly jump a tarpon. For this type of fishing I set up 4/0 rods for the bottom baits and heavy spinning out fits for the float rigs. This week the offshore trip was blown out with high winds so I anchored in a slough and caught a 25 pound cobia. We also were entertained with sharks on various shapes and sizes. It was a day saver move. Another inshore technique is to slow cruise the many sandbars looking for cobia. On the yellow sand a free swimming cobia stands out. Maneuver the boat so to intercept the cobia and use the heavy spinning gear to offer her a live bait or jig. Offshore cobia fishing requires plenty of gas and good bait. You need to know where many of the wrecks and springs are and be able to hop around from one to the next. Many of the locations are given on our local chart. Bait, most people think pinfish. They’re fine but not the end all. One of the best baits is a live blue runner. You have to troll small spoons or fish squid on the near shore reefs to get them. They are hard to come by. I, generally, have folks drop squid to the bottom on the near shore reefs and feel lucky to get a few. However, pink mouth grunt, sea bass and porgies are good baits, also. If you’re thinking the bait is too big, you’re thinking in the wrong direction. I’ve seen a cobia eat a seven pound bonita. Be sure and catch the bait as shallow as possible (<30’) because baits caught in deeper water tend to bloat and roll over in the livewell. Catch as many as the livewell can comfortably handle. Don’t over stuff the livewell. You want frisky bait. In terms of fishing, I like to first cruise the location to see if anyone is swimming around the top. Have a heavy spinning rod baited and ready because if you observe a lolligagging cobia on the surface you need to pitch the bait just ahead of it. If you have a blue runner, it’s the perfect time to use it. That spastic bait is sure to take a hit. If I don’t see a cobia on the surface, I’ll anchor up tide and set out a spread which consists of one float rig and one free liner off the stern with two bottom poles off each side of the boat. Once the poles are set, check the reel drags. They should slip with a strong tug. Then, occasionally, toss out a handful of frozen bait as chum. I work this for about an hour. If nothing happens I move to the next spot. When a cobia is on, it takes team work to win. All the other poles must be brought in and stored neat. Even a small cobia can run the angler around the boat a couple of times. If the fish is huge, the anchor needs to be pulled quickly to keep the fish from wrapping around the anchor line, as well as, to allow the skipper ability to give chase and keep the battle toward the stern. A battle with a big cobia can last forty five minutes to an hour. You have to be patient when you fish for them and when you’re fighting them. Do not horse the fish, let the drag and rod do their job of tiring the fish out. Make sure the boat is not cluttered so the angler won’t trip over something. Believe me, the angler is not thinking but about one thing. When the fish tires have a plan as to where the fish is going to go once gaffed. Have a fish control plan. I use a 120 qt cooler to pin the fish on the transom until it calms down. If you don’t have a plan, the fish will run their agenda. The agenda of a large cobia in a boat is bang, slam, break, bend, throw and bloody everything in your boat. When the fish is boatside, the person with the gaff is experiencing pressure. They could blow the deal. They could let everybody down. It’s champ or chump time gaffer. Give the person with the gaff plenty of room. Don’t not crowd around him. The gaff is a dangerous tool. If the fish slips off the gaff, the release of pressure could send the gaff toward somebody in the boat. The gaff doesn’t care what it sticks into, stand clear of it. The fish should be gaffed from below toward the head. In one fluid motion be lifted from the water into the boat. Don’t figure on getting it just on the gunnel and stopping. Get it in the boat on the first attempt. When the fish gets stuck it gets wild. It is not unusual for the fish to throw the gaff. Work your game plan a best as possible. Cobia fishing can get chaotic but always be safe in the thick of the moment. Cobia fishing is exciting. You have to be patient and come prepared. And even then you may not win but it sure is fun regardless of the out come. The chance of battling a big bruiser is all I need to get excited. Writing this article has me all jazzed up. I got to go cobia fishing. See ya.... Capt B