Cobia at Virginia Beach

[tufnik]

I caught only part of George Poveromo's fishing show. They were fishing for cobia off VB. They fished lower CB near VB. I could see what looked like CBBT in the background. Hmmm...looks like the area is accessible via kayak.

They (George and Capt Jord Head) were using live croaker and eel on a rig with circle hook and a lead sinker (looked like about 5 ounces). They sat and waited. Caught some good size keepers (greater than 37").

Anyone catch cobia around CBBT up to the first island? When do the cobia come around? Are there other baits besides croaker and eel to use? Is live lining with a sinker the best method?

[jsquare]

Check this out:

http://kayakkevin.com/images/00cobiafishing.pdf

I remember sitting in on a cobia fishing seminar at the Saltwater Fishing Expo a couple of years ago, and the presenter talked a lot about sightfishing them with artificials such like lightly weighted or unweighted BKDs. See a cobia, cast close enough to get their attention without spooking them, then bring your lure across their path like a terrified, wounded baitfish. If all goes well, the cobia eats your bait and then you spend a long time pulling on a very strong fish. I think that's how it went.

[ComeOnFish]

I once tried near the Buckroe Pier with a group of kayakers. It was Mid-May.
They were chumming and live-lining eels.

Joe

[ronaultmtd]

Cobia are usually caught in mid-May around Bluefish Rocks, Grandview Pier, and the Back River channel- they also catch them at Lattimer Shoals and sometimes the CBBT...up our way is the Middle Grounds in June...best bait is a live eel or live spot on a fish finder rig in a chum slick, but they will eat just about anything- crabs, croakers, bunker, etc.

[Memory Maker]

CBBT is a hotspot for Cobia ......... mainly on the eastern shore side. They fish Latimer shoals, and the other places on the eastern shore by the bridge, the bouys and the bridge pilings ............ mainly anchor and chum. If you chum you will also get rays and sharks. Others sight fish. They have boats w/towers to spot them and cast live eels, spot, croakers and bucktails at them. If you use croakers, be careful of the minimum size.

[ronaultmtd]

We used to go to the Rudee Inlet Fishing center ater the charter boats came back from fishing and would setup next to the fish cleaning tables with multiple small hooks with a small bank sinker and use tiny bits of bloodworms to catch 2-4 inch long spot for the live wells- we would use extra sharp (we would hone the points) 4/0 short shank live bait hooks (no circle hooks for Cobia) on 80 pound mono leaders about three to four feet long with a black extra strong swivel (think Tuna strong). the fish finder rig was attached to about six feet of doubled main line- (Cobia will rub the lines on the bottom, find crab traps, pilings, etc. to break you off- Unfortunately at Buckroe Beach, around the Grandview fishing pier, Bluefish Rocks, Back River Inlet, Lattimer Shoals , Inner Middle Grounds, the commercial fishermen have hundreds of crab pots littered every where, just off the edges of the channels- A lot of knowledgable folks think that is one reason the Cobia are there- the chum from the crab pots and the crabs-

Oh yeah, we caught a big Cobia once at the Concrete Ships in early July- over 60 pounds- saw it swimming around the ships and threw a banana colored surgical tube to it-