Zeroing to CBBT Cobia

[Snakehead Hunter]

I'd keep my eyes open. You may find someone, you never know. Always worth asking the locals. Heck, $40 might be a days worth of work for some of those fellas. Ha.

A little research goes a long way, too. Lots of cobia caught on the ES side of VA, especially in late May thru July. Many places are within paddling distance. About a mile or so each way. It's typically a chum fishery and offers less opportunities for sight casting like is found on the pilings of the CBBT, but if you are looking for Cobia with less paddling, it's an option.

I think chumming is the best option for kayaker.

[J.A. Veil]

I wonder if any charters offer mothership cobia trips.

It may be worth contacting Drumfish Commander http://www.drumfishcommander.com/. Capt Mike Ross is based in Oyster (lower eastern shore). I was on his inaugural mothership trip last April. We had a bad weather day and did not find fish. But according to a third party, he has since added kayak racks to his large Carolina Skiff.

[ComeOnFish]

Mother Ship vs Launch from and coming back to the land

My attitude is do whatever you want to satisfy your fishing needs. Be happy. We all have different needs and priorities because we are human.
Well, for some, Hobie kayaks aren't real kayaks because of the pedals.

I converted from power boat to kayak fishing years ago. Since then I have not been on power boats at all because I have been enjoying kayak fishing so much. After not using my last boat for two years, I sold the boat to my friend who had been using it for two years. Luckily, my wife wants me to buy a power boat because she thinks the power boats are safeer than kayaks. So, as of now, when I retire from the kayak fishing in 2-3 years, I am allowed to buy a power boat again.

The reasons for having my own power boats and kayaks are exactly the same. I can fish however, whenever and whatever I want to on our own power boats and kayaks. My friends, my family and I enjoyed on our own power boats a lot because we went through all fishing stages all by ourselves. Preparing and maintaining the boats, making plans, learning fishing spots, preparing rigs, making game plans, navigating boats to fish, setting the rods, hooking fish, cleaning fish, and putting the fish on the dinner tables.

We weren't obedient, rather very independent. I always thought that Captain and the mates were fishing and I paid for their fishing. I felt the same way when I hired a captain for flats fishing. All I needed was a boat not a guide or captain. Later I found that getting a rental boat with limited tackles was better for me and my wife. We did whatever we wanted.

It's tough to carry spear fishing gears on a kayak. It takes several hours to do one hour spear fishing. Doing what I like is very limited on a kayak. Though I have fun. I am the only captain.

Joe

[Pinch]

Even in a boat you can not beat a kayak in certain situations. Id take a kayak over a powerboat fishing the pilings at the CBBT any day.

[rob-kayak]

Doing what I like is very limited on a kayak. Though I have fun. I am the only captain.

Joe

+1 :-)

[jktom]

Hard Head Custom Baits is getting ready to come out with some 2 oz buck tails specially made for Cobia with a twist! Stay tuned........

[jhoss]

Though it's from a boat perspective, still some good tactics anyone can use in this article:
http://www.pswsfa.com/stalking_cobia.htm

[Hemingway]

There seems to be a lot of discussion on what equipment and technique to use when catching cobia. I feel, as a kayak fisherman, we should also share some very important thoughts on landing these fish after you catch them on your kayak. If you are lucky enough to get hooked up with Mr. Brown Clown from your kayak, get ready for the most intense and potentially dangerous scrap of your life. These fish are a pit bulls on steroids. Many of a boat has suffer hundreds of dollars of damage from a cobia that was boated too green. These guys love to freakin' go off when they are pulled in. They have sharp spines from their doral to their tail, and are capable of seriously injuring you, knocking you out of your yak, or knocking you unconscious. Do not rush boating these fish, it is very easy to crank your kayak to these fish while they are still green. Play them until they almost are dead in the water, assuming they are over the minimum size for keeping. Then be sure you have a nice ball-peen hammer around 16 oz and dispatch the fish with enough blows to the head to be comfortable pulling him onto the yak. At least that is my plan, after catching a 51" 'er from boat last year I have a lot of respect for them...can't wait to give them a go from the kayak

[JohnE]

I was planning on same strategy and was going to mention it before but assumed everybody trying to target them would probably understand that part of the challenge. I carry the same type of hammer for snakeheads, but cobia is ineed quite the beast in comparison. To land a cobia in a kayak is really something. I don't know if I will ever manage to catch one, but I am not planning to try mothershipping for them. If you do try mothershipping, you are probably going to want a captain that targets them on a regular basis and has a boat fully equipped with tower to spot them. But usually they spot them and start casting...to cruise around trying to spot them from a tower and then get your yaks in to then start casting for them...not sure how that is going to work out. Will be intersted to hear about it though.

[ComeOnFish]

I will carry a hammer with fiber glass or wooden handle. I will put a hole on the handle so that it can be leashed. I also buy a small gaff.

I am thinking:

• TEKTON 30403 16-Ounce Jacketed Fiberglass Ball Pein Hammer - Amazon prime $9.00
• Promar Kayaker Floating Telescopic Gaffs, 29-Inch to 46-Inch - Amazon prime $29.99

Hmm. Should I carry Gulp Eel instead of live eel? It seems that The hook was placed in the middle of the eel on the video:

Joe

[RavensDfense]

Hmm. Should I carry Gulp Eel instead of live eel? It seems that The hook was placed in the middle of the eel on the video

Live is the way to go. Hooking them through the top of the mouth works just fine. On the one charter we took with Salt Treated Fishing at the CBBT, we hooked them that way and the cobia inhaled them. They could have been hooked in the tail and it wouldn't have made much difference.

[ComeOnFish]

A FL boater's tip:
As for the rod, a 7- to 9-foot medium to heavy rod and reel setup is good.

Broom says he normally likes to use braid, but for cobia he fishes more with mono.

"I like 30-pound mono with about an 8-pound drag," he said. ??? So a reel with 20 LB max drag will work???"A cobia makes a different run than most fish. When he's hooked he makes one long run, then three little zips.”

He suggests using a reel that can hold at least 200 yards of 30-pound mono or 300 yards of 30- to 65-pound braid. (??? Is this because the Mono stretches???

[J.A. Veil]

Here is another approach to catching cobia that may or may not be relevant for the waters near CBBT. I fish several times a year in Tampa with guide Neil Taylor of Strike Three Kayak Fishing. During the summer and fall, we often spend at least one of the days targeting large black drum and small to medium cobia. We jig around bridge pilings in 10-15 ft water depth. Neil uses 7' medium spinning rods and 15-lb braid with 20-lb fluoro leader (the exact same setup we use for casting soft plastics for trout, reds, and flounder in other locations). The lure is surprisingly small. It is a small colorful metal spoon with a bend in it (Silly Willy). That is tied to the same loop knot with a small bucktail teaser.

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We position our kayaks next to the pilings and jig. It is difficult for me to jig in rough water with a light weight jig. But every now and then, the line comes tight with a strong resistance and the line begins pulling out. On one trip last year, I hooked 5 large black drum (all estimated at >50 lbs). They took off and pulled my kayak wherever they wanted to go. I never got to see any of those fish, as they quickly headed toward the barnacle laden pilings and broke off. I did end up with a drum scale on my hook after one of the escaped fish -- it was as big around as the top of a beer can. Although I have never landed one, Neil gets these large drum on most of his trips. He also hooks a cobia or two each trip. I have not personally caught one, but observed him bring in two cobia in the 24" to 30" range.

While fishing for those species, it is not uncommon to hook powerful jacks or tasty pompano in the same area.

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[reel-em-in]

A FL boater's tip:


He suggests using a reel that can hold at least 200 yards of 30-pound mono or 300 yards of 30- to 65-pound braid. (??? Is this because the Mono stretches???

I'm thinking he's just stating it in different terms for ease. A reel that can hold 200 yards of 30lb mono would easily hold 300 yards of 65 lb braid. (65lb braid ~ the diameter of 18lb mono)

[ComeOnFish]

I got my rod and reel for Cobia today.

After Rudee Inlet, I went to the BassPro in Hampton hoping, somehow, I find a person who fishes CBBT for Cobia. I wanted to know the typical rod and reel for CBBT Cobia.
The BassPro was crowded. At the fishing section, I asked several people if they fish for Cobia. Finally I met one guy who is avid cobia fisherman. Without hesitation (No hesitation - This is what I wanted), he picked up a rod and a reel for sight casting fishing for Cobia for me:

Rod: Shimano Termar (inshore series), TMS-F70H, 7' Heavy, medium Fast Action $109.99
Reel: Penn Battle II, BTL6000, $119.99 Mono 20/230, Braid 50/335, Max drag 25 LB

He said, I don't need Penn Spinfisher 6500 (max drag 30 LB). Penn Battle II 6000 is good enough for a 80 LB cobia. He also said he set the drag at 10-12 LB max for Cobia so that cobia can run. "Don't set the drag to tight for cobia. Let the cobia run", he said.

He also mentioned that the best color for him at CBBT is a 2 OZ (1)Orange, (2)Pink, and (3)orange with black. 3 OZ is also OK. The first thing to cast is an eel, not a buck tail, he said.

I forgot to ask him about the leader line and hook size for the live eel.
Possible hooks:
Gamakatsu 8/0 Octopus Circle hook #208418
Owner SSW 7/0
Owner super mutu circle 8/0
Owner 6/0


Joe