Tips on Targeting Cobia

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Sheeby
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Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by Sheeby »

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering if anyone could give me any tips that might help put me onto a cobia.
I've heard that they will trail alongside large marine animals like dugongs and so casting bombers in a dugongs direction is pretty successful...I've never seen a dugong :roll:

Will they spend much time in reach on landbased fisho's? (cobia, not dugong) and what gear would you recommend? I've heard they pull like trucks.

Thanks,

Sheeby.


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Post by Pecheur »

Hi Sheeby,

Just make sure that you do not hook the Dugong by mistake...
He would pull like a train!
:shock:

Some time at East point where we were on the weekend, a dugong come close...
Give me a fright the first time...
:roll:

But I have never tried to cast near it...

Have a good day,
Pecheur
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Sheeby
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Post by Sheeby »

Hey mate,

haha yeah I would be pretty damn careful. Actually I would be stoked just to see a dugong. I don't like my chances of stopping a half decent cobia on my spinning gear.

Sheeby.
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Re: Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by cuddlescooper »

Cobia are more of an insidental catch up here in the NT rather than a target species. They have a habbit of turning up any where that there is shoally rubble bottom as they love eating crabs and crustations in general. They are more common around manta rays and use them to disturb bait of the bottom. The best spots to find them are also any place that you catch a lot of trevally and mackerel as they generally are found where there is a lot of bait around. The vernon islands has a few cobia around it and usually caught on the red clay bottom shoals is what I have found. Not sure why! :| Have seen the odd one caught at east point or the deck chair cinema as land based options but not a lot. Use big live baits or crabs like big blue swimmers for bait or lures will work if you can find the fish in the first place or cast near mantas. :cheers: Good on the chew :chef2: Fight weird :birdie: sometimes they swim against the weight of a sinker to the surface and swim around like a small shark. Others do long hard runs like Queenies. One thing for shore is if you gaff one be ready to hang on and do this :bbad: :bbad: or this :hunting: probably not the second one in a boat :titanic: :jester: :jester:
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itsinmeblood
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Re: Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by itsinmeblood »

when I was on the east coast we used to get a lot cobia out wide from the sunny coast (barwon banks)...as far as targeting them we had a mark an old trawler wreck in about 50mt that they seemed to love..it was the only structure for miles and was sitting on flat sand/mud bottom and they'd take anything we dropped down...livies were excellent large dead squiddlies worked well also so i reckon the biggest thing will be locating them around here, one I cleaned had a stomach full of tiny stingrays..about 10cm across, as above they pull like freight trains and also act like a shark a bit very user friendly though...ie not many pointy sharp bits and bugger all bitey bits top tucker also good luck! :mrgreen:
p.s I also got one on a prawn once fishing for whiting on the beach at mackay...only went about 50cm but nearly spooled me on the 3kg gear I was using :shock:
fish are skinny, the ocean is fat
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seano
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Re: Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by seano »

Mate head to dundee and fish off the rocks on the beach before Tamar creek- big manta rays come within casting range here- they love live gar, but i have heard of someone trying to jag a manta ray with a chromie and hooked a cobia instead.
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Re: Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by Sheeby »

Cheers fellas.

I'd figured they are just something that turns up randomly. I see dugongs all the time now and usually throw soft plastics (with weedless hooks) around them but havn't seen a cobia so far.

Thanks cuddlescooper, I've never used crab baits up here. Used to get some good reef fish on them down south.

Thanks for the tip Seano, I might have to head down there and have a look.

I've heard of them being caught landbased at East Point and Lee Point. The one at Lee Point took a live-bait as a pod of dolphins swam over it so I guess they'll follow just about anything that might flush out food for them. Apparently it took 2 hours and went 22kg. The bloke thought he'd hooked a dolphin.

They still on the top of my wish list.

Thanks for rubbing it in itsinmeblood :lol:

Sheeby.
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Re: Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by 2rods »

I don't think you can target cobia..... we pick them up of dundee a bit and even had 1 session where the doevys, harmsey and I moved a number of times trying to get away from them...they were that thick.....

As for dugons....we had 1 right in close in 1mtr of water out front of the trailer boat club on Saturday while floating the wreck.... great to see them in so close to town..
:cheers:

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Sheeby
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Re: Tips on Targeting Cobia

Post by Sheeby »

That's awesome 2rods...trying to get away from cobia!

Yeah they seem pretty common. The are always hanging around the rockwall beside Mindil beach. Saw a female a calf a few weeks ago within a few meters from us. Tiny calf about 90cm long. No cobia :(

One day.
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