first off, just so everyone knows, i live in the Tampa Bay area and want to make a trip just for Cobia in the next few weeks.
i was wondering if anyone knew what was going to happen to the Cobia bite in the next couple months with the weather and water cooling off. i have never fished for them so i have NO idea. Do they stay in the bay year round? do they migrate?
Is anyone willing to let me know about best depths to target them?
As the water cools, the Cobia will start migrating along the beaches. They can typically be found around any structure, or may even appear out of nowhere while bottom fishing or drifting.
After a few cold fronts drop down from the North, I would start looking harder for them. Water is still kind of warm now, but you never know.
thanks for the help - ice never gone for em before. im gonna try hittin up the structure in Tampa Bay, the skyway and just offshore in the gulf. I dont really know where i will have the best luck, but im gonna try all over.
Well, I can't tell you about the timing of the return run near Tampa, but I can tell you that we are in the middle of the run off Ms right now.
The migration will run south to the keys over the next few months although many areas (La, Ms for sure) have year long residents
Most folks target Cobia with a sight casting tactic. You will want to hit the near shore channel markers and other structure / shallows with jigs and have a follow up bait at the ready if they are not interested in the jig. Cast to any and all structure on the top and watch for an appearance. Spend some time on each target to allow any deeper Cobia to come to the surface to investigate the commotion.
Catching Cobia on a bottom rig happens but not the way to target them.
This is a nice little tutorial of how we fish for them around here and the tactics may work there. http://www.nighthawkpublications.com.../journal_4.htm
Jim Franks from MSU is the gulf Cobia guru and may have some info on timing historical tagging in the Tampa area. http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/contacts/view_vitae.php?id=220
Good luck! http://deadeyelures.com/
we dont have a lot, well any, "offshore structure" so i am going to try some of the few deep water nav dolphins out there and the skyway bridge - its in the bay but im sure there are cobia around
Freelance Captain, Currently on the "Sto Bene" or "Low Bidder" or "Indemnity" depending on the day
You will find them here and there in the bay. Skyway would be a good place to start but not the only place to try. Sometimes they will be shadowing the channel markers and buoys. We have plenty of "offshore structure" in the bay. What about the dredged channel that runs the whole length? Bet it has some big ledges along it's sides. Check the big towers that are spread around. Plenty of artificial reefs in the bay also. If you don't have a chart yet I would recommend you buy one.
Best bet, IMHO, would be any of the Gulf artificial reefs in the 40'-100' range with preference going to high profile wrecks and ledges. Plenty of the publicly listed numbers online will hold Cobia from time to time.
Good luck out there, fishing is about to get really good!
lol, i dont know if i consider any part of the bay "offshore", but you are right, there is a lot of structure out there.
Yea, i got my first chart for Tampa Bay when i was 10 and bombin around in my ghetto 14'7" RIB cant say ive had them out in the last 5 years since i go from the dock to the gulf and rarely go anywhere new in the bay. I will have to pull them out.
I think i am going to go in the middle of next week and just go poke around any towers in the bay, and the skyway.
Hopefully i will have pictures for you guys by next weekend!
landed one cobia on a foul hook with a Sebile 114mm Stick Shad in Blood Red Blue.
if you guys dont mind giving up trade secrets, what is everybody using to get them off the bottom. Ive been told jigs in the white/pink/chartruese would work well. then chunk and live bait once they are on the top.
DoubleA, You one foul hooked cobia better than me! I've never really targeted the species much, (well at all) but when we were out last weekend (before the front came through) we dove on a wreck in 65' of water and there were many cobia just below several dozen mangs. Then suddenly we caught site of a cubera of which I've never seen like it. My buddy took his shot and after much wrangling put it in the boat. 61 pounds of cubera snapper thank you very much!
The cubera dwarfs the red grouper, nice mangs we caught and his hog snapper he shot as well. Perhaps one day I'll pursue those finicky cobia but for now bottom dwelling and trolling makes me all smiles!
Last edited by Fishin-N-Wishin; 10-22-2009 at 08:41 PM.
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cant say ive had them out in the last 5 years since i go from the dock to the gulf and rarely go anywhere new in the bay. I will have to pull them out. 
