Thread: Cobia from the beach

So if you were a tourist stuck on the beach with your family one day in late April and couldn't make it to the pier. You wade out to the sandbar to cast a bait in hopes a ling would cruise the bar and find it and feed on it. What bait-hook-rig would you use? I would assume a shark would get your LY, pinfish, or a dead cig.

The all-in, victory-or-boredom method:

A live crab hooked in the corner of the shell on a short heavy shock leader, using a circle hook with a large gap, would cast poorly but combined with a good sinker could weigh enough to fly. A common name for cobia is crab-eater, and unlike the other baits you mentioned the large crab would not attract adverse attention from smaller bait-stealers. It is also true that while many cobia are surface-cruising, many others are running deeper.

On the pier, you'd use heavier line (30 test) but that's to control the fish around pilings. With enough line capacity on an open beach you'd only need line half that strength, so your king reel with 300 yards of 15# would be perfect. The key is the rod. A mid-sized sinker and large crab could be 4 - 8 oz, so you need a sturdy rod (and study shoulders) to cast that 100 yards. They call a rod capable of doing that a 'Hatteras Heaver' for a reason, but a big catfish rod for tailwater fishing could work. You'd want a study mono leader from sinker back onto reel to avoid a breakoff, (say 80#). Connect the actual hook-leader to a dropper loop a couple of feet above the sinker. Loosen your drag when you sand-spike the rod, because if you get a cobia you'll be able to take take your time, take up slack, start reeling, and be hooked up.
==========================================
The "boredom is no fun" strategy I would recommend is a 2 oz sinker, a live sand flea, and a light circle hook on a dropper 2 feet up. Put the rod in a sandspike and keep an eye on it. No cobia, but a decent chance of regular action. I don't know the ages of family, but reeling in a pomp, whiting, trout, or other small but entertaining fish can be fun.

Crab or catfish as bait might help, though I don't clean many sharks so they might eat those as well!

I don't think I could cast a big blue crab that far without slinging him off. I do have a 12' Ugly Stick surf rod and a reel with plenty of line capacity. I wasn't sure about bottom fishing since most cobia caught from the pier seem to be cruising near the surface. Getting a small catfish wouldn't be a problem. I may try both.

Just as many Cobia cruise the bottom as they do the surface, the biggest Cobia I've seen probably 100lbs was West of little lagoon in about knee to waist deep water years ago. So catching one from the beach is very possible.

I used to see a lot off eels at Perdido Pass on the surface at night on an outgoing tide. Are these the same eels that are used for ling bait?

Originally Posted by chillinfish

I used to see a lot off eels at Perdido Pass on the surface at night on an outgoing tide. Are these the same eels that are used for ling bait?

The kind bait shops carry are not local, but I don't think that would matter at all. Various eel types, squids, octopi, crabs, catfish, all types of baitfish, even sting rays... cobia bellies can be interesting.

Originally Posted by chillinfish

I don't think I could cast a big blue crab that far without slinging him off. I do have a 12' Ugly Stick surf rod and a reel with plenty of line capacity. I wasn't sure about bottom fishing since most cobia caught from the pier seem to be cruising near the surface. Getting a small catfish wouldn't be a problem. I may try both.

Excellent idea on the catfish! Cobia like them and they are durable. When taking care of family, not needing to mess with the set-up is very useful.

if using cats cut the barbs off to make eating easier, not necessary, but helps from what I have been told ....we would trim the fins off of the bait pieces with scissors when tarpon fishing the keys, so the bait went in easier

If you fish a good bait sized live catfish with a 60 lb leader and egg sinker and sling him out there. You might have a few sharks take it. I have cleaned numerous sharks that have eaten catfish but if you use catfish you will land one or the other it's a good bait to use.