March is here and the cobia will be too. With cooling water temperatures that have moved into our area, cobia will also be coming into the waters off the Treasure Coast. When the weather allows and you can get outside the inlets it is a great time to target cobia. Cobia is an awesome fighting fish and one of the best tasting fish in the ocean. These fish will be found from just off the beach on out to 80 to 90 feet depths. The fish will be following sharks and manta rays and hanging under turtles that are floating at the surface.
You can run the beach on calmer days looking for schools of sharks. When sharks are found, scan the area to see if any cobia can be seen mixed in with the sharks. Whether you locate a cobia or not, cast a 2- to 2.5-ounce jig, preferably with a tail on it, or an eel like jig past the school of sharks and work it back to the boat. Eels are a favorite food of cobia and this will catch their attention. Cobia will check out the jig and many times hit it. If they don’t eat the jig, they will often follow it back to the boat. In this instance, have another rod ready and rigged with a live bait or a whole squid to toss at the fish to entice it to eat.
Cobia can also be caught while bottom fishing. They are a curious fish. They will swim right up to your boat to check it out. While bottom fishing, always have a rod rigged with a bait or jig in case Mr. Cobia shows up and always keep an eye on the water.
I recommend using a seven-foot rod with a good backbone. The length of the rod will help on casting a lure farther to the fish and the backbone will help for the fight. I would recommend a 6000 to 8000 sized reel spooled with at least 30-pound braid and 50-pound leader with a 6/0 live bait or circle hook. On our coast, cobia is caught up to 50- to 60-pounds and the chance of a bigger one is always there. You will want tackle to handle the big one that may be around.
On your days on the water that cobia can’t be found, the bottom bite will still be on. A variety of snapper, seabass and porgy will be looking for a meal. Head out to a reef or wreck and drop a cut bait or squid to the bottom for a day of fun. Remember to review yours size and bag limits. Have fun and tight lines!
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