[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith all of the cobia caught in July, I believe we will see many more caught in the month of August. Usually we see the cobia bite turn on in July during the periods of west winds and upwellings, but we haven’t seen the upwellings as in previous years. Even still, the cobia have been here.
In August, while bottom fishing around reefs, wrecks and structure, keep watch for the cobia also known as brown bombers. These fish are very curious and will come up and check out your boat to see what is going on. They will also follow a catch up to the surface to see what is happening. Always be sure to have a pitch rod ready and rigged. You can use a cobia jig or a buck tail to entice these fish to bite. Don’t overlook the turtles sitting on the surface, cobia like to sit under them and wait for a good offering to come by. Cobia can also be found near the bait schools around the nearshore reefs. Follow the bait schools and troll some live bats behind your boat, cobia love a nice greenie or sardine.
August will be the end of the wahoo spawn. This will be the time to do some high-speed trolling around the deeper reefs and ledges. The Oculina Bank will be a good place to try to find the wahoos. You will need to troll a large bait deep in the water column at a faster speed, usually 14-18 knots. Using a stout rod and reel spooled with a lot of line, put a bait such as a horse ballyhoo or split-tail mullet behind a 32- to 48-ounce trolling weight on a downrigger and troll the structure. Always use heavy wire or cable leader; with razor sharp teeth, a wahoo will cut mono leader like its butter. You can expect long and very fast runs from these fish, so make sure you have your reels spooled to their maximum capacity and check to make sure that the line is in good condition.
Please be safe on the water and watch for the summer time storms.