Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a very popular game fish in South Florida. It has white, flaky meat which is considered excellent for eating. It's not too picky when it comes to bait fish and will readily take herring, menhaden or just about any other fish that happens by. This makes putting together a good Cobia bait fairly easy.
I prefer to use live fish because you have the satisfaction of hooking them yourself. Gag grouper, tarpon, snook, ladyfish and pompano are other popular game fish that readily accept live fish as bait. A lot of anglers don't realize that big Cobia will also readily take large pieces of cut bait such as chicken livers, mullet and mackerel.
A live fish swims better than a dead one and it is always exciting to hook the fish yourself. If you don't have any live baits, frozen sardines will also work well. Zane Grey used this type of bait with success on the east coast of Florida.
Cobia will also readily take large, whole shrimp. If you're fishing for Cobia at night on the east coast, try using fresh cut squid or Spanish sardines instead of fish or cut bait. A Cobia's stomach wall is 2 to 2 1/2 times thicker than other fish, so a meal last a long time.
Cobia are very powerful predators and you need to make sure your hook is strong enough for the job. I like to use 12/0 or 15/0 circle hooks on my hand lines because they hold well in a corner of the mouth due to their design, plus it's easier to hook a fish using a circle hook than it is with a J hook. I prefer to use large bait so the Cobia will have something to grab onto.
Cobia are an offshore species and can be caught on the new "Monster Rods" that we've all seen advertised in fishing magazines and catalogs lately. These rods and reels were designed for fishing for large species such as sailfish and tuna. I've used one several times for Cobia and they work very well.
You can also make a "stinger rig" with a circle hook and put it on your regular spinning outfit to increase the size of the bait you can use. The stinger rig consists of attaching another leader to the main line and hooking a live pin fish (or two) in front of the circle hook.
When using this type of rig, be sure to use wire leader material because Cobia are great at breaking your monofilament leaders. You should always use heavy duty swivels when fishing with stinger rigs for large game fish.
I like to use regular 20 or 30 pound test monofilament for my leaders. I do not recommend using wire leader material because it often results in hooking your bait in the body rather than just the corner of the mouth.
One thing you want to try to avoid when fishing with circle hooks is having your fish wrap itself around the piling or bridge piling. If this happens, take your time and bring the fish close to the boat before beginning to use your net.
Remember that Cobia are not like tarpon; you can't just run around with them on the end of your line for an hour until they're tired out. When using wire leaders or stinger rigs, you only want the fish to swim in a straight line away from you when they first take off.
Let cobia run for a minute or two and then start reeling them slowly back to the boat. This way you'll tire them out before trying to bring them aboard. Always use heavy duty swivels when fishing for Cobia because they are very strong fish.
When you hook into a large Cobia, don't attempt to bring it aboard yourself unless you have someone to help you. I like to use a gaff on most game fish because it's quicker and easier than using a net. I always recommend using some kind of gaff or landing net when boat fishing for Cobia.
In any case, you want to have a long leader with your hook when boat fishing for Cobia so that if the fish throws the hook it will break off below the water's surface where it can't be retrieved. If you're going to mount a large Cobia, I recommend using a gaff instead of a net because this way you won't damage the fish's scales or slime coat.
If possible, always try to bring your Cobia into the boat head first because it is a very strong fish and will thrash around violently once it feels the boat moving under its belly. There are several good books available on how to identify different species of saltwater fish and one of them will probably show what to look for when identifying a Cobia.
