SEEING IS BELIEVING

By FRANK SARGEANT The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 2, 2008

Cobia, cabio, ling, crab eaters or lemon fish - don't ask me why on the last one - whatever you call them, cobia are great gamefish, and they are making their annual run past our shores.

Captain Van Hubbard has been doing particularly well out of the Englewood area for the past several weeks. He reports there are plenty of fish north of him, all the way to Tampa Bay, as well.

Cobia are fascinating targets for anglers because they are usually caught by sight-fishing. They cruise just under the surface, usually close to schools of baitfish, but are also noted for following large rays, whales and even manatees. They also hang around buoys and channel markers - anything that provides a bit of cover.

Cobia show up anywhere from right on the beach to many miles offshore. Hubbard said he hit a nice pod about 8 miles out last week.

"We put over a bag of menhaden chum and started catching snapper and blue runners right away, and then a little later the cobes popped up right in the slick," Hubbard said.

The following day he returned to the same area, and his anglers, John and Krista Haynes of St. Petersburg, got a 35-pounder and a smaller one and broke off a giant. And Saturday, Hubbard and his clients again landed two - one a 34-inch keeper.

Can't Fish And Tell

Of course, Hubbard did not reveal the specific spot where he has been hooking the fish, but he said he also caught permit and barracuda at the location, indicating it's likely a wreck or artificial reef.

While bottom structure as well as buoys and markers often are good spots to look for cobia, they fish also are commonly caught simply cruising along at the surface. On calm days, they make a moving V wake somewhat similar to redfish on the flats.

Anglers from Anclote Key north often spot them cruising close to big eagle rays or sting rays over the deeper grass flats. And in the waters from Apalachicola west through the Panhandle, dozens of boats cruise just off the beach, looking for pods of fish just outside the "green bar" - a deep bar that runs parallel to the beach throughout the area.

For several years, there was a hot cobia fishery in winter around the Tampa Electric Co. power plant at Apollo Beach, but heavy fishing pressure apparently wiped out this run.

Cobia eat just about anything. In our area, most are caught on live sardines, threadfins or pinfish. Large topwater lures, 1-ounce bucktail jigs and swimmer-tail jigs - particularly black eel imitations - also do well. They're also known to readily take small crabs and large shrimp.

The trick is to motor around traveling fish, stop the boat and let them swim into range. At times, it's possible to power right up on the fish; cobia are generally far less skittish than tarpon. With artificials, a slow retrieve usually works best to get the fish interested. But if they swim up to the lure and don't take it, retrieving it as fast as you can crank often triggers the strike.

Cobia have an odd habit of following a hooked fish to the boat, somewhat like dolphin. This often allows a double hookup, if a second rig is baited and ready.

Don't Be Deceived

Cobia frequently hang around the large tripod markers in Tampa Bay, and long-time experts such as captain Scott Moore of Holmes Beach advise casting live bait to the markers, even when you don't see fish there.

"Lots of times, the fish will be down deep where you can't see them, but if you sink the bait down 8 or 10 feet, they'll take it," Moore said.

Cobia can get huge. The International Game Fish Association all-tackle record is 135 pounds, 9 ounces, caught off Australia. They're one of the few "green water" species that is caught worldwide. The largest reported in Florida was 128 pounds, 12 ounces, caught off Pensacola Beach in 1995.

The larger ones can be a real problem when brought aboard. Though they might be fairly docile in the water, the instant they hit the deck they go berserk. Many anglers have had tackle busted up by a flailing cobia in the cockpit. The best bet for fish to be kept is to flop them directly into a large ice chest, then sit on top of it until things quiet down.

Cobia are great fish for grilling, with moist, white flesh that browns nicely if coated with a bit of mayonnaise before heating. Most anglers "steak" the fish into 2-inch-thick slabs by cutting vertically through the backbone.

The limit is one fish per person per day, with a minimum size of 33 inches to the center of the fork of the tail.

For more info, call Hubbard at (941) 697-6944 or visit www.captvan.com.