Cobia

Common from 20 to 50 pounds; sometimes up to 80 pounds (5' Long), and possibly to 100lbs or more. World record 135 pounds, 9 ouncesMost caught off piers are fish under 10 pounds in weight.

Ling, Crab Eater, Lemonfish, Bacalao

All the way from shallow inshore waters to the deep sea. Most Florida Cobia winter in the southern reaches of the state of offshore, migrating northward in the Spring to cover both coasts. Dramatic runs occur along Panhandle beaches in April. Cobia love to hang around navigation markers, wrecks and artificial reefs, where they swim both at the surface and down deep. They also escort wandering Mantas and other large rays, and many are caught around those hosts. Juveniles are frequently caught incidentally by trout fishermen over many Gulf Coast grass flats-and same big ones too. The cobia is distributed worldwide in tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate waters. In the western Atlantic Ocean this pelagic fish occurs from Nova Scotia (Canada), south to Argentina, including the Caribbean Sea. It is abundant in warm waters off the coast of the US from the Chesapeake Bay south and through out the Gulf of Mexico. The cobia is also found inshore inhabiting bays, inlets, and mangroves. Remoras are often seen swimming with cobra. Adults occur in a variety of habitats, over mud, sand and gravel bottoms; over coral reefs, off rocky shores and in mangrove sloughs; inshore around pilings and buoys, and offshore around drifting and stationary objects; occasionally in estuaries. Form small groups and may pursue small pelagic inshore. Feed on crabs, fishes, and squids. Form spawning aggregations during the warm months in the western Atlantic; eggs and larvae planktonic. Caught in small quantities due to its solitary behavior

In the water, Cobia look very much like sharks. The usual color is brown or dark gray above, whitish on the underside, with a dark stripe running from gills to base of tail. The striped appearance is more vivid in juveniles. Several rather sharp finlets on the dorsal surface extend from behind the head to the dorsal fin. The body is elongate and torpedo-shaped with a long, depressed head. The eyes are small and the snout is broad. The lower jaw projects past the upper jaw. The skin looks smooth with very small embedded scales. Easily distinguished by the first dorsal fin which is composed of 7-9 short, strong isolated spines, not connected by a membrane. Second dorsal fin is long with the anterior portion elevated. The caudal fin is round to truncated in young fishes, and lunate in adults with the upper lobe extending past the lower. Cobia lack an air bladder. The body is dark brown to silver, paler on the sides and grayish white to silvery below, with two narrow dark bands extending from the snout to base of caudal fin. These dark bands are bordered above and below by paler bands. Young cobia have pronounced dark lateral bands, which tend to become obscured in the adult fish. Most fins are deep brown, with gray markings on the anal and pelvic fins. Cobia have bands of villiform teeth on jaws, and on roof of mouth and tongue. Cobia are more common at weights of up to 50 pounds. They reach lengths of 20-47 inches, with a maximum of 79 inches. Cobia grow quickly and have a moderately long life span. Maximum ages observed for cobia in the Gulf of Mexico were 9 and 11 years for males and females respectively while off the North Carolina coast maximum ages were 14 and 13 years. Females reach sexual maturity at 3 years of age and males at 2 years in the Chesapeake Bay region. Dorsal spines (total): 7 - 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 26-33; Anal spines: 2-3; Anal soft rays: 22 - 28. Head broad and depressed. First dorsal fin with short but strong isolated spines, not connected by a membrane. Caudal fin lunate in adults, upper lobe longer than lower. Back and sides dark brown, with 2 sharply defined narrow silvery bands.

Form spawning aggregations during the warm months in the western Atlantic; eggs and larvae planktonic

Summary of Distribution: Worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters, but absent in the eastern Pacific and the Pacific Plate, except marginally. Western Atlantic: Canada to Bermuda and Massachusetts, USA to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and entire Caribbean. Eastern Atlantic: Morocco to South Africa. Indo-West Pacific: East Africa and Hokkaido, Japan to Australia.
Note: Distribution range colors indicate degree of suitability of habitat which can be interpreted as probabilities of occurrence (fishbase.org)

	Gill nets Gill-nets are the dominant gear in the Indian Ocean. Gill-nets are used in artisanal and semi-industrial fisheries, contributing to 30-40% of the total catch. The net design is comprised of continuous panels of uniform mesh size, aimed to trap fish behind the gills. The International Sustainable Seafood Foundation (ISSF) notes that rates of sharks and turtle by-catch in Indian Ocean gill-net fisheries are high..
	Kite Fishing (Trolling) Kite Fishing Trolling is when you are....
	River Drift River Drift means to use the....
	Trawling Trawling is when....

Surf tackle is the best bet for pier fishing and for boat fishing when long casts with heavy lures are called for. Since Cobia are notorious for wrapping lines around buoys and wreck structure, most anglers use 30-pound-test line or heavier. Once clear of obstructions, however, even large Cobia can be successfully fought with spinning, baitcasting and fly tackle although a minimum of 10-pound line or tippet is advisable. When gaffed "green" (not tired), Cobia can-and often do smash up the inside of a boat. Jigs and large streamer flies are the most-used artificials. Spoons and swimming plugs often work well; you might wake them up with a surface plug, popper or tube lure. Live baitfish, such as Pinfish, Mullet, Cigar Minnows, Grunts and Jacks work best, but live shrimp, crabs, dead fish or squid are good too.

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