# First trip of the year 4/27



## ezb0012 (Apr 24, 2013)

New to the site and finally taking my first trip out for cobia this year out of Dauphin Island. I have never hunted for cobia before and I have learned a tremendous amount reading on this site. I have a 19' CC that does not have a tower. Should that be a big problem? 

We are heading out around 6:00 am Saturday morning and going to run all around the coast looking for them. Besides eel, what else is good bait? If we don't have any luck with those, we will probably head a few miles offshore and fish a few rigs for snapper and sheephead. What other fishing is good this time of the year that's 10 miles out and in? Never really fished this time of the year. Always waited until June or July or stayed in the rivers for specks and reds. 

Any input would be helpful.

Thanks


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

I know you know this, but don't keep the snapper. You might be able to catch cobia at the rigs close in


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## fishen (Dec 13, 2011)

Try trolling for kings and spanish while hunting for cobia. Should be able to catch a few now.


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## ezb0012 (Apr 24, 2013)

Chapman5011 said:


> I know you know this, but don't keep the snapper. You might be able to catch cobia at the rigs close in


Yes, of course. No red snapper.


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## ezb0012 (Apr 24, 2013)

fishen said:


> Try trolling for kings and spanish while hunting for cobia. Should be able to catch a few now.


We tried trolling for king and spanish about a mile off the shore and never had any luck with it. We used the same set up we use when we're 30 miles out. Any suggestions?


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## fishen (Dec 13, 2011)

For kings I pull four lines. I use stretch 20's or 25's on short rods off transom. I pull cigar minnows on pirate plugs off the Gunwale holders with longer rods. Pirate plugs are blue/white green/white or pink/white. Best luck trolling near structure rigs/reefs/etc. The stretches will pick up a bull red sometimes and ive heard of them catching cobia but I never have.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

ezb0012 said:


> We tried trolling for king and spanish about a mile off the shore and never had any luck with it. We used the same set up we use when we're 30 miles out. Any suggestions?


Given that you have no tower and leaving out of DI, I would suggest anchoring upcurrent from a near-shore oil rig and chumming with menhaden chunks. I would float a live bait near the surface under a balloon, and another down about twenty feet. I'm thinking cobia here.

It will be difficult at best to sight fish with no tower and competing with a fleet of boats with thirty foot towers. This late in the cobia season, you may do better kicking offshore a little.

Kings will also come to the chum. Good luck.


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## JDM (Oct 1, 2007)

*pirate plugs*

hey Fishen, where are you getting those pirate plugs from?


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## stauty trout (Jul 19, 2012)

The cobia will be around the nearshore rigs off Ft. Morgan... Guarantee... Sometimes they're picky and sometimes they'll eat anything you throw at em... keep something live on at all times to throw at em if they come up and get some bucktail jigs (large ones) with a grub on jigging rods and jig those rigs, that is if you don't feel like anchoring up and chumming while killing some cold ones.... good luck to ya!


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## Lyin Too (Aug 31, 2009)

If you chum just up current from the PE881 a few miles south of gulf shores you will catch black snapper, kings, red snapper and cobia. Keep a bucket half full of water and chum juice and when you see a cobia try to feed him some cut up chum. If he eats it, drop him a piece with a hook in it. If he dont eat that, drop a live pinfish and pour out the bucket of bloody water, he wont be able to stand it and will eat the pinfish. Dont expect to hook but half the cobia you see. If your a bow hunter, take a fishing arrow and stob his ass if he wont eat! Good luck.


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## grey ghost (Jul 24, 2011)

LOL!! stob his axx!


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## fishen (Dec 13, 2011)

JDM you can purchase pirate plugs at http://southchathamtackle.com/Pirate_Plugs.htm. Only way I can get a previously frozen cigar minnow not to spin.


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## JDM (Oct 1, 2007)

*pirate plugs*

thanks Fishen, i have been using those for years and thought maybe someone was selling them in the area. I tried to get the guy to let me sell them for him down here but think he has all the business he wants up in North Carolina. You can also throw a ballohoo on and it will not spin either. Best trolling rig i have ever used with cigar and ballyhoo's not spinning.
thanks


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## PJIII (Oct 29, 2011)

What color do yall prefer? Online now dont know which ones to buy!!


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## fishen (Dec 13, 2011)

Blue/White Green/White Pink/White but Blue/White overall


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## PJIII (Oct 29, 2011)

would you buy them pre rigged with j hook and 2 trebles or you can get them un rigged but with the j hook


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## fishen (Dec 13, 2011)

I get them unrigged and rig myself


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## JDM (Oct 1, 2007)

*2 colors*

solid pink and solid black for me.

both have worked


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## afcopper15 (Dec 12, 2012)

*Pirate Plug*

I've only just started to try and troll for Kings, but after reading these posts I bought a couple of those pirate plugs and am looking forward to testing them out. The wesite said their rig could make even the most inexperienced fisherman lok like a pro... pretty sure they were talking about me!


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## ezb0012 (Apr 24, 2013)

The weather wasnt too bad so we decided to leave around 3:30 in the morning and head about 30 miles out of dauphin island to troll around a few rigs we tried to fish last year (but failed due to a boating injury, got the first big king in the boat and in 2-3' seas in a 19'CC the fish slid down the side of the boat and one of its fins put a nice big gash in my foot, which ended the trip and landed me 13 stitches.) this trip was a little different. trolled for about 4 hours and landed 4 nice sized kings. Dropped at the rigs and landed about 15 snapper (that were very hard to throw back due to the nice size)

All in all it was a fun trip, landed a few kings and looking forward to heading back out to some more new spots.


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