# 2013 Cobia World Championships



## eddiem84

Cobia fishing’s premier tournament, the Cobia World Championships, is adding a new twist for 2013. The tournament, which has taken place at Destin’s Harbor Docks Restaurant for over 20 years, has partnered with Bote Boards, to introduce a Stand-Up Paddle Board Division. The angler who lands the largest cobia on a paddle board during the tournament will be awarded a new BOTE Board donated by the Destin store.

“Fishing on S.U.P.s is rapidly increasing in our area, and across the nation,” says Eddie Morgan, Tournament Director, “since cobia migrate just off the beach in our waters, they are a perfect species to target on a paddle board. Catching a large one on a board will be quite the challenge, but people are catching sailfish on them, so why not cobia?”

The Cobia World Championships is also announcing a partnership with Pensacola’s Outcast Bait & Tackle, thus allowing boats fishing the tournament to weigh their catch at the Pensacola tackle shop. Traditionally, boats have been required to weigh their catch at the official weigh station at Harbor Docks, essentially making the tournament exclusive to Destin boats.

“Most of the best cobia fishermen in the world fish are out of either Destin or Pensacola,” Morgan said, “adding a scale at Outcast allows more of those fishermen to compete against each other for the right to be the World Champion.”

The 2013 Cobia World Championships will kick off on Friday, March 22 at 6:00 pm at Harbor Docks Restaurant, the first day of fishing will follow on March 23 and the tournament will end on May 5, 2013. A representative for the Cobia World Championships will be in Pensacola at Outcast’s tournament kickoff party on March 21 to register boats wishing to fish the tournament.

Along with the new S.U.P. World Championship division, boats may also compete for the Overall World Championships, Ladies World Championships, Donut Hole Junior World Championships, Most fish Caught 50 Pounds and Over, and a division for smaller vessels, the 28’ and Under World Championships.

Harbor Docks Restaurant will also serve host to the Crab Cruncher Classic cobia tournament. The weekend tournament will take place at Harbor Docks from Thursday, April 11, 2013 through Sunday, April 14, 2013, with top cobia fishing teams converging on the Destin Harbor to compete for a total purse well over $200,000.

The Cobia World Championships and Crab Cruncher Classic serve as Harbor Docks Charities’ main fundraisers for their 19th Annual Take-A-Kid Fishing Day, held Sunday, November 3, 2013. In 2012, the tournaments combined to pay out over $155,000 in cash and prizes and raised over $15,000 for the 18th Annual Take-A-Kid Fishing Day.

“Our goal is to treat 500 underprivileged children to a memorable day of fishing aboard some of Destin’s finest charter boats. People don’t realize that many local children have never even seen the gulf,” Morgan added, “We just want to take them fishing.”

Formerly known as Rally for Recreation (founded in 1986), Harbor Docks Charities hosts numerous fundraising events throughout the year including the Cobia World Championships and Crab Cruncher Classic fishing tournament as well as the Caddyshack Classic Golf Tournament and Harbor Docks Charity Auction.


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## JD7.62

Will there be a kayak division?


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## eddiem84

Sorry no kayak division.


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## hsiF deR

eddiem84 said:


> Sorry no kayak division.


Lame


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## Capt. Myles Colley

Glad to see a weigh-in in Pcola.


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## KingCrab

Cobia migrate in shore near beaches,,, They also migrate offshore up to 10 miles or more. We've fished 3 miles off the beach & done real well. So dont just run the sand bars chasing everything off of it. There are pompano fishers, red fishers, king / Spanish fishers, Even Ling fishers not in boats. Please be courteous to the other fishers. Stay off the bars. Im Not bashing any one but some tend to churn sand Quote "Cobia Fishing". Kayaks dont really count due to thier lack of noise . Have at it. Thanks.


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## eddiem84

hsiF deR said:


> Lame


Sorry, we weren't sure how much interest a kayak division would get. Not sure how much a paddle board will either, but Bōte was nice enough to donate a board to the winner so we included them.


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## eddiem84

KingCrab said:


> Cobia migrate in shore near beaches,,, They also migrate offshore up to 10 miles or more. We've fished 3 miles off the beach & done real well. So dont just run the sand bars chasing everything off of it. There are pompano fishers, red fishers, king / Spanish fishers, Even Ling fishers not in boats. Please be courteous to the other fishers. Stay off the bars. Im Not bashing any one but some tend to churn sand Quote "Cobia Fishing". Kayaks dont really count due to thier lack of noise . Have at it. Thanks.


I hear ya, when I'm driving the boat, we are almost always 2-3 miles off the beach. You're never going to get the bulk of cobia fishermen out of the green water though. It's too easy to see them in there.


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## eddiem84

Capt. Myles Colley said:


> Glad to see a weigh-in in Pcola.


We are excited to be working with Tommy this year, hopefully we can pick up quite a few boats from over there.

Since HarborWalk isn't having a tournament this year, and with the partnership with Outcast, we are expecting/hoping for a huge year for participation.


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## Capt. Myles Colley

KingCrab said:


> Cobia migrate in shore near beaches,,, They also migrate offshore up to 10 miles or more. We've fished 3 miles off the beach & done real well. So dont just run the sand bars chasing everything off of it. There are pompano fishers, red fishers, king / Spanish fishers, Even Ling fishers not in boats. Please be courteous to the other fishers. Stay off the bars. Im Not bashing any one but some tend to churn sand Quote "Cobia Fishing". Kayaks dont really count due to thier lack of noise . Have at it. Thanks.


This has nothing to do with this post! Start your own.


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## rufus1138

i think you would get your kayak quota in this tourney, i know im gonna try catching one this year.


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## LITECATCH

How much is the entry fee?


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## eddiem84

LITECATCH said:


> How much is the entry fee?


Overall World Championships: $250
28' & Under World Championships: $100

More info can be found at www.cobiaworldchampionships.com


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## bigrick

Does the Papi fish in the tournament or are ya'll out there catching fish for the restuarant. I saw ya'll off navarre a bunch last year. Just wondering.


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## eddiem84

bigrick said:


> Does the Papi fish in the tournament or are ya'll out there catching fish for the restuarant. I saw ya'll off navarre a bunch last year. Just wondering.


We enter both the Papi and Hey Baby in our tournament and in Outcast. I normally fish on the Hey Baby when the weather is good and there are some fish around. But if its calling for 4s or so, I'm definitely on the big boat.


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## clunan1

Capt. Myles Colley said:


> Glad to see a weigh-in in Pcola.



It would be nice to have a weigh-in in Panama City Beach as well...:whistling:


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## LITECATCH

Since ya'll are letting us weigh in at Outcast i guess we are in!


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## eddiem84

LITECATCH said:


> Since ya'll are letting us weigh in at Outcast i guess we are in!


That is great! I'll probably be at Tommy's kickoff party with entry forms and to answer questions for anyone interested in fishing our tournament.


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## JD7.62

Bummer, I can tell you that there would be a decent kayak turn out. If typical kayak/paddle board tournaments are an indicator, youll have at least five times as many yakkers as people on SUPs but I can understand with donation from Bote. Maybe next year!


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## eddiem84

JD7.62 said:


> Bummer, I can tell you that there would be a decent kayak turn out. If typical kayak/paddle board tournaments are an indicator, youll have at least five times as many yakkers as people on SUPs but I can understand with donation from Bote. Maybe next year!


Yeah. We certainly would have included a kayak division if we had a good sponsor like Bōte, but otherwise there would have been a very small prize or we would have had to put it up our selves. Just going off these responses, I will definitely make an effort to find a way to include one next year.


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## Telum Pisces

eddiem84 said:


> Yeah. We certainly would have included a kayak division if we had a good sponsor like Bōte, but otherwise there would have been a very small prize or we would have had to put it up our selves. Just going off these responses, I will definitely make an effort to find a way to include one next year.


Definately more kayak fishermen than paddle board fishermen in the area big time.


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## eddiem84

Telum Pisces said:


> Definately more kayak fishermen than paddle board fishermen in the area big time.


I'm well aware of that. Kayaks have been around hundreds of years, paddle boards not so much, its natural that more people use them. Bōte donated a paddle board so we will have a paddle board division, if a kayak company donated a kayak, we would have one as well.

All of the proceeds from our tournament go towards our Take-A-Kid Fishing Day, we can't afford to add niche divisions without a sponsor backing us. I wish we could have a division for everything and everyone, but it just isn't possible.


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## rufus1138

psh us yakkers are a humble group, we would go for a small prize like a t-shirt or some kind of small yak accessory


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## eddiem84

rufus1138 said:


> psh us yakkers are a humble group, we would go for a small prize like a t-shirt or some kind of small yak accessory


I'll keep that in mind for next year, thanks.


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## LITECATCH

Is there a calcutta?


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## eddiem84

LITECATCH said:


> Is there a calcutta?


Optional Cash Awards*

Largest Fish**
$50 • $100 • $250 • $500 • $1,000

Fat Four (aggregate)**
$50 • $100 • $250 • $500 • $1,000

28’ and Under Largest Fish**
$50 • $100 • $250

* 10% of ALL cash awards will be taken out for Take-A-Kid Fishing Day
** Cash awards split 50/30/20 if 10 boats or more, 70/30 if under 10 boats


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## LITECATCH

Cool man, thanks!


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## eddiem84

LITECATCH said:


> Cool man, thanks!


No problem!


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## Captain Jake Adams

Looking forward to it! "Nothin Matters" will be in for sure.


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## seanspots

clunan1 said:


> It would be nice to have a weigh-in in Panama City Beach as well...:whistling:


 Haha! I hear ya.We always get left out..


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## AustinP

seanspots said:


> Haha! I hear ya.We always get left out..


Howie you know you're not supposed to leave the other forum ;]


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## KingCrab

Capt. Myles Colley said:


> This has nothing to do with this post! Start your own.


It has all to do with it Myles. Love u too.:shifty: Oh, & good luck..:thumbup:


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## Tooletime

Can small boat fish both divisions?


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## eddiem84

Tooletime said:


> Can small boat fish both divisions?


Yes, as long as you pay both entry fees.


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## Southern Charters LLC

Eddie will there be a Captains meeting in Pensacola as well or do we have to drive to Destin?


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## eddiem84

Southern Charters said:


> Eddie will there be a Captains meeting in Pensacola as well or do we have to drive to Destin?


There won't be a formal meeting, but Tommy is going to let me set up a table at his Captains' Party on March 21.

He will also have a table for his tournament at our party in Destin on March 22.


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## Southern Charters LLC

Great. The "Eva Shay" is in! See you then.


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## eddiem84

We are happy to announce that like Outcast, we will be accepting weights from Zeke's Marina in Orange Beach and Half Hitch Tackle in Panama City for the Cobia World Championships!


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## eddiem84

The Cobia World Championships has already started, but it isn't too late to register.

We currently have 41 boats registered in the Overall World Championships with a total purse of $47,430! The 28' & Under World Championships currently has 21 boats and a purse of $3,360!

There is no late fee for late registration, you just have to get payment to Harbor Docks office by 5 pm the day before you weigh in a fish! Visit www.cobiaworldchampionships.com to download an entry form!


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## Bluewater Cowboy

Can you enter by calling and giving a credit card to you? Also can you put the calcutta on a credit card?


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## eddiem84

Bluewater Cowboy said:


> Can you enter by calling and giving a credit card to you? Also can you put the calcutta on a credit card?


Yes and yes.


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## Ginzu

JD7.62 said:


> Bummer, I can tell you that there would be a decent kayak turn out. If typical kayak/paddle board tournaments are an indicator, youll have at least five times as many yakkers as people on SUPs but I can understand with donation from Bote. Maybe next year!


Who catches Cobes from a yak?:whistling:


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