# Cobia techniques - Run and Gun or Troll and Watch?



## sel1005 (Jan 10, 2008)

I was debating with a friend over the weekend who claimed it was a waste of time and fuel to troll and look out for cobia instead of running the sand bar at speed to spot them and then pursue what you found. The difference for me is a whether to cut fuel consumption in half and maybe pick up a cobia or king while we're looking or cover a lot more water. 

I have had success both ways, but with fuel at $5 a gallon I will likely troll this spring and watch out for cobia rather than the run and gun approach. 

Wondering what everyone else was doing with gas prices so high?


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## tyler0421 (Jan 10, 2008)

You run by me on the bar we may have a problem!


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## feelin' wright (Oct 7, 2007)

Why??? It is free water and people can run by you if they want. I was in the pass this weekend fish and all the cobia boats had no problem hauling ass right beside us. I seen a couple boat get thrown into bouys from some of the wakes on the larger boats. That is fishing, you cannot expect people to stay 1 mile away from you at all times. 

Now it would be nice if everyone gave each other a wide berth but realisticly it will never happen.


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f21/free-cobia-seminar-tonight-flounders-85821/


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## Sushi maker (Jun 3, 2010)

The water is not as free as you may think. It is required that you use reasonable care when underway. If you damage someones boat by running to close to them or 2 fast you are responsable for the damage. A few years back I was getting a Coast guard shake down and we had drifted out of the no wake zone a good ways. A go fast boat ripped by us causing damage to my boat. The boys in orange and white went after them. They ticketed them for careless operation and they were required to pay for the damage done to my boat.


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## whome (Oct 2, 2007)

There is not a technique called "run and gun" while fishing for cobia. If you want to make a lot of enemies real quick then run down the sand bar during April on plane. A few years ago when I was writing for the Hook line and Sinker I wrote an article on Proper Etiquette while cobia fishing. The bottom line is your best shot is idling down the beach slow and looking. There are some days that are REALLY slow, you may not see anything and it is a very boring day for some people. A couple suggestions are don't run down the beach on plane. If you need to run, get off the beach south of everyone else and run. If you see another boat turn on a fish don't run over to them and try to find that fish. If you see another boat fighting a fish, don't run over to them to watch the show. One last thing, the pier fisherman love for you to pull right under the pier and talk to them about how their day is going...:thumbsup:


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

I'm thinking we're not selling anything in this thread? May want to move it to another section.


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## Lyin Too (Aug 31, 2009)

What is proper etiquite if someone is anchored and chuming just off the beach?


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## xtopdawg386x (Dec 31, 2010)

Capt. Jon Pinney said:


> There is not a technique called "run and gun" while fishing for cobia. If you want to make a lot of enemies real quick then run down the sand bar during April on plane. A few years ago when I was writing for the Hook line and Sinker I wrote an article on Proper Etiquette while cobia fishing. The bottom line is your best shot is idling down the beach slow and looking. There are some days that are REALLY slow, you may not see anything and it is a very boring day for some people. A couple suggestions are don't run down the beach on plane. If you need to run, get off the beach south of everyone else and run. If you see another boat turn on a fish don't run over to them and try to find that fish. If you see another boat fighting a fish, don't run over to them to watch the show. One last thing, the pier fisherman love for you to pull right under the pier and talk to them about how their day is going...:thumbsup:


yea thats a great way to get a 6 or 8 oz sinker thrown at you generally have a rod set up for just the idiot who does that .. we all so enjoy the tourist that try to bottom fish out there the really enjoy when there lines get cut .


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## sel1005 (Jan 10, 2008)

sorry, was not paying attention I guess and posted in the wrong forum. 

just to be clear, I do not support being inconsiderate at all, would not run by someone or toss wakes around, not my style for sure, not to mention jut plain dangerous for other folks. 

normally running would be done 50-100 yards outside the second bar depending on water color and clarity, but never too close to other boats or people in the water. same as you might do looking for weedlines offshore, just riding and trying to cover a lot of water.

whether you troll and look, or cruise at 15 kts spotting shadows, you should always be respectful of others


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## on the rocks (Oct 1, 2007)

xtopdawg386x said:


> yea thats a great way to get a 6 or 8 oz sinker thrown at you generally have a rod set up for just the idiot who does that .. *we all so enjoy the tourist that try to bottom fish out there the really enjoy when *there lines get cut .


 So tourist are not allowed on the pier??? How do you manage to keep them off?


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## xtopdawg386x (Dec 31, 2010)

on the rocks said:


> So tourist are not allowed on the pier??? How do you manage to keep them off?


o you cant keep them off the pier but you can damn sure cut there lines when they start bottom fishing and wont get out the way when your trying to land a king or cobia off the pier . Yea its a [email protected]@ hole move to cut there lines when there bottom fishing but there signs that say no bottom fishing out at the end of the pier so if there stupid enough to do it then there stupid enough to lose a couple bucks for a rig :laughing:


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## on the rocks (Oct 1, 2007)

xtopdawg386x said:


> o you cant keep them off the pier but you can damn sure cut there lines when they start bottom fishing and wont get out the way when your trying to land a king or cobia off the pier . Yea its a [email protected]@ hole move to cut there lines when there bottom fishing but there signs that say no bottom fishing out at the end of the pier so if there stupid enough to do it then there stupid enough to lose a couple bucks for a rig :laughing:



So please explain to me how you go about cutting their lines??? Do you wait till they turn away and then cut their line when they aren't looking or do you just walk right up to them, grab thier line and cut it off. I am just trying to understand pier etiquette or the lack there of. :whistling:

Seems to me that would be a right fashionable way to get your a$$ kicked by picking the wrong tourist's line to cut. Old people can be mean...they got nothing to lose...just saying...:yes:


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## Wharf Rat (Sep 27, 2007)

xtopdawg386x said:


> o you cant keep them off the pier but you can damn sure cut there lines when they start bottom fishing and wont get out the way when your trying to land a king or cobia off the pier . Yea its a [email protected]@ hole move to cut there lines when there bottom fishing but there signs that say no bottom fishing out at the end of the pier so if there stupid enough to do it then there stupid enough to lose a couple bucks for a rig :laughing:



You sound like the typical asshole that gives pier rats their name(and their bad reputation). What you don't realize is that if it weren't for the tourism, you wouldn't even have your precious pier.


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