# shitty cobia season...



## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

This is the worst season I've seen in a looong time. I figured it would be bad because of the warm winter but not this bad. Saw 6 fish total and only got 1 over 40 in the cooler. Talked to a lot of guys that fished more than me that didn't do any better. Hopefully they'll be on the wrecks in the next few months but my freezers supply of cobia is getting low.


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## SaltJunkie0226 (Jun 26, 2011)

I saw a guy catch one off the liberty ship in Destin on Saturday


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## romadfishrman (Jan 23, 2009)

Just spent the past week in PC, holy horrible. Saw a total of 4 fish and 3 were caught the same day. Don't understand why it's so bad. Heard of any BP investigations on the spill affecting the fish? Last year was pretty piss poor as well.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

ya, most have come off nearshore wrecks this year. I saw 1 fish inshore of the color change and we threw everything we had at it and it wouldn't bite. To many boats out there these days. Sight fishin them isn't what it was even 10 years ago.


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## tyler0421 (Jan 10, 2008)

they need to close it down for a year or two... We caught quite a few fish this year but nothing like we usually do. If they don't totally close it down they definatly need to stop commercial harvests..


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## Starlifter (Feb 24, 2011)

Follow the Cobia's migration pattern, and see that as I seen it explained that as they migrate from the eastern seaboard and around the tip of Florida until they reach our area; they have already been dwindled down by the time they reach us. Then, they still have to work their way across Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico.

That is a lot of fishing pressure; year after year.


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## younghooker (Oct 7, 2007)

i heard theres been a strong run up the East coast this year ( and Last )... ours don't always come up from the keys.. many just straight in from deep water.. then west.. Destin to Pensacola... Stop aggregate ( biggest 3 ) in our tourneys..  just 1 largest.. and big Pri$e for most tag and release :yes:


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

here we go... everyone blame BP, everyone blame the tournaments, everyone blame the commercial guys... it's the same broken record every year...

If it was BP, why would it be just cobia that is affected? it has been the most out of control king mackerel season in recent memory.

As for tournaments, the # of fish tagged and released GREATLY outnumbers the # of fish killed.

Commercial fishermen??? please.... when can you go to a restaurant and see cobia on the menu any other month than April?...

The only legit blame that can be placed is on mother nature. An extremely warm winter, combined with La Nina weather patters is the reason for the bad season...If you wanted to take it a step further, blame fishermen in Louisiana and Mississippi...
they crush the cobia with no mercy off of the shallow water rigs. 2 per person with no boat limit... they stack them like cordwood.


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

Preach it sister John.

The cobia do not come from the East Coast down, they stage in the Keys/Caribbean and then pick left or right. Some years, they go right (east coast) some left (Gulf Coast).

Some years early, some late. 

It's nature, no need to over think it. It was hot all winter, they crushed'em in March and April fished like May.


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## hsiF deR (Oct 4, 2009)

JoeZ said:


> Preach it sister John.
> 
> The cobia do not come from the East Coast down.


They most definitely migrate down the east coast.


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## Burnt Drag (Jun 3, 2008)

Has anyone considered the damage when boats run on the sold fish and not much more? Fish sold to buy fuel, bait, food, and beer. Guys taking off 4 weeks to do nothing more than kill cobia? Go ahead... call me names.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Wirelessly posted



Burnt Drag said:


> Has anyone considered the damage when boats run on the sold fish and not much more? Fish sold to buy fuel, bait, food, and beer. Guys taking off 4 weeks to do nothing more than kill cobia? Go ahead... call me names.


It definitely happens, but is mere child's play compared to the bloodbath to the west...


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## standrew (Dec 15, 2009)

hsiF deR said:


> They most definitely migrate down the east coast.


You are correct, but missing the context.

They migrate south (down) the east coast in the fall. They move with the water temp up both coasts in the spring. For example, the fish that were being caught off of New Smyrna and Daytona a month ago are spread out from Jekyll to Savanna right now. Happens every year. The ones that come by us are going to spawn off the Mississippi. After that, most shoot back across the gulf, but some travel the beach back to the south along the coast. I've caught "wrong way" fish the past 3 Julys on the beach in Panama City.... especially if there is an upwelling....


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## fisheye48 (Sep 28, 2007)

at least you guys can fish...all i get to do is look at sand and more sand out here in the desert of west texas!!!


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## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

fisheye48 said:


> at least you guys can fish...all i get to do is look at sand and more sand out here in the desert of west texas!!!


You in EL PASO ??


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## Austin (Sep 30, 2007)

John B. said:


> here we go... everyone blame BP, everyone blame the tournaments, everyone blame the commercial guys... it's the same broken record every year...
> 
> If it was BP, why would it be just cobia that is affected? it has been the most out of control king mackerel season in recent memory.
> 
> ...


Exactly. Just hope for a cold winter boys and girls! Water warmed up way too fast the last two seasons.


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## floorguy (Jul 22, 2011)

sounds like my hunting season not much deer action


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## Bill Me (Oct 5, 2007)

John B. said:


> here we go... everyone blame BP, everyone blame the tournaments, everyone blame the commercial guys... it's the same broken record every year...
> 
> If it was BP, why would it be just cobia that is affected? it has been the most out of control king mackerel season in recent memory.
> 
> ...


Ah, an advocate for federal regulation!


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

What was the size of the winner in this year's Outcast Invitational?

I was having drinks at Jaco's and saw some fish brought in. The largest was about 60#, I think? Was that the winner?

Those were some fine boats, too.


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

hsiF deR said:


> They most definitely migrate down the east coast.


Not this time of year they don't.


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

Also consider the fact that we might (might) be seeing the impact of the oil spill on a single spawning season. No eggs two years ago would mean a bad run this year. Couple that with the winter we had and you might have an explanation.


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## Fishhead706 (Apr 26, 2009)

East coast has had a terrible season, as well as the West coast. I think it is very difficult to gauge the strength of a migratory species but I think more should be done to replenish the stock... Moratorium, slot limits, etc... But I am no marine biologist. I do know that a decent day, when I was a kid, in an 18 foot Glastron with a homeade tower was seeing 20-25 fish and bringing home 10...circa early '80s. I hope it gets better!!!


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## fisheye48 (Sep 28, 2007)

sbarrow said:


> You in EL PASO ??


yup:thumbdown:


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## Captain Trip Carter (Dec 31, 2011)

my opinion is they're going to have to do something conservation wise like a slot or 1 fish per boat over slot something of that nature.....takes a long time for a cobia to reach the age to reproduce from my understanding. Each year it seems to get worse and worse, but again thats my opinion.


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## standrew (Dec 15, 2009)

Captain Trip Carter said:


> my opinion is they're going to have to do something conservation wise like a slot or 1 fish per boat over slot something of that nature.....takes a long time for a cobia to reach the age to reproduce from my understanding. Each year it seems to get worse and worse, but again thats my opinion.


1-2 years for males, 2-3 for females to reach reproductive age. They are, in fact, a fast growing fish considering their size. The warmer winter might have offset their pattern and they went deep and furthur offshore. I believe photoperiod and water temp play a role in their migration, but that's just my opinion. They went offshore and deep this year and missed us. Lots of them being caught jack fishing within 25 miles here in PC.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

John B. said:


> If you wanted to take it a step further, blame fishermen in Louisiana and Mississippi...
> they crush the cobia with no mercy off of the shallow water rigs. 2 per person with no boat limit... they stack them like cordwood.


Ha, that's funny. I hope that comment was tongue-in-cheek. There is NOBODY out of Venice that is "crushing" the cobia, especially this time of year. We get good, consistent cobia fishing for maybe 3-5 weeks out of the year, in the fall, and not nearly the size fish yall get off the beach, either. One or two caught here and there in the spring.


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## tyler0421 (Jan 10, 2008)

"As for tournaments, the # of fish tagged and released GREATLY outnumbers the # of fish killed."

Where are you getting this information? I know very few people want to mess with tagging fish while fishing tournaments. I know I'm not going to waste my time trying to tag fish when i should be looking for a bigger fish that could be a money fish in the tourney.


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## younghooker (Oct 7, 2007)

only 8 fish total weighed in Outcast Tourney.. 6 of them came off oil rigs.. 30 boats and 3 DAYS fishing... terrible.. :thumbdown:


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Wirelessly posted



Captain Woody Woods said:


> John B. said:
> 
> 
> > If you wanted to take it a step further, blame fishermen in Louisiana and Mississippi...
> ...


Ahhh the great captain woody woods!
Why is it that when one mentions they state of Louisiana, they automatically assume Venice is all I was talking about... the majority of boats that leave Venice are either tuna fishing or trout/redfishing. 

The boats that leave out of the Biloxi Marsh area is more what I was speaking of....


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

John B. said:


> Wirelessly posted
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ahh the John Booker. Perhaps because Venice, and the huge fishery that is supported here, falls under the collective Louisiana which you allude to. Regardless, as far as an overall indicator of the cobia population as a whole, I think a better indicator would be to wait and see how our late September/October run goes before any finger pointing can begin (BP, commercial guys, whatever). There are PLENTY of customers coming through Venice who are requesting cobia as part of their daytrips. Nobody outta Venice is whackin any, for what it's worth.


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## Go_Sic'm (Dec 28, 2007)

standrew said:


> The warmer winter might have offset their pattern and they went deep and furthur offshore. I believe photoperiod and water temp play a role in their migration, but that's just my opinion. They went offshore and deep this year and missed us. Lots of them being caught jack fishing within 25 miles here in PC.


I agree with this. We're getting the same reports of meager cobia fishing along the beaches over here on the east coast, but, I went 30 miles offshore a week ago fishing some wrecks and a navy tower and saw the most cobia I've ever seen in one trip. Must have had at least 15 around me at one time on two different wrecks and saw many other three and four pod groups. Caught three on jigs. I would be careful about crying for more regulation from these idiots we've got running our fisheries. You may find out it was just this crazy weather we've been having and wind up with cobes everywhere next year, but the season be closed indefinitely like our red snapper over here in the Atlantic.


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## younghooker (Oct 7, 2007)

we're up to our A$$ in red snapper... and have a 6 week season....  idiots in Washington.. NMFRS... Crabtree etc....arty:


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## jjam (Dec 9, 2007)

Go_Sic'm said:


> I would be careful about crying for more regulation from these idiots we've got running our fisheries. You may find out it was just this crazy weather we've been having and wind up with cobes everywhere next year, but the season be closed indefinitely like our red snapper over here in the Atlantic.


I was thinking the same Sic, the "science" going on in this thread can be very dangerous.

Jimmy


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## Crab Man (Oct 21, 2011)

bigrick said:


> Hopefully they'll be on the wrecks in the next few months but my freezers supply of cobia is getting low.


Why would you freeze cobia? It tastes like shit after a few weeks in freezer anyway.


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## Capt. Alex Pinney (Jan 23, 2008)

man some people just like to bitch .. it was a bad year . thats a fact , what caused it ? no one will REALLY know .. some come up with as many theories as youd like... it happens , bad years , good years.. it changes .. people bitch its not like it was in the 80s or 90s . nope .. nothing is the same as it was then.. get over it and move on and hope next year is better..


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## jspooney (Oct 2, 2007)

We have a winner!


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

What about the mahi mahi I'm seeing less and less of them each year.


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## jjam (Dec 9, 2007)

CatHunter said:


> What about the mahi mahi I'm seeing less and less of them each year.


and pin fish too,:whistling:


Jimmy


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## BigSlick (Jun 13, 2010)

Everybody knows the real problem. The stocks of Ruby's pinfish cobia, anything that swims is on the steady decline. Red snapper have taken over the gulf and are pushing everything else to the brink of extinction. Pretty soon they'll boil over into our rivers and lakes. We have a real problem. The cobia don't stand a chance swimming over some of our wrecks. But hey snapper gotta eat right?


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Capt. Alex Pinney said:


> man some people just like to bitch .. it was a bad year . thats a fact , what caused it ? no one will REALLY know .. some come up with as many theories as youd like... it happens , bad years , good years.. it changes .. people bitch its not like it was in the 80s or 90s . nope .. nothing is the same as it was then.. get over it and move on and hope next year is better..


God, what a great post.:thumbup:

This board is straight up hormonal sometimes. I sit back and think about it and I'm glad I still have a chance to fish basically whenever I want to. My health is good as far as I know. If fishing or boating stressed me out or pissed me off I wouldn't do it.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

This is a fishing forum, where people talk about fishing. Obviously the thread was about the bad cobia season when you clicked on it. Sounds like some people have way bigger issues than a bad cobia season though.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

I only clicked on it to ask what size the fish was that won the Outcast tourney, then it went apeshnit. 

Still wondering about that fish's size, actually, because the one I saw wasn't very big.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

Not sure about outcast but the destin tourneys have all had 90's weighed but 2nd was usually a lot less.


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

3rd place in 30 and under , in the month long destin tourny is only 55 pounds. 86 is first and 68 is second.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

I was watching the weigh-in and the biggest one I saw was I think in the lower 60s? Didn't get to see the whole thing, though.


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## bjones20 (Mar 3, 2011)

Just like Capt penny said... no one will ever really know why its such a bad season. Just like there's no way in the world to tell how many snapper are in the gulf so how do you put a reg on that. Or a quota? But y'all stay inshore and look for them fish that will leave more space off shore.:whistling:


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## Fishhead706 (Apr 26, 2009)

Not that I am a fan of government interference, but in some cases it has helped coastal fisheries. The redfish and the swordfish stock replenishment are due to regulation. Regs are tough when livelihoods are at stake, but some action may be warranted to ease the pressure on cobia.


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## skindeep (May 31, 2009)

I fished the Outcast and can attest to the poor fishing. There were 24 boats and roughly $240k bet. Results are posted on the post tournament section of this forum. I fished with a professional crew of 3 who are some of the best cobia guys around. We did not see a fish in 3 days. I fished the Friday before and caught 4 fish and the boat caught 10 that week. For whatever reason the fish were just MIA during the tourney. All but a couple of fish were caught at rigs off the river. Boats were leaving in the middle of the night to make the run. Quite a departure from tradional sight fishing techniques. I have no theory for the poor fishing other than our unseasonal weather. I am not that worked up about it. Just hoping it leads to a great summer Bluewater season!


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## MARLIN DOG (Oct 13, 2008)

Start turkey hunting cobias are gone


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

I say come Snapper season, just pile as many Weekend Warriors on your boat as safely possible, as many days possible, and catch the hell out of em. With everyone splitting gas prices, and with Snapper so close to shore, it would be a pretty inexpensive 40 days. Plus it would put a good pounding to the Snapper. Just stay on your best behaviour with the misses so when you ask to go, she says yes. :thumbup:


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## bigrick (Sep 29, 2010)

Not stressin about it, just wondering if anyone did actually have a good season. Ready for red snapper to get here, definately will be looking for people to go. Going out with one other person to bring home 4 fish ain't happening this year.


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

bigrick said:


> Not stressin about it, just wondering if anyone did actually have a good season. Ready for red snapper to get here, definately will be looking for people to go. Going out with one other person to bring home 4 fish ain't happening this year.


you just gotta bring home 4 twenty pounders, Rick! Should be no problem this year.


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