Caleb’s 1st Cobia

 | By Capt Miles on 5/10/2012 4:57:44 PM | Views (107)

The large chunk of fresh cut bait had scarcely touched bottom when the fish inhaled it and took off!

As quickly as I moved the drag to the strike setting. the hefty rod bent double and under the boat!

"BIG BROWN, BIG BROWN", my brother Don hollered as the fish took to the air behind me on the other

side of the boat. I could hear the large splash but was too busy bent over the side with the rod

in the water trying to keep old big brown from rubbing the line against the hull and breaking off.

Don tilted the engine as I worked the fish back to my side of the boat and after a few tense minutes

of seesaw action between the line and the transducer she was free and on the my side again.

As I handed the rod to my son Caleb, the fish broke water again, now on the proper

side. The fish surged, taking line freely, i held onto to Caleb, at ten years of age this fish weighed

at least as half much as his eighty lbs., Caleb groaned under the strong pull of the fish. Slowly

we worked the cobia back to the boat after ten minutes of back and forth, but when he saw

the boat, the line peeled off the reel again much to Caleb's protests.

Cobia are large battlers that move into our sounds to spawn in May and June. Averaging

between 15 and 85 lbs these fish offer the inshore angler reel sport! Usually by mid June, they

dwindle in size, the new spawn sporting racing stripes are well under the minimum 36" size.

I assured Caleb the fish had plenty of battle left. And he did. The battle raged on for another

twenty minutes, each time Caleb worked him close to Don's waiting gaff, the fish would take off

on another spirited run. Finally much to Caleb's relief, Don planted the gaff securely in the cobia's

chin and the fish was in the boat. The cobia weighed over forty pounds , a nice first cobia for Caleb.

While the cobia action wanes by mid June there are many other exciting species to be caught

now. Near offshore on the reefs and in the creeks the sheepshead are biting. These black and

white striped brawlers sport a nice set of molars similar to sheep, hence the name. They use these

dentures to crush their favorite bait, fiddler crabs, sucking the essence out of them, only to leave you

with an empty shell! The challenge lies in detecting the delicate "tap tap" of a bite. Once hooked

there is nothing delicate about these fish, except the filet when you put it in the pan.

Also biting are Spanish mackerel and bluefish off the sandbars close to the beach. School fish,

the action is usually fast and furious when you encounter these guys. In the same areas, large

jack crevalle can be found along with an occasional bull redfish. Patrolling the bait and Spanish

Mackerel schools you never know when the big brother of the Spanish, the king mackerel may

be lurking. Weighing between 15 and 60 pounds, this royalty puts up an exciting battle.

Last but hardly least, the real June crowd pleaser, especially with the younger generation are

the sharks. We have many species of sharks here, bulls, blacktips, duskies, scalloped or

bonnet heads, sand, reef, sharp nose and many more. Most will be in the 4-5 ft range but for

those who desire there are larger ones to be had. Charters can be had to go offshore for the

massive tiger sharks often 12 feet or larger! The smaller ones can be caught on short trips and

offer lots of regular action,a priority for younger anglers. Sharks make for great vacation memories and

most of all the kids love them!







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Catch Information

Species:
Bluefish


Cobia


Crevalle Jack


King Mackerel


Red Drum


Sheepshead


Spanish Mackerel


Tiger Shark

This Fishing Report was submitted on 5/10/2012 4:57:44 PM by Capt Miles and last updated on 5/10/2012 4:57:44 PM.