How and where to catch cobia in Qld

[1551mcd]

Hi i'm Brad and this fishing is a new game for me. I've been trying to hook up a Cobia but had know luck i'm sure there are many of you with stories and knowledge on where they are preferabily Moreton Bay.

[Big_Kev]

Yes Brad they can be caught in moreton bay .
And from my experience most places in the bay that fish well and the water is deep will see these fish getting caught .
Curtain , Rainbow Channel , ect ect

[michael_mad_fisho]

gday brad
tha main place we fish for big cobes is at the curtain and we live bait with pike scads slimys and sand crabs and also jig with pike. the biggest cobe we have got there is a 32 kg monster. but they can be very hard to catch we normaly dont anchor over the reef we normally sit between the reef and the beach so it atleast gives a chaance of bringing them in.hope i have been a help michael

[poncho]

hey

As mentioned the Curtin is definately the go but the four becons are even worth a shot, though you might have your live bait being taken by tuna and mackeral more often then cobia. Which can be anoying or a whole heap of fun depending on how you look at it.

cheers

[bugman]

Brad,

I targetted them for 12 months before I caught my first - a 34kg specimen - that's her in my photo. It came for S8 beacon out the front of Tangalooma. I've picked them up at a few beacons over there including the northern end of the 4 beacons.

You'll get them on the reefs off the Gold and Sunshine Coast as well. This should be the time of year but I haven't had that many reports this year of them showing up. They also tend to school as well so you can often get a few if you're in the right place.

My girlfirend got a double hookup on a patternoster rig with 2x10kg cobes. Only little but she's only a little girl and nearly pulled her out of the boat. Bloody hard to get them in as well.

Live bait is the pick - but if they're there they'll take a pillies just as good. Try a lumo sinker - I think this helps.

Good luck but just leave some for me.

Bugman

[Lachie1]

I have never actually caught one myself but have seen them caught around th most northerly of the four beacons and most of the beacons in the northern bay along the shipping channels is usually a good spot. live bait is the only way. Don't bother with pillies as they just get taken by smaller stuff. Use a light sinker and pick the slower tides and your in with a chance.

Hope this helps ???. Lachie

[SteveCan]

Cobia is my target fish at the moment and I haven't caught one yet.

We fish the inner reefs off the gold coast, Palm Beach, the Gravel Patch and Fido's etc. but I haven't caught one yet in about 10 attempts.

Once we get out there I get a live yakka or tailor, 7.0 Mustaad Hoodlum hook through the back just in front of the dorsal fin and I use a wire trace with a small ball sinker just above it to keep the bait near the bottom. Let out about 20 metres of line and attach a balloon and let that float out about 50 metres from the boat. I have a medium sized overhead reel on a 8-12Kg rod rigged with 25 pound mono.

I have had only one hook up early in the piece when I had a mono trace and got bitten off immediately - hence the wire. Any advice on how I could improve my method would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Steve.

[jaybee]

here you go 1551 30 meters of water last march mooloolaba, the largest to day, tipped the scales a tad under 85 lb gutted. followed it for 6klm according to the gps, and 2 hrs.
cheers.

[Heath]

Cobia is my target fish at the moment and I haven't caught one yet.

We fish the inner reefs off the gold coast, Palm Beach, the Gravel Patch and Fido's etc. but I haven't caught one yet in about 10 attempts.

Once we get out there I get a live yakka or tailor, 7.0 Mustaad Hoodlum hook through the back just in front of the dorsal fin and I use a wire trace with a small ball sinker just above it to keep the bait near the bottom. Let out about 20 metres of line and attach a balloon and let that float out about 50 metres from the boat. I have a medium sized overhead reel on a 8-12Kg rod rigged with 25 pound mono.

I have had only one hook up early in the piece when I had a mono trace and got bitten off immediately - hence the wire. Any advice on how I could improve my method would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Steve.

Steve,

Palmy would be the go right at the moment for Cobia. They are prolific there this time of year, however you won't encounter the 30 kg + bruisers as you do in the cooler months. Most of the fish this time of year are around 10 - 20kg. Firstly, we always use mono, no wire. Due to the nature of the cobia's mouth 50lb mono is more than sufficient. We use a 2 hook snell rig, using 2 x 8/0 gamakatsu chemically sharpened hooks, then run a lumo sinker on the trace to the first hook. We look for schooling fish on the sounder - tailor, yakkas are perfect. Try and set your bait just above the school for best chance at being whacked. If setting baits away from the boat we use the same rig except we don't use a sinker & attatch it to a balloon.

The fact you were bitten off, would lead me to believe you got hit by a shark or mackerel

I have some info on my webpage that you may find of interest.

[Volvo]

G'day Brad n welcome to the best passtime about the woods(woods???lol) anyway there you have quite a bit of handy info re the old Cobia and where ta hook down your way BuT!!!!!!if you can get hold of marks for any wrecks down your way they would be a certainty for Cobia as havent come across a wreck yet which wont give a Cobia up ey.
Cheers

[SteveCan]

Thanks Heath - Good site mate.

Have changed a few things - looking forward to next time I am fishing somewhere off currumbin..

Cheers
Steve.

[bo_sawyer]

Hey Brad, Theres been a few small ones caught around the tangalooma jetty, chasing all the small choppers and those small mackerel things (some form of makerel i think)which in turn are smashing up schools of hardyheads, and thats were i got my 1st cobe. And if your ever in the noosa river, try for them in there!!!! Deffinenately not size! but still worth a shot. They hang around the GT's and Tailor. Hope this helps.
Cheers.