Scouting for Cobia

Chasing down a school of cobia can be equally as challenging as lucking up on a single fish. In either case, these strategies will increase your odds of success for cobia.

Remember that moon phase affects how far cobia will be from the beach. Under a full moon, cobia often will travel in shallow water. On cloudy or overcast nights or moonless evenings, the cobia will be further away from the beach.

Make sure you have a clear, wide view of the water. The higher you are off the water, the further away you can spot cobia from the boat. The best cobia captains have the tallest towers on their boats. Wear a large-brimmed hat to keep the sun from obstructing your vision, and purchase a quality pair of polarized sunglasses.

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Divide up regions of the water when you're searching for cobia, so that each angler is looking at a different section of water. Assign each person a particular place to watch for cobia. Then no one person has to try to watch all the water around the boat.

Don't attempt to see a whole fish, but instead, look for a patch of brown. Keep the sun at your back. Be sure the boat is in the right position. As you look on the water, you'll see a glare line. Keep the boat on the edge of the glare line for the most success in spotting cobia; otherwise the glare line will create dead spots where you can't see the fish.