02-19-2009, 06:10 PM
Birmingham, Alabama - The cobia, also known as ling and lemon fish, already have packed their bags to move up the western coast of Florida, headed to Orange Beach, Alabama. Each year cobia, delicious-to-eat and fun-to-catch sportfish, make a migratory run from the tip of south Florida, all the way around the Upper Gulf Coast to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Some cobia even swim on to Mexico.
Alabama's state-record holder, the captain of the "Necessity," Ben Fairey of Orange Beach, explains, "Cobia start hitting the beaches along the Alabama coast about the third week of March. The spring run lasts until mid-May. Most fish will weigh 20 to 50 pounds, however, catching 60- to 100-pound cobia is not uncommon."
Anglers come from all over the United States to Alabama's Gulf Coast from March through May to sight-cast to these hard-fighting fish. Anglers will find plenty of charter boats; restaurants that prepare delicious traditional southern foods, creole dishes and amazingly-fresh seafood; motels, condos, elegant suites and camping areas; and bait shops there during the annual cobia migration. Anglers can enjoy fun days of chasing those brown fish just off the Alabama beaches.
How to Catch Cobia
Typically, anglers will spot the cobia swimming just off the beach, motor their boats in front of the paths of the cobia and let the cobia come to them. With the cobia within casting distance, anglers will cast artificial jigs, live eel and a wide variety of baitfish to the big cobia. Often, when the cobia sees the bait, the fish will attack, and the fight will start. In a good day of fishing, with clear skies and clear water, a fisherman may spot 5-20 cobia in a day.
"Cobia can be finicky-feeders, so I keep three rods with three-different types of bait within arm's reach when I'm steering my boat near cobia," says Captain Jeff Colley, Jr., of the charter boat "Killing Time" docked at Zeke's Landing Marina. "I'll have one of the rods baited with live eel, the second with a live baitfish and the third rod with a cobia jig. I'll cast either the eel or the baitfish to the cobia first. If the fish doesn't take the live bait but instead dives, I'll cast the jig to the cobia, because the jig falls faster than the live bait, and many times the cobia then will take the jig."
Where to Find Cobia
In the spring, cobia will hold on oil and gas rigs offshore and above artificial wrecks and reefs off Alabama's Gulf Coast.
"More than 11,000-artificial reefs are deployed off Alabama's Gulf Coast," says Vernon Minton, chief of marine resources for the State of Alabama. "These reefs include World War II troop transport ships, known as 'Liberty' ships, more than 100-decommissioned World War II and Vietnam tanks, bridge rubble and a wide variety of other structures that provide places for cobia to stop off and have meals before they head west to the mouth of the Mississippi River."
The cobia run on Alabama's Gulf Coast offers a fun and exciting style of fishing for all ages. From the spring breaks of March until mid-May, youngsters and oldsters alike will make the pilgrimage to the sugar-white beaches of Orange Beach for the annual cobia run. For more free information on finding and catching cobia, please visit http://www.orangebeach.com/fishing/biting. To learn more about Alabama's Gulf Coast area, call the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-745-SAND (7263), or go to www.gulfshores.com.
*Photo may be used for free with press release.
Media Contact<br />
John Phillips, Creative Concepts, john7185@bellsouth.net
Alabama's state-record holder, the captain of the "Necessity," Ben Fairey of Orange Beach, explains, "Cobia start hitting the beaches along the Alabama coast about the third week of March. The spring run lasts until mid-May. Most fish will weigh 20 to 50 pounds, however, catching 60- to 100-pound cobia is not uncommon."
Anglers come from all over the United States to Alabama's Gulf Coast from March through May to sight-cast to these hard-fighting fish. Anglers will find plenty of charter boats; restaurants that prepare delicious traditional southern foods, creole dishes and amazingly-fresh seafood; motels, condos, elegant suites and camping areas; and bait shops there during the annual cobia migration. Anglers can enjoy fun days of chasing those brown fish just off the Alabama beaches.
How to Catch Cobia
Typically, anglers will spot the cobia swimming just off the beach, motor their boats in front of the paths of the cobia and let the cobia come to them. With the cobia within casting distance, anglers will cast artificial jigs, live eel and a wide variety of baitfish to the big cobia. Often, when the cobia sees the bait, the fish will attack, and the fight will start. In a good day of fishing, with clear skies and clear water, a fisherman may spot 5-20 cobia in a day.
"Cobia can be finicky-feeders, so I keep three rods with three-different types of bait within arm's reach when I'm steering my boat near cobia," says Captain Jeff Colley, Jr., of the charter boat "Killing Time" docked at Zeke's Landing Marina. "I'll have one of the rods baited with live eel, the second with a live baitfish and the third rod with a cobia jig. I'll cast either the eel or the baitfish to the cobia first. If the fish doesn't take the live bait but instead dives, I'll cast the jig to the cobia, because the jig falls faster than the live bait, and many times the cobia then will take the jig."
Where to Find Cobia
In the spring, cobia will hold on oil and gas rigs offshore and above artificial wrecks and reefs off Alabama's Gulf Coast.
"More than 11,000-artificial reefs are deployed off Alabama's Gulf Coast," says Vernon Minton, chief of marine resources for the State of Alabama. "These reefs include World War II troop transport ships, known as 'Liberty' ships, more than 100-decommissioned World War II and Vietnam tanks, bridge rubble and a wide variety of other structures that provide places for cobia to stop off and have meals before they head west to the mouth of the Mississippi River."
The cobia run on Alabama's Gulf Coast offers a fun and exciting style of fishing for all ages. From the spring breaks of March until mid-May, youngsters and oldsters alike will make the pilgrimage to the sugar-white beaches of Orange Beach for the annual cobia run. For more free information on finding and catching cobia, please visit http://www.orangebeach.com/fishing/biting. To learn more about Alabama's Gulf Coast area, call the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-745-SAND (7263), or go to www.gulfshores.com.
*Photo may be used for free with press release.
Media Contact<br />
John Phillips, Creative Concepts, john7185@bellsouth.net