Cobia
name: Cobia
other names: Ling, Lemon fish, Crab Eater, Bacalo
These fish are often misidentify in the water as sharks or shark suckers. Not only is the species dark brown with a single dorsal fin, but it also occasionally tags along with sharks, rays and turtles, swimming in a slow, deliberate manner, therefore you can see why inexperience anglers easily make the mistake. Young cobia are more active than adults and are colored conspicuously, with alternating black and white horizontal stripes with splotches of bronze, orange, and green.
Cobia prefer the shallow waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. They are commonly found near natural or manmade structures such as reefs, wrecks, floating, objects, buoys and shelves. Little information is confirmed regarding their migratory patterns, although it is known that they move from inshore to offshore environs throughout the year.
Although cobia eat fish such as mackerel and eels, the bulk of the diet is crustaceans-shrimps and crabs etc.
Cobia are known to live as long as 10 years, perhaps to 15 and in that time they will reach a weight exceeding 100 pounds. Females are slightly larger than males. Males reach sexual maturity when they are 2 years old, and females when they are aged 3 years old.They will spawn offshore in the late spring (April and May) and the larvae will move shoreward. Young cobias will form large schools, eventually becoming more solitary as they mature.
Cobia are strong fighters when hooked. While anglers may cast or troll artificial's, most prefer to bottom fish using cut or live bait. Favorite fishing spots are channels and deep holes in bays and sounds, as well as the waters around floating and stationary objects such as buoys, pilings, and wrecks. Inshore buoys and beacons, often bypassed by fishermen, are excellent places to catch cobia, as well as tripletail. Cobia can also be sight fished on the flats, spring through early fall, where they can be found trailing large stingrays.
