Wrightsville Beach is ground zero for cobia this month; know where, when and how to put your offerings in front of a big, brown battler.
Wrightsville Beach may be known as a world-class surfing destination or as the most socially accepted stretch of white sand along the entire east coast. But for anglers ready to tame a world-class fish, the crystal blue waters along these stunning shorelines are just what the doctor ordered, and there’s no better time than this month, when the annual cobia run begins. Massive, breeder cobia snuggle along the coastline, famished and ready to fill up the tank on anything they can find.
As waters begin to warm, cobia begin their northerly trek from the tropics. By late spring, the first wave arrives within sight of Wrightsville Beach, and that when Jot Owens of Captain Jot’s Fishing Charters begins looking.
“We start seeing them around the inlets, up and down the beach, and to the nearshore reefs out to five miles,” said Owens. “I usually start at the (Masonboro Inlet) jetties early in the morning and then ride the beach afterwards looking in 20 to 45-foot water anywhere from an eighth of a mile to 2 miles off the beach.”
Cobia don’t show up all at once but will trickle in, often in small groups, along a northerly path, usually trailing the first few pods of baitfish that show up into the area.
“Sometimes, we will see fish by themselves away from bait pods, but more often, they are hovering around the schools of menhaden and greenies,” Owens said. “From Masonboro northward towards Topsail, the water is clear, (and) that makes it easy to see the bait and the cobia hovering around them.”
Typically, most cobia migrating along the beach are large adults, weighing at least 40 to 50 pounds. But they don’t appear that way when first seen, lazily swimming like a remora gently alongside the pods of bait. They are sleeping giants, because they often appear sluggish without a care in the world until they are hooked. As soon as these fish feel the pressure, anglers better have strong line and heavy duty rod for battles that can be grueling.
“Over the last few years, we have caught several over 60, and our biggest was 76 pounds two years ago,” Owens said.
When cobia show up, they are hungry. Owens likes to free-line a live, jumbo menhaden, but live bait can be tough to find in May. He will generally rely on artificial lures presented right in the path of the cruising fish with a slow or intermittent retrieve. Scented soft plastics like the Gulp series in pearl, pink or purple are productive, but he said cobia don’t seem to care about color.
Stuart Caulder of Gold Leader Guide Service has cobia high on his hit list in the late spring out. He can’t run the beach without looking for a big, brown cobia swimming around a menhaden school. He likes D.O.A.’s Original Big Fish Lure with scented gel when he’s planning on pitching something to a cruising cobia, in part because the lure suspends just under the surface.
“I toss (it) ahead of the fish, pop it, and let it sit,” Caulder said. “When you see the lure disappear, set the hook! The Original looks just like an injured menhaden or mullet when twitched. It is deadly on these early cobia.”
Cobia are not scared of boats, but they can often be difficult to coax to bite. Caulder likes to make his presentation and retrieve as life-like as possible.
“Cast the lure into the bait and ease to the edge. When the fish is about 5 feet away, pull the lure out of the school and twitch it a few times. They will be all over it like a cat,” he said.
While beachfront baitfish schools will have cobia around them, they are not the only good places to fish this month. Moving into he area, cobia are migrating are looking for food, and any places that hold bait will attract cobia.
According to Owens, the nearshore reefs will hold bait in May, and the warmer it gets, the better the reef-fishing becomes.
“We find less along the beach and more at the nearshore reefs into June, but we will also head to the reefs on cloudy days when visibility is low,” he said.
Caulder likes fishing around reefs and loves to fish baits he catches on the reefs when he can’t get fish to cooperate along the beachfront.
“I like to bring them up off the wrecks with a lizardfish or anything else I can hook up off the reef,” he said, noting that any type of small, struggling fish will draw a cobia’s attention. “If a cobia is there, they will come in to investigate. We will then toss lures to the fish and work them.”
Fortunately for anglers, the clear, nearshore waters off Wrightsville Beach are littered with productive rocks, reefs and wrecks. Caulder prefers structure with significant vertical relief, such as the Tugboat, Figure Eight Reef, Dredge Wreck, and Dallas Rock.
DESTINATION INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE — Wrightsville Beach and the cobia grounds are southeast of Wilmington, which can be reached via US 74/76, US 421, I-40 and US 17. Masonboro Inlet is the best jumping off spot; boaters can launch from a public ramp adjacent to the US 74/76 info bridge that leads to the Wrightsville Beach or a public boat ramp at Snow’s Cut in Carolina Beach just off US 421. They will congregate around schools of bait off the Masonboro Inlet jetties and nearshore structure in 25 to 50 feet of water, including the Tugboat, Dredge Wreck, Dallas Rock and Figure Eight Reef. The best water is usually from Masonboro Island to Topsail Beach due to clarity and visibility.
WHEN TO GO — May and June are the best months for catching cobia off Wrightsville Beach. Fish arrive when the water temperatures get into and stay in the 70s. They will move offshore in mid-June and stay through summer and fall. This year, cobia cannot be kept after June 20, and the creel limit has been reduced to one fish per day, per angler, with a 33-inch size minimum.
BEST TECHNIQUES — Always have several rods rigged up with a variety of lures and baits when approaching a school of bait, a reef or a fish sunning at the surface. This buffet approach will insure that something is available that they will eat. Live menhaden rigged on an Eagle Claw Trokar circle hook in 8/0 and 9/0 sizes attached to an 80-pound fluorocarbon/monofilmaent leader is good for pitching to cruising fish. But with live bait often tough to come by in May, artificials like a 6-inch Gulp jerk shad or swimming mullet, a slow-sinking, 4 1/2-inch Egret Vudu Mullet or a D.O.A. Original Big Fish Lure rigged on a Blue Water Candy jig can produce explosive strikes. Cast 5 to 7 feet in front of the fish. Stay as far away as possible to keep from spooking fish, and use strong tackle and sharp hooks, because cobia have hard plates on the upper insides of their mouths.
FISHING INFO/GUIDES — Jot Owens, Jot It Down Fishing Charters, 910-233-4139, www.captainjot.com; Stuart Caulder, Gold Leader Guide Service, 910-264-2674, www.goldleaderfishing.com. For local fishing reports and more lure information, contact the Intracoastal Angler, 888-DBH-HAUL, www.intracoastalangler.com.
ACCOMMODATIONS — Wrightsville Beach Vacation Bureau, 877-406-3456, www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/Wrightsville-Beach; Official Travel & Tourism Website for North Carolina (www.visitnc.com); Blockade Runner Beach Resort, 800- 541-1161.
MAPS — The best will be online versions from Navionics, 800-848-5896, www.navionics.com or paper maps such as: Waterproof Charts (Nearshore #98), 800-423-9026, www.waterproofcharts.com; SeaLake Fishing Guides, 800-411-0185, www.sealakeusa.com.
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