
Cobia, rachycentron canadum, are a pelagic fish — they travel the open ocean — but unlike most pelagic species, cobia also inhabit inshore waterways like the Broad River and St. Helena Sound, at least for short periods of time.
The only species in the family rachycentridae, the closest relatives to cobia are remoras, the “sucker fish” that often attach themselves to sharks and other fish. Cobia are mostly solitary fish, but they gang up in the spring, the beginning of their spawning cycle.
An average cobia is about 30 inches long and weighs 15 pounds, but they have the potential to grow much larger. The South Carolina state record cobia weighed over 92 pounds and was caught in 2009 in the Hilton Head area by Robbie Maroudas.
Most spawning takes place between May and August, usually in the mouths of smaller bays, creeks and rivers. A number of cobia also spawn in the open ocean.
St. Helena Sound is one of just a handful of inshore places that cobia can be caught; the Broad River and Port Royal Sound are two others. North of St. Helena Sound, most cobia activity takes place in the open ocean, even this time of year. Still, Myrtle Beach-area anglers have been catching their share of cobia over the past few years, many fairly close to the beaches.
Some controversy exists over the cobia that frequent South Carolina’s bays and sounds. While some biologists believe the cobia that spawn in inshore waters are a different subspecies than those that reside offshore, the data is not definitive.
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