Guide Jot Owens begins seeing cobia off Wrightsville Beach in May, and on a typical day, he will head to the Masonboro Inlet jetties first thing early in the morning and then start running the beach looking for pods of bait and free-swimming cobia. But he can never count on them being in the same place day after day.
“Cobia are migrating through this time of year, swimming up our coastline in small groups, usually near pods of bait,” he said. “We usually see fish every day during the middle of the migration period, but the fish are rarely in the same places every day.”
The cobia that show up each day are typically considered different fish followin groups of bait up the coast. This can help anglers, because the fish encountered are fresh arrivals and will have faced less fishing pressure and be more likely to bite.
Having a full tank of gas each day is critical to keep up with cobia. Owens usually heads out of Masonboro Inlet and head north towards Topsail Beach. While cobia will often be in similar places and similars depths between the two spots, a fresh start every day is the norm.
“They are rarely in same places every day, but as June and July (arrive), I find more concentrated at the nearshore reefs,” he said.
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