i know that the cobia will be around pretty soon. i was wondering if its possible to catch them off the beach from a kayak? if so, how would i go about catching them? what general areas produce cobia? i know that they eat eels which i can get a hold of but thats about it. any tips would be greatly appreciated

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They'll eat pretty much anything you put in front of them.

Look for rays, and throw right behind them.

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As a general rule, the cobia run in this area occurs in pretty close to shore, and should be "in range". Your dis-advantage will be lower visibility from a Yak. A lot of guys have half-towers on their offshore boats to get them up higher for a better view..looking for turtles and rays where Cobia tend to hang-out.

Cobia are attracted by sound. Since you won't have a motor to gun to get their attention, only suggestion I have would be to slap your paddle on the water to attract them.

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If you fish for them (and catch one) you had better use heavy tackle and wear him down good . Bringing a large "green" cobia into your kayak is not advised. They freak out when they come into a boat and will trash anything that isn't bolted down, including you. To keep one they've got to be 33" minimum at the fork, and they can easily be 40-50 lbs. I read a story about a guy who caught one last year in a yak, pulled it in green and got beaten up, only ending the fight when he managed to stick a knife in its head. I believe he swore he wouldn't do it again without a tuna bat. One of my own catches in a motor boat ended with an ankle the size of a grapefruit.

That said, they're fun to sight fish for and a blast to fight. Good eating too. Go get 'em!

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