This beautiful beast was caught by Lucas “Captain Ricky” Miller (blue shirt) at the Christmas Tree on high outgoing tide using live Menhaden. He fought it hard for 25-30 mins. It measured at 52.5 inches and weighed in at 50lbs. We caught a few smaller Cobia our first season in 2011, got skunked last year and this was our first Cobia this season. I’ve been fishing all over the U.S. since I was knee-high to grasshopper, just being there as a witness to this it easily ranks #1 in my all-time fishing experiences. Video added: Before you ask, the gaff hook was in the garage and the net we had was too small.
Recipe: The first time I had Cobia was at Bonefish Grill and it was awesome. I tracked down the recipe on the web, but I can’t attach the link. Search: Salmon Rhea’s with Lime Tomato Garlic Sauce. I ate it this way 3 days in a row and can’t wait to have it again.
I know where all of the other popular Cobia spots are, but where is the Christmas Tree? I have been trying to figure this out for a while now but no one really seems to know.
Man have ya’ll ever heard of using a big net or a gaff? Lol sure made me nervous watching ya’ll fumble around with that fish and I already knew the outcome…
UsChris-look at google maps, you can see how Paris Island kind of resembles a Christmas Tree. Its pretty much straight out from the tip of Paris Island. During Cobia season when we’ve gone out there are always boats already out there. As you get out there, if you look at your depth finder/nav you’ll see the there is an area that’s almost rectangular where it much shallower than the surrounding water. Some people set up over the shallower water, others set up just off it.
Nic/Madfire-I forgot the gaff at the house. We made 2 attempts with a respectable size net and it wasnt working, the fish still had some fight in it and we were worried it would use the net to free himself from the hook. The net was the plan until about 10 seconds before we pulled it out by hand.
Thanks Ryan. Luke and I have kind of zeroed in on the Cobia as the fish we pursue the most and we’ve had many long trips back in after feeding shark after shark. The thought of it breaking free after the long fight, that close to the boat, I literally would’ve stuck ANYTHING in its mouth to avoid that. A gnarled dink would be a lot less painful than that ride back home.
