I had no idea this had gotten so bad! Please feel free to share linke to the science as I like reading about the fishery. I caught my first cobia this past year and wondered why all the vitriol when I posted a pic of a 40 ponder! 15 -20 a day! Wow, that is something.we were lucky to hook up at all.
Isn’t there a Woodys cobia tourney in May out of Bluffton?
If I fish offshore such as the Betsy Ross or further, am I killing the breeders or are you referring to the hundreds of boats in the rivers all spring?
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I caught my first cobia this past year and wondered why all the vitriol when I posted a pic of a 40 ponder! 15 -20 a day! Wow, that is something
If anybody reading this forum gaffs one this year, I’d bet you’ll never see a picture of it here 
Capt. Larry Teuton
912-six55-5674
lteuton at aol dot com
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I can’t imagine anyone that’s read or been part of this forum putting
a gaff in a cobia anywhere in the PRS system for the next few years,
IMO!!!
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When you see “Old Glory” waving in the breeze, know that it is the dying breaths of our fallen hero’s that makes it wave.
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I have a dumb question. If the PRS cobia and the Ross cobia are of a different bloodline, can Waddell use Ross cobia as new broodstock?
If the female was PRS and the male was Ross or the other way around, where would they return to breed? Just thinking out loud.
Key West 1900
Bazinga
Great post, Jim.
I have not fished the river for Cobia in a long time. No worries on me going for one.
Thanks again for the info!
NN
07, 23 Key West, Twin 115 Yammys
“Coastal Bound”
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I have a dumb question. If the PRS cobia and the Ross cobia are of a different bloodline, can Waddell use Ross cobia as new broodstock? If the female was PRS and the male was Ross or the other way around, where would they return to breed? Just thinking out loud.
Good question. I’m pretty sure the folks at Waddell are concerned they will dilute the river stock with offshore and the resulting cross would cause the resulting offsprings to become migratory, rather than remain/reside in PR Sound. I believe they need more brood stock from PRS that are not directly related to their present brood stock females in order to diversify the offspring and prevent inbreeding, while maintaining that distinct class of fish that remain in the sound.
I’ll ask Al Stokes and Al Segars and let you know what I find out.
I always thought our cobia came up from the Gulf and went on up the coast to NC and Va.
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I always thought our cobia came up from the Gulf and went on up the coast to NC and Va.
The offshore fish do. The PR Sound fish are unique to the Sound/Broad River. That’s why there’s all this fuss…
Donated twelve racks for DNA 2014 study. These Cobia were caught due North of Port Royal Sound during the spring migration. Eleven were from the Gulf and one from Waddel release program (2007). Racks ranged from 3 to 10 years old. Landing a wild female or two for brood stock is our goal this year. Brian Cope of SC Sportsman magazine will be fishing with us this spring for several days. He will be writing an article on the DNR program and how important the hatchery program is to the future of the Cobia population. Hopefully this will help increase public education and awareness. These programs depend on gov’t funding and public donations. Maybe the article will allow someone the oppurtunity to donate to a good cause.
Capt Buddy Bizzell
Edisto Palmetto Charters
803-603-2781
www.edistopalmetto.com
Being on the water is a blessing, catching fish is a bonus!
I know that I will catch a lot of feed back for this post . I agree with what has been said on here .However if I am lucky enough to catch a Cobia this year I will keep a legal one .I have only hooked 2 in `14 years . They became unhooked . I think one was legal and the other wasnt . I can see releasing the big ones , but how big are we talking about ? However I will keep only one legal Cobia if I catch any . . I like the idea of using a net on them This saves from killing the small and big ones .
Signs sound like the way to go plus flyers in the tackle shops .
Bill
I DONT HAVE A BOAT
BUT LOVE TO FISH> HINT
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I know that I will catch a lot of feed back for this post .
No one should give you grief over keeping a cobia APOB…I certainly will not…I don’t blame you one bit for keeping a fish.
The real battle is just to get folks thinking like you are now and keeping a reasonable number. The folks who really need to start thinking about the plight of the cobia resource in PR Sound are those who hammer them day after day, keeping all they catch, and even selling them to pay for fuel & other costs. If that continues the fishery is likely doomed.
Has there been any study on the cobia caught in the st Helena sound? Are they gulf cobia or are they prs cobia? If they are prs cobia it might be some clean dna to use in future stock. I havnt caught a cobia in three years in the river. Too many people taking everything they catch legally. I don’t think self conscious fishing will solve the problem. “Proper” government regulations are the only way to protect this type of natural resource.
Have been supporting the DNR program with information from this area for six years.
Capt Buddy Bizzell
Edisto Palmetto Charters
803-603-2781
www.edistopalmetto.com
Being on the water is a blessing, catching fish is a bonus!
What information is DNR able to gather from the cobia tournaments? I would think a good bit of data and skeletons could be collected during them, correct? And, if there is a true concern for them, then why promote the cobia kill tournaments, unless they are now catch and release? From my experiences the last few years, the fishing is great, but all of this data is concerning.
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Has there been any study on the cobia caught in the st Helena sound? Are they gulf cobia or are they prs cobia?
Reeldawg…that’s what the whole basis for the concern is all about and what this and other discussions hinge upon. Study shows 83% of the fish in Broad River came from Waddell Center hatchery. Offshore fish are from a different group.
Go back and read the other longer post/thread below and you’ll see the progression.
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=152825
Got2Go:
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What information is DNR able to gather from the cobia tournaments? I would think a good bit of data and skeletons could be collected during them, correct? And, if there is a true concern for them, then why promote the cobia kill tournaments, unless they are now catch and release?
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>DNR collects carcasses from tournaments whenever possible for their research…particularly those tournaments that include PR Sound. As fas as promoting cobia tournaments…the organizers and sponsors are going to have to answer that.
Speaking of tournaments, do wahoo tournaments weigh only the big fish of the day for participants? Or is aggregate (total) weight considered. Looks like these tournament participants often haul in every fish…sometimes a dozen or more. No one has studied wahoo, but I wonder if this will impact this species?
DNR collects carcasses from tournaments whenever possible for their research…particularly those tournaments that include PR Sound. As fas as promoting cobia tournaments…the organizers and sponsors are going to have to answer that.
Speaking of tournaments, do wahoo tournaments weigh only the big fish of the day for participants? Or is aggregate (total) weight considered. Looks like these tournament participants often haul in every fish…sometimes a dozen or more. No one has studied wahoo, but I wonder if this will impact this species?
[/quote]
I have no problem with tournaments or keeping fish to eat or give away. I only asked about the tournaments due to the recent posts, especially in that area. If there is an issue, then I would think the public outcry would push the tournaments away. After all, won’t everyone be trying to weigh-in those big, monster female slobs that are responsible for all of those eggs? As far as wahoo goes, that wasn’t part of the study that was being discussed. What is being discussed is the potential issue with the “local” stock in your area. Based on what I’ve read just from the recent posts, red flags are up about the situation. Yet, cobia tournaments in that area will be held to kill the biggest females that others say we should be protecting. I’m just saying that the actions are speaking louder than the typing is all. I didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers, but just thought the obvious should be stated. As for me, God willing, I’ll be filling my freezer with cobia steaks in the next few weeks. I love to catch them and eat them. I release a lot of fish. So, I hope I didn’t get stereo-typed by my post, but just wanted to bring it up. Other than that, maybe I’ll bring in a good one at the Edisto weigh-in, 
.
Where do the fish in the st Helena sound come from? Not the broad river fish but fish that are caught in at Helena sound. Maybe I’m missing something but I thought the broad river only dumped into the prs.
Great read on the cobia problem. I was planning a trip to fish the Broad with my son who lives in H.H but I may try the “Betsy” or stay in the Murrells Inlet area to get my one brownie for a few dinners. We really need to conserve this fishery !!!
Johnstats “Less Golf” 225 Edgewater