What type of circle hooks do you use when live-baiting for cobia with greenies or eels?
On spinning rigs do you set the drag about 1/3 of the line strength? With level-wind do you leave drag set at less then shift to full (1/3 of line strength) after a hit?
Thanks
OM
For live bait I like the thinnest wire 6/0-8/0 circles I can find. Sizes vairy by the dif manufacturers. The less weight a greenie or pogie has to swim around with down there the more lively they will be. As far as drag goes it’s just like everything else different people have different opinions. Some like it tight right off the rip and others like it loose. I leave mine loose enough so the bait clicker will sing and all the other 50 boats around me get jealous 
. Seriously just figure out what works the best for you. I just give my lines a little tug and if it feels OK (smooth) to me that’s where it stays. I do that with both conventional and spinning gear. I have no idea what 1/3 the line strength is without a scale so I go off of feel. Also remember that the circle hook is gonna set itself when the line tightens up. You don’t have to try and rip their lips off like the large mouth bass fishermen do on tv! Maybe some other guys will chime in with their opinions on setting drag. Hope this helps good luck to ya!
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
I size the hook to the bait, small bait, small hook. Large bait, larger hook. I also set the drag by feel, I never measure it, this ain’t tournament marlin fishing. Probably half the line strength. Strong enough to hook the fish, loose enough to let it run. But I fish them in free spool with the clickers on.
I use a combination of Shimano Baitrunner spinning reels and conventional lever drag reels with the drags pre-set to about half line strength in strike. I want the fish to pick up the bait and swallow it, and run free for a good 5 or 10 seconds without feeling the rod before I flip the switch and let it know it’s hooked. Then just let the line come tight and the circle hook work, no snatching or jerking. That’s how I do it anyway.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I live bait fish pretty much the same way for Bull Reds, Cobia and big Stripers (up north). 6/0-8/0 circles
-Shimano Charter Special Lever drags spooled with 50# braid. 300 yards or so. Strike setting at 15-17#. Leave them 1 click above freespool with the clicker on - let the fish run. Then I point the rod in the exact direction of the line, engage the drag and smoothly lift the tip.
-Penn 6000 Battles on light action rods (relative to the reel size) spooled with 350 yards of 30# braid. I scale the drag back a bit and let the soft action of the rod help set the hook.
Great tips; thanks so much. I’m trying to get this right because I’ve not fished for cobia so much, but once lost a good one, tightening the drag on a spinning reel…trying to stop a long run, when fingering the spool was not enough.
I’ve always set mono drag by feel too, but am not calibrated for heavy braid. Plus its more complicated when anchored, with other boats around, etc. versus open water.
Thanks again,
OM
Pioneer 197 SF
Yeah you’re not going to stop one until they are ready to give up… Better to ditch the anchor and follow the fish around with the boat. Tie you a dock bumper to your anchor line so you can throw it out and come back to it. If you’re by yourself this becomes a lot more challenging but can be done. I like using a big net when I fish by myself and also for short fish.
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
quote:
Better to ditch the anchor and follow the fish around with the boat. Tie you a dock bumper to your anchor line so you can throw it out and come back to it.
Exactly, and have that fender pre-tied on the line so all you have do is drop it off the cleat. This is especially important when fishing near the bridge, as the fish will often run a few hundred yards on one side of the pilings then turn around and come back at mach3 and 2 sets of pilings over.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker Larryquote:
Better to ditch the anchor and follow the fish around with the boat. Tie you a dock bumper to your anchor line so you can throw it out and come back to it.
Exactly, and have that fender pre-tied on the line so all you have do is drop it off the cleat. This is especially important when fishing near the bridge, as the fish will often run a few hundred yards on one side of the pilings then turn around and come back at mach3 and 2 sets of pilings over.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Had one run at mach 1.5 directly off my stern yesterday - I was in the process of ditching the anchor line/bouy as the fish went mach 3.5 directly back at me… right under the boat and cutting the line on the motor. The whole fight lasted 45 seconds.
Hooking these big slobs is similar to a big striper… fighting them is a whole different story.
Do you guys use wire leaders when anchored at the bridge. I generally just us heavy mono leader, but lost several to sharks. Does the wire affect the action of the greeies?
I use 80lb mono. Lost a hook to a shark Sunday… I just check the mono for abrasions and then just tie on a new hook. If to much of the mono was lost I just tie on a new piece. I don’t use wire for Cobia myself.
2007 Scout 221 150 Yamaha 4 stroke
5’ of 60lb mono leader with a #2 Eagle Claw brown treble here. For me, I can simply uni-knot 60lb on the boat easier. #2 treble because of the small wire diameter when using live bait. They’re very sticky and like a circle hook the fish is pretty much hooked (almost always in the corner of the mouth) with a drag that is semi-firm but smooth off the reel.