Cobia and Tripletail

While cobia haven't really started showing up in the area, it is a good time to gear up for cobia season. I use either 20-30 pound spinning or conventional tackle with a 7 foot rod- something with a flexible tip but a lot of backbone. My favorite reel for big cobia is a Shimano Baitrunner because it's live bait feature allows live pogies or mullet to swim freely and naturally, drawing in the big cobes. Braided line is good, but make sure you use a good mono or flouro shock leader because these bruisers can snap line with low stretch.


Every late spring and early summer there is a good run of big cobia in the Broad River, near Beaufort. They'll also be seen offshore and nearshore near beacons, towers, and wrecks, and are often seen cruising the shade underneath big manta rays or molas. One technique often used in deeper wrecks is "calling" the cobia to the boat. That entails cranking the motor several times, or even taking a handheld chum mixer and chugging it in the water. The noise will attract these highly curious fish, who will often surface right around and underneath your boat. Sightcasting a big tube, artificial eel, or artificial shrimp is a huge thrill. More conventional baits are pogies, mullet, or live eels.

Some reports of good tripletail numbers are coming in from the Brunswick/St. Simon's area. Cpt. Mark Noble reported one 17 pounder caught on a nearshore artificial reef this past week. These huge saltwater bluegill will fight to the death on light tackle. If you see what looks to be a floating trashbag on the surface, a lot of times it turns out to be tripletail. Bait of choice is almost exclusively shrimp or artificial shrimp, best rigged under a slim popping cork. The chugging noise from the popping cork somethimes drives the trip' so crazy it attacks the cork!

Georgia has a unique tripletail fishery. Every year these fascinating fish gather off the Georgia coast for some reason- most likely to spawn. Nowhere else in the world are they known to congregrate like this. That means your best chance in the world at catching a tripletail, and especially a big one, is in Georgia. Where a 15-pound tripletail caught in Florida or Texas might be a trophy there, it takes at least a 20-25 pounder to wow a seasoned Brunswick angler. In fact, just last year youngster Kyle Thigpen from Brunswick caught a 38 lb, 14 oz monster that is the new state and US record.

Artificial Shrimp Comparison

Which artificial shrimp is the best? I've looked at a lot of saltwater baits in my time, and each day I will list another shrimp bait, leading up to my list of how I rate them all. Here's the first:

Prerigged Shrimp

(click on image for link)

1. Offshore Angler Shiner Shrimp: These baits are fairly new on the market, but after several trips with them, I can honestly say they are now my no. 1 favorite prerigged artificial shrimp. It comes with a perfectly balanced internal weight wrapped in a foil wrapper that gives it just the right amount of flash. The best thing, though, about these shrimp is their action. The tiny, wiggling legs on the underside of the Shiner Shrimp cause a wiggling, twitching retrieve that has to be seen to be believed. Combined with the natural color patterns, this bait is the most realistic looking thing I've ever seen in the water imitating a shrimp. Oh, and did I mention it catches fish, especially seatrout and redfish? For even more enticement, I add a small glass worm rattle to the tail to give it a realistic "click" every time you twitch it.