Sight Fishing For Cobia Yields Whopper Off Port
By Capt. Joe Palermo // April 1, 2013
FISHING REPORT
BREVARD COUNTY • PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Although the cold is lingering, we are well into spring and our warm fishing season is at our doorstep along the Atlantic Southeast Coast.
When we think spring, many of us are dreaming of sight fishing for cobia.
For Capt. Scott Goodwin and Dr. Noah Babbins, dreams became a reality with an epic and record-breaking day just east of Port Canaveral.
Fishing aboard the “Miss Kary Lee,” Capt. Scott Goodwin, Dr. Noah Babbins and his wife Kary ran about t 10 miles southeast and slowed down at the sight of jumping manta rays.
The cobia, in their insatiable love of structure, follow the manta rays as they migrate northward following the warming waters. They almost immediately had four in the box and a hand full of released “shorts,” when Capt. Scott looked over his shoulder and saw a slob of a fish headed right at them.
They lobbed a green and white “Handler Supply” custom cobia jig tipped with a strip of bonita and it was inhaled immediately. Noah fought the fish down deep for about 20 minutes as Capt. Scott assembled his custom bamboo harpoon that he just finished custom building. This was just the occasion to break it in.
The cobia planed to the surface swimming away from the boat. Using cockpit controls and harpoon in hand, they backed down closing the gap between them and the fish. Ten feet off the transom, Scott stepped to the back and took a poke at him. The reel screamed and the small poly ball and line, hooked to the “dart,” took off underwater like a scene from “Jaws.”
The cobia planed to the surface swimming away from the boat. Using cockpit controls and harpoon in hand, they backed down closing the gap between them and the fish. Ten feet off the transom, Scott stepped to the back and took a poke at him. The reel screamed and the small poly ball and line, hooked to the “dart,” took off underwater like a scene from “Jaws.”
Noah continued to do a great job on the 20-pound spinning outfit, however, the crew felt great having an insurance policy as Capt. Scott retrieved the polyball and gently leadered the harpoon line about three times, letting go if it pulled too hard.
Finally the fish rose to the gaff and only then did he realize the size of this fish. It was 75 pounds on two different hand scales.
“I know they get bigger, but it was our personal best and the icing on the cake to a great day of fishing,” said Capt. Scott.
