Fishing Report
Reported by Capt. Sherrie Stovall on
March 4, 2008
Offshore Sebastian Inlet
March is the month for Cobia fishing. As spring starts to take shape along the beaches from Sebastian Inlet to Port Canaveral you will notice many boats cruising just a few miles out. Most of them are looking for anything swimming on the surface, especially a manta ray. As the manta rays, a.k.a. devil rays, begin their spring migration they play host to a springtime favorite, Cobia. The cobia seeks shelter under rays or on their back for cover to make a quick ambush. The rays have an 8 -12ft wingspan with some boasting a huge span of almost 20 ft. Most Mantas are very docile in nature and feed on the nutrients and plankton in the water. A ray spotted on the surface is worth the time to investigate to see if he has any friends around him.
Ease your boat into casting range and whip a bucktail in front of the swimming ray. Let the jig sink below the ray and as he passes over it, begin to retrieve it back towards the boat. In an instant you will know if a cobia is home because he will make a grand charge after the buck tail. Work the jig fast to hold his interest, then get ready to drive the hook home and keep the line tight. Cobia is notorious for inhaling the jig and pushing it out just as fast. Once he is hooked start turning that handle and keep him from returning to the ray. He will try to go back to the ray for comfort and cover. This will also allow you a second chance at working the ray for more fish.
The biggest mistake many anglers make is to accidentally catch the jig on the ray’s wing or somewhere else. Expect to be scolded by your pals if you do hook the ray because he will scream off line and you have no other choice but to break it off. Then he sounds to the bottom and disappears out of sight with the cobia too. Game over, try again. So remember, try to cast well in front of the ray and avoid hooking him at all costs.
Scattered bait pods also keep the action going to. Large pods of pogies seem to pop up all over the beaches and several miles offshore about the same time the manta rays start their migration. Keep an eye on the surface for anything breaking water as you cruise along the beaches or wander offshore looking for that 68-degree temperature break in the water.
You can ask any one that has tangled with a few cobia and they will express my exact feelings. Cobia will make you the big man on the dock and break you down just as fast. All things seem to be going fine until it comes time to gaff the fish. That is when the cobia gets a second wind. Make sure you have a clear entry into the boat and make the landing right into the fish box. A loose cobia with a weighted jig in its mouth makes for battle stations on the deck. The best policy is to have one person on the hook and the other one on standby holding the fish box open. Keep the gaff shot one fluid motion, stick it, heave it over the gunnels and make the release right into the fish box.
Keep in mind that a Cobia must be 33 inches to the fork and only 1 fish per person or 6 fish per vessel per day whichever is less. So let the games begin and get ready for some blood racing excitement.
If you strike out on Cobia don’t forget to hit the reefs for some great bottom action. The Red Snapper are schooling up to prepare for their spawn. Reefs from 60 feet out to 240 feet can hold large numbers of these fish. Try a live greenie or sardine for some hard-hitting action. Remember to release and vent your short snapper carefully. These are the fish that are going to be legal fish in a few months so handle them with care. If you do find yourself catching all short fish then go try a different spot. Chances are the whole school is short. There is no point catching and releasing short fish all day and run the risk of killing them in hope that a legal one might be down there.
Make sure to stop in and enter the Whitey’s Cobia for Cash Tournament. Make sure to stop in and enter the Whitey’s Cobia for Cash Tournament. The tournament starts March 1 and runs for the entire month. Entries are $20 per angler. We will be paying cash for the three heaviest fish. You can get all the details and entry forms for the tournament at Whitey’s.
Sebastian Inlet & River
Snook fishing at Sebastian Inlet can turn on this month. The migration of pig and pinfish pushing back into the river will heat up the fishing. Expect the Snook to move into the inlet to feed on these baits while coming in on the incoming or slack tides. Also, Mojarras can and sometimes will show up on the next full moon especially if the water temps. are warm enough. If they do arrive, they will leave just as fast as they came, but Snook fishing can be phenomenal during their short stay.
If you haven’t seen a tailing Red or giant Sea trout lying in a pothole this is a great time to start looking. With the warmer waters and flood of baitfish back into the river this is as good as it gets. Fish will stay in the flats and feed all day on the warmer days. Expect explosive top water action and jerk bait fishing too. Live bait can also be deployed for that occasional finicky fish
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More information, or wish to book an Offshore Charter, please call us on 321-724-1440, or email us: captstovall@whiteysonline.com
Whitey's Bait & Tackle
321-724-1440
9030 S Highway A1a
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951
www.whiteysonline.com/
