Stoning a Cobia

[Charlestondivin]

Where is the best place to shoot a cobia to stone em? I shot big one a couple of weeks ago right behind the gills close to the lat line and he fought the hell outa me. Thanks!

[Reef Raider]

My best stone shots on a cobia are the ones that have been though the top of the head just back of the eyes . Right in his brain I'am sure. This is done with 2 bands loaded as you will need a lot of penatration.
Hope this helps out but I'am sure Spear One could tell you more!!

[johnhermes]

Same as with an AJ. Please refer to my stoning an AJ post :D

[Reef Raider]

Not really like the AJ John the shot comes in from the top not the side . In the top out the bottom seems like every time I see a cobia I have a free shaft in and loaded so I just load the other band if its not done allready and PLACE the shot . When I shoot AJ s I shoot from the side and it comes out the side.
This is not to say that you can't shoot a cobia from the side it just works better for me from the TOP . Spear One said some thing once about a cobia having a lot of bone in the head around the brain maybe this is why the over the TOP shots work better for me.

[johnhermes]

Actually, I was joking :p

[Reef Raider]

I'am still going over your AJ post LOL

[FredT]

These things are literally in a "class by themselves" with the nearest relative being the remora. (This means large remora are also good eating!)

Cobia have a very thin skull vertically, so a side stone shot is difficult to make.

The basic rules when shooting Cobia.

1. DO NOT shoot cobia in the ass!
2. The ass on a cobia starts at the back of the gill plates!

The target is a small cylinder of nerve tissue on midline about halfway between the eye and the back of the skull. When shooting at something in the 60 pound range look at your little finger for a hint how big this target is. Your finger is probably a bit bigger the the target. On a properly placed side shot you can either hit the brain or have the shaft deflected by bone up or down. If it goes up there is little problem since it'll probably pull off at the end of the first run. If it deflects downward you'll now have a shaft through the roof of it's mouth and be firmly atached to a right pissed off cobia. You won't have hurt it enough to kill it today either. IOW the sleighride is on! I've stoned several from the side, but it's important to visualize the magic cylinder before taking the shot.

The ideal shots to make are from above and aft, or from below and aft. Both shots have to be on centerline to hope to cut anything important. If shooting from underside the ideal angle is about up through the throat just in front of the pecs from about a 20° angle aft of vertical. This shot will bust the heart and it has a good chance of taking out the brain or spine. Either way the shaft needs to go through the skull if you want a chance of collecting the fish. The skin and meat on a cobia is light enough and the fish is strong enough that detach tip lines and shafts will tear out during the fight unless you have found a bone anchor.

BTW these are also close to the best shot angles to make on larger 'cuda!

FT

[Steel Shootin']

Fred, when shooting a cobia, do you recommend having a reel on your gun, as opposed to a typical line on a shock cord? It would seem to me that if you don't get a kill shot, a fixed line would be quite a ride.

[Charlestondivin]

Awesome info Fred, Just what i needed to know.
Many thanks.

[FredT]

Originally posted by Scott
Fred, when shooting a cobia, do you recommend having a reel on your gun, as opposed to a typical line on a shock cord? It would seem to me that if you don't get a kill shot, the reel would allow you at least an opportunity to tire the fish without being dragged all over the place.

If you don't stone a large cobia EXPECT to be haulled all over the place. That's what the riding rig is for. DO NOT expect to be able to anchor yourself against the fish, or to be able to climb the gun to a muzzle end cable attachment release.

One buddy tells a story of a Marine E-8 who shot a 97# cobia in the ass on a freighter wreck in about 100' of water off Hatteras. The shooter's description of the fight went something like this:

"We went to the bottom, then went to the surface, then I saw the wreck go by 5 or 6 times. After that he started to tire out a bit."

The fish ended up on the boat, but Marine E-8s are known to be a bit stubborn.

I tend do avoid reels at all times since around structure any extra line that reaches beyond the gun's effective range is simply the diver asking to be permanently lashed to the structure.

Nylon braided or mono line around the structure here tends to part VERY quickly when loaded by a large fish and pulled across corroding steel or large barnacles. SST cable rules the roost, and a long SST cable on a spool is WAY too dangerous to the diver to have it in the water.

FT

[Steel Shootin']

Thanks again, Fred. It sounds like unless your highly confident that you have the shot and angle you want, you may be better off passing on the fish. Also sounds like a good way to lose a gun, unless you're like that Marine who refuses to let go!

[Reef Raider]

Thanks Fred T good to know I was doing some thing RIGHT ...
I have passed on cobia because I did not have a good shot . Maybe this will help others to pass or get the kill shot..