Cobia: Part II
PHOTO PROVIDED
Kyle Parson with a keeper cobia caught at Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda.
WATERLINE PHOTO BY JOSH OLIVE
These unlucky crabs ended up in the stomach of a hungry cobia. While cobia are mainly targeted with live bait such as whiting, pinfish, sand trout and mullet, crabs make up a big part of these fish's diet and are also great for bait.
Matt Stevens
the man on the pier •matt stevens
Cobia in upper Charlotte Harbor travel a well-known circuit, and it conveniently runs right past the piers in the area. Starting with Gilchrist Park and ending at the Bayshore piers, the circuit also includes Laishley, the U.S. 41 bridges and the pier at the Four Points hotel in Punta Gorda.
Outside of that area, you can also target cobia from the seawalls or pier at El Jobean, from the beach near area passes and at the Venice jetties.