They’re Not All Dead

It’s April and if you’ve been around my fishing forecasts for any amount of time, you know April means Cobia fever for me. If you’re new, there is an annual migration of Cobia from around the straights of Florida between the keys and Cuba to Louisiana on the west coast and to the Chesapeake on the east coast. 

However, I’d like to talk today about something I think is misunderstood and that is cobia fishing and all that surrounds them - what it was, what it is and what is really going on in our region with this once great fishery. 

To do this,  I’m going to first talk to you like a kindergartner so we can all get on the same page leading with this example:

Let’s say you have a 10 year family tradition of traveling to Destin Florida every spring break and you come the same week every year. You have grown accustomed to the route you drive to get to Destin and the crowds of spring breakers that await. You know the traffic will be heavy the closer you get to Florida and you expect it - it’s the same every year. Well one year there is a detour and you discover a new route. It’s faster and there’s less traffic and it’s easier. Your 9 year old comments from the back seat “there’s not as many people coming as there used to be” - and you agree. However once you arrive to Destin, you realize that it’s just as busy and the Destin scene, with all the buzz, is bustling as always (which is beautiful by the way). It’s important to understand change is constant and a big factor in the successes of life since the beginning of time.

Ok now let’s dive into this.

You will often hear old timers talk about how we killed all the cobia years ago and that’s why there aren’t many around in our clear Destin waters anymore. Any mention of “Cobia fishing” in the panhandle is often followed with a sigh and mutters of “overfishing”, “too much pressure”, “they are all gone” etc. And while I do think these fish are probably pressured too much and while I do strongly believe we must continue to regulate Cobia, it is my belief we have vastly missed the mark with our myopic views of Cobia behavior and the truth behind this fishing trend.

You see, to decipher the big picture you have to first look at the big picture and not just the “I don’t see them anymore so they must all be dead” aspect of it. Observe the word “migration” for starters as this plays a very important roll in my stance on why these fish are around in healthy numbers even today. 

Migration - a seasonal movement of animals from one region to another. 

Now, understand that animals (ducks, geese, caribou, cobia, salmon etc) only care about the destination. They have one goal in mind and that is to get there. Usually they are migrating to breed or follow food - that’s it. 

Now, I want the readers to understand that it’s true; Cobia fishing now as compared to years ago has been terrible here in the panhandle overall. That is, we aren’t seeing the migration anymore. What used to be groups of migrating fish in big numbers is now an occasional straggler and a very occasional pair and the migration as we once knew it 10-20 years ago is all but gone. But I think these fish are taking a different path fueled by certain currents and weather patterns. And im here to tell you the migration still exists even though we don’t see them anymore like we used to in our region of Florida.

I want you to picture Destin on google earth (kind of zoomed out) so you can see the Louisiana coast too. Look at the shape and the path a fish must take if it’s swimming from the tip of Florida near the keys for example. If a fish follows the shallow coastline, it would swim approximately 1,000 nautical miles to Venice Louisiana and if a fish were to swim straight across the Gulf, it’s around 570 nautical miles or around half the distance. On the East coast it’s an entirely different situation because the cobia can hop in the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic which leads them almost on a collision course with their Chesapeake bay destination. If a fish is leaving from the keys with a help from current and wind it’s going to take the easy way. Cobia are not designed for speed. They are a big, dumb, lazy fish. Strong? Yes. But they are not winning any sprints and they will basically eat when it’s convenient often gorging to assist with energy while on their quest.

I spent 3 days in Virginia fishing with a local cobia guide as we were filming a show. He explained to me that in the summer months the Cobia stack up in the Chesapeake Bay to breed and you can fish for them for 3 solid months as they “hang out” there until the breeding season is over. Well during those 3 days we saw HUNDREDS of cobia from his little 24’ boat; more than I’ve seen in all my tenure as a fisherman here in Destin. Large groups of 20+ fish. Pairs, Triples and many large single females basking in the sun. Numerous small males on the bridge pilings, schools of curious juveniles following stingrays on the surface. The waters were teaming with life! I was shocked. It was incredible and eye opening. One day we were trying to keep the smaller cobia away from our jigs as 10 or more would fiercely swarm our baits while trying to isolate the bigger fish amongst the school. I learned over those 3 short days a very important fact -the Cobia are making it to these destinations just like they always have and in impressive numbers. I saw it with my own eyes. 

As I started to piece the puzzle together I sat down with Josh Jorgensen of BlacktipH and we began brainstorming what’s really going on. We decided to reach out individually to fishermen in Louisiana and it turns out they were seeing a healthy stock as well at the breeding grounds around the rigs. We talked with guides that fish Pulley Ridge in south Florida and they were seeing bigger fish than ever. Pulley Ridge is an area 100 miles west of the tortugas and further supports that these fish are taking a more offshore migration approach in the Gulf. If you were to draw a line from the tip of Florida directly across to Louisiana you would cross right over Pulley Ridge, a mesophotic coral reef system. Another guide said winter time Cobia fishing off the keys has been “electric”.

So what’s going on? Why did one of the best Cobia fisheries in North America change? As we studied migratory animals, we concluded that many species will occasionally change routes and take the path of least resistance. An example we found was that penguins would alter routes to include areas with more ice caps so they could rest along their journey. Another example we uncovered is that Caribou will detour as the ice thins during warmer winter patterns to avoid breaking through as massive herds trample towards their goal - a newly discovered route, a change and a convenience. Like we learned in grade school, the fastest way from point to point is a straight line. So if there is a trend where for several years where there is favorable current and wind that line up for a direct flight to the breeding grounds what’s keeping that fish from using that wind to their advantage? They could literally surf to the breeding grounds with much less effort and half the distance. The same reason cobia fisherman in the panhandle always salivate over a SE wind in April. The fish come to the surface and surf; therefore you can see them.

After much research and discussion with fishermen (that is guys that fish professionally and are career fish heads) I’ve concluded that Cobia are still making it to their destination in strong numbers so they must be taking a different path to get there - the path of least resistance or a path with abundant food options. That’s the only logical reasoning we have been able to deduce.

Happy April fishing!

Capt Preston Muller