Cobia Bragging Page

[gman]

They arent dangerous per say they just go absolutely nuts when stuck with a gaff.

[BretABaker]

oh ok.....i wasn't sure if they had some really hard fins or spines.

[Mitchw123456]

Originally Posted by BretABaker

oh ok.....i wasn't sure if they had some really hard fins or spines.

they have some bad @ss spines on the back of their head

[fishr1989]

the big problem is just how strong they are. It's less a matter of the spines on their back than the brute force they can produce when you gaff a green cobia and drop it onto the deck. they will snap a rod like a twig if they get a good hit on it.

[etan]

I agree with Bill! They like standpipes. The big one I caught was behind a shrimper tied off to a standpipe. Someone asked about a picture of my big one, I'll try to post it.

[STx Fisherman]

This is one of the best threads that I have read in a while.
Thanks for the stories.

[Bellyups]

Non bragging rights here. About 15 years ago, when I was new to offshore fishing, I "guided" a monster and green ling to the boat on 17 pound line. I think he just came to the boat after hooked to see if there was anything else to eat. My friend gaffed the green monster in the head, the fish went beserk, he couldn't lift the fish onto the boat, and the gaff broke in half. That fish was so large, it is probably still swimming around with the gaff in its head.

Originally Posted by fishr1989

the big problem is just how strong they are. It's less a matter of the spines on their back than the brute force they can produce when you gaff a green cobia and drop it onto the deck. they will snap a rod like a twig if they get a good hit on it.

[STx Fisherman]

It's fish like that that make you wish that you had Hyper Man on board.

He's famous for stabbing fish in the heart numerous times and then repeatedly clubbing the fish in the head afterwards. That process may not kill a ling, but...it does slow them down a bit....

[Mitchw123456]

I learned beer and free gaffing a ling doesn't mix, hell I'm not sure I'd be alive today if it wasn't for the beer!

[AJ hunter]

Mitchw: You aren't the only one who has regretted free gaffing an over curious cobia. Things don't usually turn out too pleasant. Even when they aren't green, I beat the crap out of them with an aluminum baseball bat. I also have a small collection of bent gaffs. I've seen a heavy steel pipe with a sharpened steel centerpunch welded standing straight out from one end of the shaft. It finishes them in one hit if you are practiced. But watch out when you are swinging and buy a gelcoat patch kit just in case.