My first Cobia

[leatherjacket]

Hi Fishraiders,

I was launching my Yak at Ackoona Bay, South West Rocks and helped a local guy get his boat off the beach, who had beached his center consol to park his car. He thanked me and went out around the break wall and I followed him slowly in my yak... The forcast was for a cloudy day, 5 knot winds and 2 meter swell. There was not a cloud in the sky and when I rounded the break wall there was a stiff 15knot breaze and 4 meter swells!!

The bait spot in front of the Gaol was looking dodgy with breaking waves but I decided to give it a go and rigged my bait jig so I had it at the ready. I cruised in with one eye on the GPS and the other on the swells. I got to the spot and dropped the bait jig, no sooner I saw two swells coming my direction and locked off the bail arm and started peddling towards them. Got over the first and heard the wave breaking behind me, over the second and I was in the clear... Then I realized my bait jig was full I pulled it up only to realise it was fulled with dart fish

I resigned myself to the fact that that I would be fishing with lures, not live bait. I put a shallow diving Halco on the surface and my favourate deep dive Slimmy Mac Rapala on my downrigger (which I had upgraded the trebles with 3/0 Owner hooks). Then I started to work up and down a bank that rises from 80ft to 50ft...

Then I saw the guy I meet at the boat ramp and decided to get some local knowledge about any other bait grounds, he said he was on top of a school of Yakkas so I went to investigate and my rod buckled and screamed ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz The fish went straight to the bottom and sat directly below the yak making it very hard to get its head up. At this stage I thought it was a ray or shark but I was going to play the fish to be sure and I paddled forward to plain it up and this worked well - I got it all the way up to the wind on leader until it went straight back to the bottom. I resisted tightning the drag at it took me 8 minites and 5 gaff shots until I landed my first Cobia - 115cm!!!

Cheers,

Andrew

[Guest hawkesbass]

Well done getting one from a yak in trying conditions

[paul.kenny]

Congratulations, excellent fish from a yak especially is those testing conditions.

[Crusher]

Well done!

We'll have a crack at them tomorrow if we can get over the bar. This morning was impassible to all but the biggest trailerboats. Maybe I should get a Yak!

[gonfishing]

A very respectable catch, well done!

Hats off for your bravery fishing in that condition from a yak

[rjc123]

Nice mate! Cobes go just like their cousins (kingies) don't they! Nice feed from it too!

[Hodgey]

That is a great effort; especially from a yak

Cheers

Hodgey

[leatherjacket]

Nice mate! Cobes go just like their cousins (kingies) don't they! Nice feed from it too!

They are a great feed mate!!! Very tasty and the 12.5kg of meat lasted us a week, but I'm not sick of eating it and I'd still order Cobia if I saw it on a menu;) I wonder why they are not sold in the fish markets?

Cheers,

AC