Cobia on a fly

[willrek]

One of my big ambitions is to catch a cobia on the fly. Reaching out to see if anyone has any experience with offshore fly fishing. The largest rod I have is an 8wt, but I'm thinking I'll need a 10 or 12wt for this. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Cozumel Annie]

I have a Sage 10 wt RPLXi that's only been used once I would consider selling.

[2thDr]

Not done it on fly. Getting one on will not be a problem. Real problem is how do you turn one away from the structure where you found it without breaking even a 12 wt? Most big fish are open water, not so much cobia unless you can find one under a shrimp boat.

[karstopo]

Yep, that cobia running around a buoy or into a rig, ain’t no fly rod with fly rod tippet going to stop that fish. Might lose your line and or bust your rod, 12 weights included. Technically and traditionally, it’s not fly fishing, at least as the IGFA sees it, if the tippet exceeds 20#.

But, if you are dead set on landing a cobia, rig up a short broom stick of a conventional rod with a fly reel and something like a GT heavy duty fly line, the heaviest leader that can go through the hook eye. It won’t be a long cast. These fish aren’t known to be boat shy. The whole challenge it would seem will be keeping it out of the structure as the previous post indicated.

[caddis]

Keep a 12wt rigged and ready while you troll weed lines for kings. Probably take more trips but then no issues with structure breaking you off.

[Meadowlark]

Originally Posted by willrek

...Reaching out to see if anyone has any experience with offshore fly fishing. ....

I've done a good bit of it including big sails, dorado, bonita, kings etc. I'd say the cobia on a fly is something most would only want to do once and even then not around any structure.

Minimum 12 wt, extra heavy leader ( 80 pound or greater, wire if you prefer), GT type fly line, and the best fly reel drag system you can afford.

[karstopo]

I feel that way about Jack creavelle. One is enough. I’ve caught ling on conventional and they are strong and not so exciting. Tricky, Showy, jumping or fast running fish are my favorites. Brute force, not so much. Fish don’t have to be big or have long endurance. Really, the less endurance to a degree, the better. 10-15 minutes with one fish is plenty in my mind, at least as I see it. These 2 hour battles I read about, not for me.

[Bird]

I've caught small ones, up to 10 lbs on my 8wt. Tough fish for sure. I haven't had the chance to cast to a big one on the fly. They are easy tease away from the structure. Easiest way is to keep pulling the fly away from them and then cast immediately back to them as you drift away from the structure. If you have a big popper you can really get and keep their attention long enough to get away from the rig/buoy etc. You could land a big one on a stout 10wt but I'd suggest an 11 or 12wt if you are going to tangle with some really big ones. A good saltwater rod will have the backbone to do the work, you'll need a tough reel with plenty of backing. You could probably get away with a 5-6' straight piece of 40-50lb for your leader. Definitely will want to understand the 'down and dirty' style of fighting big fish with your fly rod. I wouldn't go over 50lb leader as that is the typical breaking strength of the larger weight saltwater fly lines unless its just a short section of bite tippet.

[Thestork]

I want to catch a bigger one.

[Pete A.]

I have a budget but very capable 12wt kit if you're interested. TFO Pro Rod and Cableas WLX (Lamson) with 2 loaded spools (one floating, and one intermediate).

Send me a message if interested.

Pete