Also Called: Black Kingfish, Black Salmon, Cabio, Crabeater, Lemonfish, Sergeantfish
A beautiful species with dark brown sides streaked with silver, Cobia are an extremely popular catch of large, premium white fish. Cobia can be found both inshore and offshore and relatively easy to hook, though can be challenging for beginners to reel in.
People love Cobia for its firmness, its fresh, buttery flavor and relatively low fat content. It’s also fairly mild in terms of “fishiness.” Cobia is one of the best fish for eating in the area.
Cobia are most abundant in Hilton Head from May to August, which is their spawning season. This is when they are most likely to thrive in inshore waters due to minimal rainfall, which means the water maintains high salinity (the amount of salt in the water).
Look for adults throughout Hilton Head's inshore waters. They like to feed along the oyster beds and around natural and manmade structures such as rocks, docks and bridges.
Bait: Go with the Cobia’s natural food supply - blue crab, Shrimp, small fish, etc. Approach: The closer to the natural and artificial objects they congregate around (e.g. marsh grass, fallen trees, dock or bridge supports, etc.), the better. If your hook doesn't get caught from time to time, you're not close enough. Tackle: A standard rod and reel with a weighted circle hook is best. Black Drum fishing can be done with a fly lure as well, though the precision casting required to draw them to the surface makes this method more challenging.
The rules for keeping Cobia are tricky. In Hilton Head (and all waters south of Jeremy Inlet and Edisto Island), you can keep one Cobia per person per day and no more than 3 per vessel per day. You cannot fish for Cobia in the month of May if the annual catch limit has been met.
Private fishing charters for all ages and skill levels.
We look forward to hearing from you. Please contact us to book your next fishing charter by submitting the form below, or by giving us a call at 843-806-2424.
