Beaufort, SC Cobia Fishing

Customer with a big 40 Pounder! 

     Any fly fisherman out there will tell you that watching a big fish eat your fly is always an incredible feeling! Here in the Low Country it can be hard to find a fish over 15lbs to experience the intensity of a big fish bite. Our beloved Redfish keep us busy through the winter with big schools at low tide which can be some of the most visual fishing around but can also tend to get old after fishing 4 months of cold morning runs, and lethargic fish. Well in the middle of April a fish comes inshore here in Beaufort to spawn and gives us fly anglers the opportunity to sight cast to not only  a different species, but a much larger fish ranging between 15-80lbs!
      Cobia is the name of the game and can offer some of the most intense sight casting situations here in the Low Country. Cobia also known as “Ling”, “Big Browns”, or “Cobes”, are an offshore fish that come inshore to spawn from the middle of April until the end of June. Once our water temperatures here in the Low Country get in the prime 67-70 Degree range we will start to see the Cobia venturing inshore. There are a lot of places here in Beaufort that you can target Cobia including the Broad River, Port Royal Sound, St. Helena Sound, and Calibouge Sound. The best part is being able to fish from your flats boat for an offshore fish inshore!

Nice Beaufort Cobia on the Fly! 

     I was fortunate to be born and raised on the Broad River which is one of the best areas to target the Cobia Inshore and has created a personal passion for these fish. The Broad River offers a huge area with tons of bait, big tides, and a spectacular fishery. Starting in Mid April our water temperature warms up and the Broad River seems to almost turn into a miniature Gulf of Mexico with clear blue water, bait thriving, jelly balls floating, and Cobia cruising! This is when we get into Cobia Mode and start throwing 10-12 weight rods, big flashy flies, and heavy duty liters. Its always a good feeling putting the big rods in the boat and hoping for the opportunity to challenge a Cobia with your fly.

Hooked up! 

Capt. Owen Plair with a happy customer! 

      We look for calm winds below 10mph and slow moving tides when sight casting to Cobia. Running the boat around 5mph, standing on the poling platform, and looking for the big brown fish cruising on top. When searching for Cobia we are mainly looking for a push, fins out of the water, bait being busted, or simply the brown object swimming beneath the surface. Clear skies always help but the key is to be able to look outside the box for movement in the water that is irregular from everything else. These fish come to the surface for moments out of the day to swim in the sun which helps digest there food and allows us as anglers to present them with a fly to make our dreams of a big fish bending the rod come true! Positioning the boat parallel to the fish at a distance between 30-80ft is key, which all depends on your ability as a caster, and being able to visually see the fish as its cursing on top. 

Capt. Owen Plair's Jail Bird Cobia Pattern 

Customer with a double hook up on Cobia! 

       The best part about Cobia season is that you can also target redfish in the same outing and literally run a 100 yards from a redfish flat to sight cast to Cobia. Using 10-12 weights rods is preferable with large arbor reels, a tarpon tapered floating line, and 40-80lb liters will do the job. Cobia are bull dawgs and have very aggressive takes but lack in the fighting side of things because they tend to just sound to the bottom which is why big liters help landing fish faster. The flies of choice include the Flash Tail Whistler, Sea Reducer, Purple and Black Plaglesi, or anything else that looks flashy and moves fast! The result from big fish and clear water is an amazing fishery that can challenge even the most experienced angler. Cobia on the fly is an experience I recommend to any fly fisherman here in the Low Country.