# Pin rig vs. Bottom fishing for cobia



## citation (Dec 8, 2010)

Which catches more cobia, pin rigging or bottom fishing?


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## butch (Jun 9, 2002)

From what I've seen over the past two years it's been like ten to one in favor of bottom fishing. There's also alot caught by sight fishing. just give me an eel on the bottom.


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## 757 Fire (Jan 22, 2010)

im going to be fishing the bottom and sight casting thats it unless there is a large crowd. Might try a float have been really wanting to do that atleast once. If the T is packed like memorial weekend ill fish a pinrig just to cut down on tangles. Im also gonna buy a flat of menhaden every weekend instead of buying 6 eels both saturday and sunday. This first day of spring really has me itching to start fishing.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Both work.. jmo from the ones I have caught-there are more and better hookups with bottom baits.. Manytimes they will not get hooked on a livebait like on a bottom bait.. Manytimes a cobe will "windowshop" a livebait,especially in clear water.. No doubt when fishing in a bay or sound with murky to semi murky conditions you are better off with a bottombait..


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

What type of bait is best for bottom fishing for cobias? If you use crabs do u float them or put them on the bottom?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

*Never tried crab..*

Would guess it would work well either bottom or top,although a small crab hooked in the horn under a float would have to work well.. Again have never used it,so just an opinion..


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

I wonder how well a crab on a pin rig would do?


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## plotalot (Apr 27, 2009)

A crab would probably do well on a pin rig. That is if it doesn't tangle itself on the anchor line.


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## BigJeff823 (Oct 14, 2002)

Personally;I would pin rig the live fish.But,Crab cut up into chunks and fished on the bottom would work?You think?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

BigJeff823 said:


> Personally;I would pin rig the live fish.But,Crab cut up into chunks and fished on the bottom would work?You think?


 May be right there,crabs work well for tarpon on a float,but they are being drifted.. I would think current off the end of the planks on a pinrig might be too much for him,but worth a try.. Cobia will eat almost anything,crab is what I find in them when caught,mostly calicos and a few bluecrabs,would think either whole or quartered would work,but an eel or nice chunk of spainish or menhaden may work better...


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

Live sea mullet(whiting),spot,blue,or pinfish on a fish finder rig,hooked between the dorsal and tail.


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## Steel_Fish'n (Jun 9, 2010)

Pin Rig vs Bottom Rig

Bottom Rig hands down!!....I do pin rig...but it's a "just in case" type of thing...but to actually see a big brownie come up and EXPLODE on your Pin-Rig bait...that's the best part!....I've seen a 2lb blue fish snap a pin just to get away from a cobia...I've seen Cobia chase a bait round and round till it got either bored or tired and left it alone...Saw a small bluefish(candy bar) jump out of the water and get hung on the anchor line just to get away from a Cobe...Pin-Rigging is very visual fishing, but he won't bite while you're looking .....I've pin-rigged for a couple years and only had a couple Cobe's sniff at my bait....All my Cobia have come on the bottom or site casted from the pier.

IMO a bluefish, live bunker is the best pin-rig baits....Why?...because I've seen the most Cobia caught on those baits and they're very very "flashy" in the water...keep the liveliest bait out there

I like FRESH cut bunker/Bluefish and a couple live "secret" baits on the bottom....and please...stop throwing out little/small piece's of dried up bait that you find on the decks of the "T"...I can't stand it!!...LOL...I'll use a piece of bunker the size of my hand with all the guts hanging out...I LUV IT!!!...


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## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

Spanish heads are the ultimate Cobia bait for bottom fishing. Then fresh bunker. I bottom fish for them a lot on Charters. That's what I use and it works.


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## weekdayfisher (Apr 25, 2009)

If you are bottom fishing and you use a crab or a bluefish how big of a hook would you use?


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## FishNC13 (Nov 21, 2010)

surf rat said:


> Spanish heads are the ultimate Cobia bait for bottom fishing. Then fresh bunker. I bottom fish for them a lot on Charters. That's what I use and it works.


I know many fishes including spanish make good bait but I was just thinking:

No one may possess aboard a vessel or while engaged in fishing any fish subject to limits without head and tail attached, except for alewife and blueback herring used for bait provided not more than two fish per boat/operation may be cut at any one time – Reference 15A NCAC 3M .0101

How do you get around this? or just not worried about it?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

surf rat said:


> Spanish heads are the ultimate Cobia bait for bottom fishing. Then fresh bunker. I bottom fish for them a lot on Charters. That's what I use and it works.


 Since 1979 in the Pamlico,shhhhhhh



FishNC13 said:


> I know many fishes including spanish make good bait but I was just thinking:
> 
> No one may possess aboard a vessel or while engaged in fishing any fish subject to limits without head and tail attached, except for alewife and blueback herring used for bait provided not more than two fish per boat/operation may be cut at any one time – Reference 15A NCAC 3M .0101
> 
> How do you get around this? or just not worried about it?


 I don't break the law on spainish limits,and use both heads and bodies for bait,both very effective baits.. Yes,I will get ticketed if caught doing it,as surfrat,but catching a cobe outweights the risk.. As the song says "Breaking the Law,Breaking the Law".. The law is written with good intentions,I'm just greedy like that and will pay the ticket if need be...


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## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

I have no more than a limit in the cooler. I allways have a rod or two baited with fresh spanish head or big body chunk if I have any. Fresh bunker is great bait as well but believe me they won't swim by a nice hunk of Spanish without at least putting it in their mouth and chewing on it for a couple seconds. When bottom fishing for Cobia I think the common wisdom is to leave the clicker on and the drag light and expect every bite to take off like a drum. 80% of the big cobia I catch on bottom only move the rod tip a little. I keep the drag set to fight the fish and use a big J hook. As soon as I see the rod tip dip a little I reel down tight and set the hook. I am of course talking about fishing from a boat 99% of the time. On a pier you must let them run. On the beach you can drive a big spike. Lots of times on a charter the guy will be looking at the rod and never see the bite. Lots of times they just pick up the bait and mouth it for a few seconds. Many days we limit out doing this before it is even light enough to start site fishing. I usually catch fish over 80 lbs every year doing this. With that said if you want to float a crab on a bobber have at it. Call me an Outlaw. Drumdum is no DUMMY. I caught at least oneCobia 22 trips in a row doing this two years ago . I have caught as many as 7 nice one's in one set. I don't usually chum either except very early in the season. ... As far as the origional question both are a good way to catch a Cobia but I think your chances are better fishing a big chunk of spanish or Bunker on bottom. I have caught a couple on jumbo whole shrimp from the Oriental market and whole squid when no other bait was available. Croaker heads and Bluefish heads tend to catch mostly giant Rays the size of car hoods and big Sharks or skates. You can watch those rods it you fish with me. I will keep an eye on the Spanish head.


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## citation (Dec 8, 2010)

I know how to catch a spanish but havnt caught one on any of the piers in virginia, what time and what pier is the best to catch them on?


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## surf rat (Jun 30, 2004)

I buy them from the netters.


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

surf rat said:


> I have no more than a limit in the cooler. I allways have a rod or two baited with fresh spanish head or big body chunk if I have any. Fresh bunker is great bait as well but believe me they won't swim by a nice hunk of Spanish without at least putting it in their mouth and chewing on it for a couple seconds. When bottom fishing for Cobia I think the common wisdom is to leave the clicker on and the drag light and expect every bite to take off like a drum. 80% of the big cobia I catch on bottom only move the rod tip a little. I keep the drag set to fight the fish and use a big J hook. As soon as I see the rod tip dip a little I reel down tight and set the hook. I am of course talking about fishing from a boat 99% of the time. On a pier you must let them run. On the beach you can drive a big spike. Lots of times on a charter the guy will be looking at the rod and never see the bite. Lots of times they just pick up the bait and mouth it for a few seconds. Many days we limit out doing this before it is even light enough to start site fishing. I usually catch fish over 80 lbs every year doing this. With that said if you want to float a crab on a bobber have at it. Call me an Outlaw. Drumdum is no DUMMY. I caught at least oneCobia 22 trips in a row doing this two years ago . I have caught as many as 7 nice one's in one set. I don't usually chum either except very early in the season. ... As far as the origional question both are a good way to catch a Cobia but I think your chances are better fishing a big chunk of spanish or Bunker on bottom. I have caught a couple on jumbo whole shrimp from the Oriental market and whole squid when no other bait was available. Croaker heads and Bluefish heads tend to catch mostly giant Rays the size of car hoods and big Sharks or skates. You can watch those rods it you fish with me. I will keep an eye on the Spanish head.


 Just me,but I use a fighting drag on drum and a semi loose one on cobes.. Ideally a leverdrag reel would be the ticket here,that way your thumb is no issue.. As surfrat said,a cobe bite in a boat seems different than a drumbite or even a cobe bite off the pier.. Usually they either take off of slack you up,sometimes "lay on it",but generally smoke it or slack it.. Out of a boat they CAN and WILL bite like a snapper sized bluefish.. You'll see a tap tap on the rodtip and think it is a bluefish.. Best thing to do is figure they are all cobia,point the tip at the fish when it makes a move to one side or the other or moves towards or away,stick him immediatly if not sooner'n that.... In doing this you need to have two quick fingers,as with drum on the planks.. You must use your thumb to set the hook,making sure the thumb is placed on the side of the spool and not on the line... At the same time be able to tighten the stardrag.. I have had fish drop the bait when using a fighting drag for cobia,thus resorted to this tactic,and it has worked for me anyway...

Bluefish heads do attract rays,no doubt,although caught many on bluefish heads as well as spotheads,mulletheads,threadfin heads,and fatback aka bunker aka menhaden heads as well.. A common thread here is crabs.. Dummy that I am,never tried a crab but can see where it would work.. Have had at least two occasions where I was using a bluefish head and when the cobe was gaffed and on the deck a big live jimmy bluecrab fell on the deck from the cobe's mouth...

As far as using spainish for bait after cobes.. I guess surfrat and I have the same philosophy here>> "Yer gonna be dum yer gots ta be tuff"...


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

citation said:


> I know how to catch a spanish but havnt caught one on any of the piers in virginia, what time and what pier is the best to catch them on?


 Haven't fished Va Beach Pier in over 30years,but it used to catch some nice spainish... Place what weight you want with that statement,it WAS,not sure if it still IS or not...


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## ncsharkman (Mar 12, 2011)

Most people on my pier OBX pin rig for cobia. I do this some myself but I catch an occassional cobia at night by fishing a live menhadden on the bottom on a shark rig with my mini heaver and sealine 50. We used to just use slidder float rigs with live spot or tailer blues for bait. I'm gonna try that again this year as it is very easy and I'm very lazy! Just toss a 6 oz "sputnick" out with my little 5 ft 30-60 standup and slide a small float equiped king rig down the line.
Lazy ole Dave


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## Captain Les (Oct 18, 2010)

Eels are great on that pier too


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## jnc3000 (May 18, 2010)

either way i can't wait


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## tylerhb (Mar 29, 2010)

never though of using spanish, i guess because we dont catch as many off the piers here. Could hit up bubbas they always have some. Bottom fishing over pin rigs, you have to go through more bicatches but it pays off. definately goin with some crab this year. well see what happens


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

spanish are some of my fav bait everywhere lol. strip baits for flounder, chunk bait for sharks/head chunks etc. ive been told by marine fisheries that i could fillet them legally as long as they could measure the fish still, so chunking them and using heads is "mutilated" gamefish according to them i guess. still use em every chance i get....if a Marine fisheries cant tell a 2lb spanish head from a 11" spanish head, oh well i guess lol


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Jesse Lockowitz said:


> spanish are some of my fav bait everywhere lol. strip baits for flounder, chunk bait for sharks/head chunks etc. ive been told by marine fisheries that i could fillet them legally as long as they could measure the fish still, so chunking them and using heads is "mutilated" gamefish according to them i guess. still use em every chance i get....if a Marine fisheries cant tell a 2lb spanish head from a 11" spanish head, oh well i guess lol


 YEAP,plus 1...


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## CobiaChaser (Jul 18, 2011)

citation said:


> I know how to catch a spanish but havnt caught one on any of the piers in virginia, what time and what pier is the best to catch them on?


 Ive seen them all over but mostly sandbridge


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## crumbe (Jul 22, 2011)

I wonder why more people dont use eels off the piers for cobia...the only place I have ever seen it done allot is Buckroe...but cobia love eels.

Maybe a stupid question....I dont know. Really all the piers I used to fish I dont remember many putting out a bottom rig off the end (at least not in the summer time)...I guess with all the pin rigs out you may get a beat down.


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

i saw someone using eels on a balloon rig. the cobia we get, at jolly roger, usually feed at, or near the top where we can see em. then is the time you wish you had a spare rod to put a frisky blue or whatever on and cast it over to them.


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## CobiaChaser (Jul 18, 2011)

crumbe said:


> I wonder why more people dont use eels off the piers for cobia...the only place I have ever seen it done allot is Buckroe...but cobia love eels.
> 
> Maybe a stupid question....I dont know. Really all the piers I used to fish I dont remember many putting out a bottom rig off the end (at least not in the summer time)...I guess with all the pin rigs out you may get a beat down.


About everybody uses eels at seagull and fishes them at the botttom


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## smacks fanatic (Oct 16, 2010)

I wonder how it would work out if you put an eel on a slide rig/ pin rig.


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