# 8/3 Buckroe Beach Pier, 30" Cobia



## Kam (Apr 30, 2013)

I live in DC but am originally from Hampton so when I go home for whatever reason, I always hit good ole Buckroe if I get some time especially because we don't get the variety and size outside of the rockfish. 


I caught this beautiful 30" cobia back on Aug. 3 around 9:15a at the Buckroe Beach Pier in Hampton, VA. This was my first cobia ever but was 7" too short to keep (VA reg is 37") which was too bad because cobia are supposed to be damn good. Anyway, it was a fun fight. I caught it on chunked bluefish (no size limit in VA). My set up was a fish finder, 3 oz weight, 6/O hook with about 2 feet of leader. I was using braided line (yellow), 30 pound if I remember correctly. Oh I don't have any special rod and reel, just a combo Daiwa that Bass Pro had on special (I think it may always be on special, I now have 3) for $30 last year. And that's what makes the catch even better because I don't have all that expensive stuff the "Cobia" fisherman have, no disrespect to them but some of yall know what I mean. Lets keep it 300, if you come past that red line on the T, you get all kind of looks and slick sideways remarks if you have a lowly 7' or so spinning rod but not too many people are going to say much to me especially in the morning when they don't have that liquid courage in them but I digress.

Anyway, I arrived at the pier around 7a or so and was told nothing was biting from the staff and folks leaving from the night before. Quick sidebar, one of those people leaving was a girl who pretty much pissed me off the night before. I had my rod properly set up at the end of the pier at the T. So I leave it and start doing some flounder fishing. I thought I heard my bell go off so I turn, I don't see anything but then I hear it again so I start heading back that way but then I see a this girl and some people over where my rod is so I'm thinking it was maybe her bell that I heard but soon realized that wasn't the case and wouldn't you know that this chick is reeling in my rod in front of me and basically has the catch in so she says "Hold this, I'm going to have to bring this in by hand". At this point I'm blown, like is this really happening? WTF is really going on right now??!! Turns out it was a little baby shark which is what it is but given I never have caught a shark I felt slighted by her actions. And who the F does she think she is anyway? Don't think because you are a chick you get a pass. I tried to calm myself down but then I thought to myself "What if that had been a cobia or some monster fish?". I got all annoyed over again so I had to say something. I asked her and her crew who were half drunk what happened and she said that they tried calling me (which is BS because I heard the bells but no yells) but they didn't know my name and then she tried to hit me with I saved your pole, did I want it in the water? At that point I was getting pissed because now you are just flat out lying. The way I had it set up, none of that would have happened, I know how to set my pole up and leave it so that it doesn't go overboard. Plus the shark was hooked, it wasn't getting off. Long story short I told them to not touch my **** again!! If any of what they said had been true I would have been cool but it was total bs and I didn't appreciate it or their drunken actions and commentary on the pier that night. They left later to get food but by the time I left they had not come back yet which I was just fine with.

Ok, back to the real story...so I'm back out there at 7a and I really wanted a nice doormat flounder, nice keeper trout or maybe a drum so I started fishing the shallows and under the pier. Nothing was biting my top and bottom rig sitting there with different baits nor my spec rig I was throwing. After a hour or so of being skunked I pulled out my trusty sabiki rig (allowed in VA). I caught a 4-5 small bluefish which I kept as bait. Anyway, a family and friends about 10 deep with about 20 poles came being loud and obnoxious, setting up crabbing gear right next to me so I decided it was time to go to the other (deeper) end of the pier. I go to the T and a few of the regular well known guys are there who I recognized from my all too infrequent trips to the pier over the two recent summers. One of the guys actually holds the record (at least for this year) for the largest cobia caught on the pier. Anyway, I got there, set up and cut a fresh piece of chunked bluefish and cast it out near the right corner of the T, set my drag and put my pole down past the third eye from the bottom just in case. I then went on to set up my other rod to bottom fish on the other side in the appropriate area for bottom fishing with intentions of using my remaining rod to go for flounders. But just as soon as I could turn around to head for my third rod I heard my bell (yes, I use bells when I'm setting up or not actively watching my poles) on my rod with the chunked bluefish ring and then I saw the tip dip hard twice. Man listen, I ran to that rod so quick, grabbed it and then that magical sound happened, you know that sound we all dream about - Zzzzziiinnnnnnggggggggggg...I adjusted my drag and set the hook like a champ. By this time everyone was watching me and of course I got the usual "its probably a ray" comments and at the time I honestly didn't know what it was but I know it didn't feel like a ray (I've had my fair share of practice with rays). Rays and skates normally take slam off and don't jerk. This fish was strong and fighting and as it got closer it jumped but I didn't see the full jump because I was messing with the drag but I did see the end of it and heard it and it didn't look or sound like the flap of the rays wings when it surfaces. At this point, I'm winning and I'm bringing the fish in with composure, letting it tire itself out so there are minimal surprises at the end of the fight. Now what normally is supposed to happen (pay attention if you did not know this, an unwritten rule is about to be spoken) is that everyone should have their lines in (out of the freaking water) by now for a number of reasons one of which is that we don't know what it is yet and if it is something special as and it breaks off because you are fishing for spot there might be some serious problems... So it is getting closer to the pier and I can make out that it is a indeed a fish, a big fish. And as soon as I realized that the guy next to me said "What kind of fish is that?". Images of pictures I've seen and the mounted cobia at the entrance of the pier instantly flashed through my head while I simultaneously, loudly and proudly said "COBIA!!!!". Now the regulars were still chilling, possibly thinking it was still a ray but when I said/yelled COBIA that they were like "No Way" and casually came over to me. The one that made it over first was like "Oh ****, I'll be damned!!!" and then ran over to get the net which caused the other one (the record holder) to run over to me and at that point there was still a pole in the water so I was "Whose pole is that? Someone reel it in!!!". Turns out it was the record holders, maybe he was too caught up to realize his pole was in the way, with that being said, once he realized it was his he got it in quickly though we had to do a little dance... So by now the other regular is back with a bridge net directing me so he could get the net in position under the fish. However, game fish aren't stupid and knew what was up so it tried to shoot under the pier which was the worst possible thing that could happen because the pier is built on cement pilings (the old pier was all wood and was destroyed by Isabel years back) and cement against braid is a recipe for disaster i.e. losing the biggest/rarest fish of my life (so far). Well long story short, he got the net under him and we got him on the pier. I was so pschyed as was everyone around the T. Its like a group of people going in on a lottery jackpot when fish like that are caught, if one person wins, everyone wins. Shout out to the two regulars, Evan C. and his buddy for helping me get the fish on the wood, telling me best way to handle "the man in the brown suit" (the start of the cobia dorsal fin is very hard and sharp which I didnt know) and even offering to take my picture. Oh and one of the guys told me that I should cut my line because he said he noticed that it was thin where it had been running across the cement. I thought that was pretty nice and cool of him to mention. I cut it where it started to fray, hooked everything back up and was super excited to get it back out there. As I go to cast, all I hear is SNAP!!! I guess it was frayed in another part as well. I eventually got everything going again.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to recapture that moment (with no luck, not even a croaker or spot) and hopefully will spend a lifetime recreating and even besting that moment but that first one will always be special. I didn't catch another thing that day and left with an empty cooler but I had a chestful of pride. Plus I can't lie, my ego was stroked a bit when people including other regular cobia fisherman who were starting to arrive kept asking to see my pics. One guy even told me that he had been coming out there for 5 years trying to catch a cobia and I came out there and did it in 5 minutes. But as any true fisherman knows all too well that's the way fishing goes sometimes...


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## NcRon (Dec 15, 2007)

nice catch Kam


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Awesome dude! I can't stand people who do stuff like that chick did, pisses me off. If some body would have done that with my big rods and I didn't ask em to I would flip. Now it's just time to upgrade to some big stuff for that 80lber!


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## Fishy Business (Jun 1, 2013)

Great recap man and congrats on the cobe. I actually enjoyed reading that.


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## fishinbob (May 27, 2011)

Awesome!


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## NOB_legend (Jan 26, 2013)

Good story and nice job on your catch


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## Kam (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks all!!


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Great work.


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