Sight Fishing Cobia On The Flats With Otis [Dog vs. Cobia]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Cobia, Fishing Reports, Fishing Tips, Fishing with Otis
Sight fishing cobia on the flats is one of the most fun types of fishing because there are so many challenges involved.
First of all, it’s very tough to find them on a consistent basis, so it’s even more important to take advantage of any opportunities that do come up.
Also, they are often following rays which always seem to make a turn right after you cast ahead of it making the cast fruitless because the cobia never even saw your lure/bait.
But when it does all work out, it’s up there with my absolute favorite of all catches.
The Dog vs. Cobia Trip
One very memorable day took place a couple weeks ago while I was fishing with my dog, Otis.
I was moving across a flat using the trolling motor and noticed a big push of water about 150 yards away.
My first assumption was that it was a dolphin, but I kept glancing back over in that direction and never saw the dolphin come up for air.
And then I saw what appeared to be a wing of a big ray breaking the surface…
So I immediately dropped plans to target redfish up on the flat in hopes that a cobia was cruising with the ray.
And my excitement went through the roof when I realized that not only was there a cobia, there were more than just one…
There was only 1 problem…
And that was Otis… he apparently gets more excited than me when a cobia is on the line and it was pure chaos.
Note: You’ll see the full cast, hookup, and battle in the video below.
Sight Fishing Cobia On The Flats Video
Here’s a video that shows very close footage of a couple rays and some cobia cruising the flats.
They came right up to the boat several times, and I got a big one to strike just 10 ft away from me while the camera was rolling… sure was a blast!
Just click on this video image to see the video.
Related Links:
– Learn more about the Insider Fishing Club
– See the Insider Exclusive Trip Details
Conclusion
When fishing on the flats, always make sure to keep your eyes on the lookout for pushes of water.
These pushes of water will often be a big school of mullet, a manatee, or a dolphin.
But they can also be a big ray with cobia like this, a school of redfish, or something else that can turn an otherwise slow day to be a very special trip.
And if you do plan to land a hard fighting fish like a cobia, I recommend not taking a dog like Otis out without any help to keep him from acting up:)
Fish On!
P.S. – Please be sure to share this with any of your friends who you believe would enjoy sight fishing cobia off of a ray like this up on the flat.
Note: If you want to see more trips where Otis was causing trouble, here’s a link to a page that shows them all – click here.
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Long live Otis!!!
You gotta’ keep him on the boat– hundreds of guys have videos about catching fish. You guys do that AND you’ve got Otis!
jbj
Thanks for the kind words Blaine! Otis appreciates your vote:)
Love the dog but it’s like to much buddy to have to watch all the stuff at once
I think fishing with your dog is awesome. However I will say that if he doesn’t obey command he could end up gettting tangled in the line or getting hooked badly if the hook comes free from the fish. Either one could become fatal (worst case senario, but murphy’s law seems to happen often). If you can get him to obey command I would personally fish on! If not, that’s a hard decision.
Otis is gonna end up dinner sooner or later.:)
Even though my german shepard swims as well as any of my labs, my wife would not let her on the boat without a dog life jacket .
The really good thing is it has a large handle in the middle of the back . It might be like lifting a suitcase full of wet cement but , I can lift her out . You can also grab the jacket with a boathook when your favorite companion will not come back close enough to reach .
Otis minds so well (lol), but you got to keep taking him when you can!
There’s a lot of informative info in most of the videos, but the most entertaining videos always seem to involve Otis.
You gotta keep taking Otis.
BTW, you should auction a fishing trip with Otis and let the proceeds go to help the Panhandle for hurricane recovery. Might be surprised how much folks would bid for that trip with Otis (oh, and to fish with you too. : – )
Bubba Thomas (yea, I know my sign in shows Thomas Thomas, but that’s not correct and I don’t know how to get it fixed)
Hi Thomas…I sent an email request with same issue of changing profile name and they were kind enough to handle it for me. Hope this helps.
Hey Bubba, thanks for the kind words. My fear about auctioning off a trip with Otis would be that anyone daring enough to take the challenge will quickly regret it once they experience the wrath of Otis once he goes into crazy mode when a fish is on the line:)
Sorry to see that the system somehow had your last name showing for both your first and last names. It should be fixed now. Fish On!
Thanks, Luke on the name fix.
I’d go and not fish just to watch you deal with Otis’ and hi hijinks. Gotta be good for at least a !000 laughs. (I’m a lab lover to the core. Have been owned by 3 of them so far. There’s a reason they call them “water dogs”.
BTW, Webster defines “retreieve” as to go get or to bring back. He’ trying to live up to his name (you oughta take up duck hunting – you’d love him jumping in the water to retrieve then).
BT
Haha! Yes, it’s proving to be very difficult to train him to not do what he was bred to do:)
Love Otis! These are some of the best videos. Keep Otis fishing.
Thanks Harry! Otis appreciates your vote:)
I love Otis, but one day he may get hurt. You can’t fish and tend to him at the same time. If he can’t stay in one spot in the boat until you say the password, he has to stay home.
I agree. I ordered a book that a Club member recommended for training bird dogs that hopefully will shed some light on how I can get Otis to behave when a big fish is peeling out drag.
Too funny!