Hunting a top predator in Virginia waters is like stalking big game: Chasing Cobia

CAPE CHARLES, Va. ( WFXR ) — “There’s one!” Captain Tyler Nonn exclaimed as he gestured toward the silhouette just under the surface ahead of the boat.

Nonn, a guide with Tidewater Charters out of Cape Charles, Virginia grabbed a rod and line baited with a live eel and tossed it at the dark shadow rising in the waves. The fish moved in and slammed the eel before going on an explosive run.

Game on!

That is the excitement of fishing for cobia (Rachycentron Canadum) on Virginia’s lower Chesapeake Bay.

Cobia are a migratory gamefish that frequent the southern coastal areas of the United States. They move north into Virginia waters as summer temperatures rise. Often they move to the surface to use the warmth of the sun to jumpstart their metabolisms.

(Capt. Tyler Nonn scans the horizon for cobia from the tower of his boat – Photo: George Noleff)

“Cobia fishing is a lot of fun,” said Nonn. “You can catch them in a variety of ways; they’re a great sportfish.”

Nonn likes to sight-fish for them, much like a hunter would stalk prey. He stands high in the tower of his boat scanning the horizon for fish on the surface.

“You’re looking for life, you’re fishing edges of contours, stuff like that. these fish are very nomadic,” said Nonn. “There’s a lot of movement; trial and error; process of elimination as your day goes on trying to find them.”

On this day, finding them was not a problem. We boated two cobia, each after multiple line-peeling, drag-screaming runs. These fish fight, but they are also delicious. But, on this trip, we were catching but not keeping.

While the fish are managed for harvest, putting more back than you take is a great way to preserve this valuable resource. It is a fishery with a multi-million dollar impact on Virginia’s economy.

“They’re definitely good to eat, it’s undeniable,” Nonn said. “But, they’re worth a lot more in the water than they are in a cooler.”

You can catch cobia in the lower Chesapeake from mid-June to mid-September.

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