Best Months
Mar – Nov
Best Time
Active through the day; sight-fishing to cobia on the surface is common on calm days
Tide
Productive on the incoming tide around structure; cobia follow rays and sharks in bays
Top Locations
43 regions
How to Catch Cobia
Productive on the incoming tide around structure; cobia follow rays and sharks in bays
Active through the day; sight-fishing to cobia on the surface is common on calm days
Clear water, calm sea; cobia are sight-fishable — look for dark shapes cruising near the surface
Floating buoys, cray pots, offshore reefs, channel markers, manta ray schools
Cast soft plastics or lightly weighted jigs to the fish and let it sink — cobia are ambush predators and will eat on the drop
Follow a school of cownose rays or manta rays — cobia almost always accompany them. A large live bait cast ahead of the ray school will get smashed.
Best Regions by Month
Seasonal ratings across all Australian regions. Click a region to see the full calendar.
Casting hard body lures to structure, mangroves, and rocky areas in estuaries.
Working metal jigs up and down in the water column over reefs or structure.
Presenting live baitfish (yakkas, mullet, mackerel) to attract larger predators.