[sel1005]

Cobia are on the way, and I am pretty much a diehard Shimano fan. Have used the smaller ones for all sorts of fishing, but never really fished for cobia (but what's left for us to fish for now?)

So, the question is this: which Shimano is best for cobia sight fishing / casting? I will be trolling withShimanoTLDs / 30 widesin the rod holders, but when we see one and want to make that perfect cast to it, which Shimano reel / rod should we have loaded up and ready to go?

Fishing offshore, would you use 7 ft or 8 ft rods? Thanks

 

[lobsterman]

I am satisfied with my Spheros but if you want to spend more money you can go up from there.

 

[JOHNJOHN205]

saragosa, spheros, baitrunners all will work

 

[Pinksnappertrapper]

Stella

 

[sel1005]

How do you rig them up? Mono or braid? I would think maybe 30 lb line, but is that too light? From a boat, what size rod is best for casting out to them? Thanks again

 

[lobsterman]

For Cobia mono works great butI have them rigged both ways. I would say it is a personal preference.

 

[Matt Mcleod]

I had a 14000 spheros that I used to cobia fish and I liked it a lot. The saragosa is a good one too. Since you are fishing from a boat I would use a rod that is 8' or longer with 25-30 lb mono line.

 

[Findeep]

I use a Spheros 14000 on a 9ft Key Largo, 30lb Momoi w/ a flourocarbon leader 40-50lb. Love the Spheros, great for the $$$.

 

[sel1005]

9 ft rods? wow, thanks guys, because I would have thought those were only for surf fishing. The ones I have seen come in med-med heavy-heavy. Would a medium heavy be OK off the boat?

 

[Kim]

Depending on how much you want to spend, Thunnus, Sustain or Stella.

 

[MGuns]

Personnaly I stick with Penns. For Cobia I use a 7' Key Largo Cobia/Kingfisher rod and a Penn 7500 or 8500 strung with #40 Berkley Big game dark green.

 

[Chris V]

+1 on the spheros. They are great all around reels and perform as well or better than many more expensive ones. I like a 7-8ft rod too but something lighter than the older "traditional" E-glass cobia stick. 20-30lb mono is fine as long as you get at least 200 yards or so.

 

[tyler0421]

Pinksnappercatcher (3/1/2010)Stella

+1 Cant beat a stella!

 

[John B.]

i have always used 706z or van staals, but this year i think i'm going to get a Saragosa 14000, also the spheros 14000 is a great reel.

on a side note. if you do plan on pulling lures behind you while sight fishing, have 2 people down there to get those lines in quick, fast, and in a hurry when you see a fish... otherwise you'll have a true cluster on your hands.

 

[younghooker]

Spheros 18000 with Half Hitch or All Star 8 ft. cobia special.. 30 lb. sufix with 2+ ft. 50 lb flouro leader.. 7/0 ownermutu lite hook for eels/bait... go sloooow heading east :toast what John B. said about trolling.. :nonono we don't do it unless conditions are bad for cobes

 

[Captain Jake Adams]

All of the above mentioned are great reels and will be plenty adequate for catching cobia, it's just a matter of preference and how much money you want to spend. The Stella is no doubt the best reel of the bunch but they carry a pretty hefty price tag. I personally own 4 of the Spheros and have fished them for 5 seasons and cannot say anything negative about them. For the money, they are outstanding. The Stellas will bea little smoother and more fancy but in my opinion, provide no extra benefits to actually catching fish. Again, with proper care for any of the reels mentioned, you will be fine. Good luck this season

 

[John B.]

younghooker (3/2/2010)Spheros 18000 with Half Hitch or All Star 8 ft. cobia special.. 30 lb. sufix with 2+ ft. 50 lb flouro leader.. 7/0 ownermutu lite hook for eels/bait... go sloooow heading east :toast what John B. said about trolling.. :nonono we don't do it unless conditions are bad for cobes

1/0 Gamakatsu 4x TREBLE!!!

 

[Corpsman]

Captain Jake Adams (3/2/2010)All of the above mentioned are great reels and will be plenty adequate for catching cobia, it's just a matter of preference and how much money you want to spend. The Stella is no doubt the best reel of the bunch but they carry a pretty hefty price tag. I personally own 4 of the Spheros and have fished them for 5 seasons and cannot say anything negative about them. For the money, they are outstanding. The Stellas will bea little smoother and more fancy but in my opinion, provide no extra benefits to actually catching fish. Again, with proper care for any of the reels mentioned, you will be fine. Good luck this season

Well said Jake.

 

[sel1005]

Seems Saragosas are $100 more than Spheros for similar functionality? Have not heard of Stellas in this mix, are they for the same type fishing (cobia / bull dolphins?) I would prefer to have a good all round rig, not maybe the very best as I can't afford them, but I want something that will give me at least 3-4 seasons if well maintained.

 

[wrightackle]

That extra one hundred dollars for the Saragosa would be money well spent. I know others in this thread have had good luck with the Spheros but my experience with them was not too good. Maybe the big spheros hold up better than the 8000 size that tore up on me. I was reallydisappointed that the Spheros did not have ball bearings supporting each side of the main gear. The side opposite the handle just had a nylon bushing.