Got out sight fishing Cobia in the lower Chesapeake Bay last week. Running the redneck tower (ladder ratchet strapped to the T Top) we saw close to 30, got 4 eats, hooked 3, and landed 2. Both fish we landed went 44-45" and the one we lost was about the same size. 

 

 

I was told they are the # 1 tasting fish in the ocean?

 

16 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

I was told they are the # 1 tasting fish in the ocean?

 

A lot of people would agree, but I know a couple folks who don't prefer it. I'd definitely consider it up there with the best- very firm and flaky meat. I coated some steaks in olive oil and Chef Paul's Seafood Magic and threw it on the charcoal. It was d**n good. It doesn't keep in the freezer as well as some species in my experience. 

I caught a cobia in the keys back in 2018 on a guided fishing trip. It wasn’t that big though. They are impressive fish.

@JHoss awesome cobia. Those are on my bucket list for sure. 

On 6/26/2025 at 12:36 PM, Bazoo said:

Man it'd be rough to accidentally lip one of them critters

The gill plates are worse than the teeth. That back edge is like a knife blade.

4 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

The gill plates are worse than the teeth. That back edge is like a knife blade.

Thanks, I'll have to check out the gill plates on the next one. I have been very careful with all the ones I've caught thus far.

Brown trout on a neko rig

On 6/27/2025 at 5:27 PM, T-Billy said:

The gill plates are worse than the teeth. That back edge is like a knife blade.

Yup.

...but the teeth are no fun either.  I had a 40" zig when I zagged a couple years ago, and she left a nice scar on my thumb.

This little guy hit a 4" weightless dinger.  It kind of looks like a cross between a green sunfish and a bluegill.

I will not be getting muskie skunked in 2025. These are not very big specimens I caught this morning, but I don’t care. Muskie slime attracts more (and bigger) muskies. 20 mins apart, pair of tigers, 26 and 28 inches. Took me until Labor Day last season to catch one.

 

 

Congrats @gim. I wish we had tigers here. Such gorgeous fish.

12 hours ago, gim said:

I will not be getting muskie skunked in 2025. These are not very big specimens I caught this morning, but I don’t care. Muskie slime attracts more (and bigger) muskies. 20 mins apart, pair of tigers, 26 and 28 inches. Took me until Labor Day last season to catch one.

 

 

Good job!

Caught a decent carp with the ultralight while fishing for catfish bait

 

 

So I hit the local river this morning for the first time in weeks,  we've been pounded by rain here and north of us and it finally caught up with us as the river is up 3 to 5 feet I'd guess. That makes bank access very limited. I did manage to find a decent area and was rewarded with a big channel cat for around here..no scale but I'd guess he was close to 10lbs. That's too big for me for eating so back he went. Going back out early tomorrow with a buddy to my local lake looking for some largemouth and hopefully a couple eater size channel cats.

Went down to the river, and while I was targeting bass... no bass were targeting my offerings.

 

 

 

 

Met a couple of korean dudes down there and gave them the crankbait I was using. Interesting to see how folks from other countries fish.

Went canoeing Sunday, paddled several miles pulling a shad rap. Caught catfish of all things 😂 . And of course drum . A pretty redbreast sunfish also hit another crank I dragged

 

 

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Went canoeing Sunday, paddled several miles pulling a shad rap. Caught catfish of all things 😂 . And of course drum . A pretty redbreast sunfish also hit another crank I dragged

 

 

There's the eater size cats I was looking for this weekend

 

Landlocked Salmon 

Lucky #7. I FINALLY got the skunk out of the boat today after it took up residence for six trips in a row. Musky skunk anyhow, I caught some small bass during that stretch.

 I got off to another tough start today. I only had one lazy follow by a low 30's in the first 4.5 hrs. I switched gears and hit the shallow weeds, and on up the feeder creek in the upper end of the lake. The creek is only 15-20 feet wide and 1.5' - 5' deep. It was 4-6 degrees cooler than the lake and loaded with muskie.

 I had four follows by mid 30's fish, had a low/mid 40's blow up on my blade and miss while burning it just under the surface, then finally connected with the beauty below all in the last 1.5 hrs. She is 46" right on the nose. 

30 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

It was 4-6 degrees cooler than the lake and loaded with muskie.

What are your water temps like down there, and at what point do you cut off fishing for muskies?

83 in the main lake basins. 77 in the creek where I caught that fish. I haven't felt the need to stop fishing for them due to temps. We usually top out in the low 80's. I don't fish deeper than about 14' for them in warm water though. The thermocline sets up around 15' in my local lakes, and I'm generally fishing weeds in 12' or less through the summer. 

If the extended forecast holds, we've peaked for this summer, and August is looking good with highs in the high 70's/low 80's and lows in the high 50's/low 60's. 🤞

I caught these from the bank, i can see the weedline and i cast out well beyond it and with a bobber using a small 1/16 or 1/32 jig,  I was using cooked shrimp, I then twitch the jig a bit, wait for a strike, if not then i twitch and reel in a bit untill i hit the weed line, i get the blue gill, pumpkinseed from way off the weed line up to the main noticeable weed line.

I was using cooked shrimp, got tired of rebaiting so i went to casting ang jigging back a small white curly tailed grub and a silver sparkly grub and all i started catching was small crappie cast after cast, was able to catch 6 keepable crappie and threw the rest back in.

I then got tired of casting so i put bobber back on and with same jig i put on a 2" gulp minnow and cast out and twitch it and then i was catching crappie, bluegills and pumpkin seed.

 

@T-Billy,

I am not familiar with OH fishing regulations.  In the "Everything Else" forum you mention a chipmunk problem.  Is it legal to use chipmunks as bait?  If so, have you ever tried using them as bait for Muskellunge?  

1 hour ago, BASS302 said:

@T-Billy,

I am not familiar with OH fishing regulations.  In the "Everything Else" forum you mention a chipmunk problem.  Is it legal to use chipmunks as bait?  If so, have you ever tried using them as bait for Muskellunge?  

Ha!!! They would probably work, but rigging them up could be....... interesting. 😂 I have two neighbor ladies who insist on feeding the birds. Those feeders draw in lots of chipmunks. I drown 2-3 dozen of those destructive little buggers a year.