It’s Cobia Season!
Cobia season is underway in the mid-Atlantic and runs through September 30th in Maryland and Virginia and through December 31st in North Carolina. The minimum size in Maryland is 40 inches with a daily catch limit of one per person per day or three per vessel.
Virginia has the same regulations except that only one fish can be larger than 50 inches. The minimum size in North Carolina is 36 inches with a daily catch limit of one per person/vessel per day; for-hire boats can possess up to four cobia per day.
The Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association based in Newport News, Virginia, has joined forces with the Old Dominion University Alumni Association to host the Monarch Cobia Classic July 19-21. The tournament will be hosted at the Yacht Club at Marina Shores, and organizers are hoping to make it the largest cobia tournament on the Atlantic coast.
First prize for the largest cobia will be $10,000 with cash prizes through the fifth place ($1,000). The tournament benefits the Old Dominion Alumni Association scholarship fund and Virginia Institute of Marine Science research. Anglers and non-anglers can enjoy the tournament awards and dock party Saturday evening.
By Chris Knauss, Southern Boating July 2018
Photo courtesy of Virginia Tourism Board
More Mid-Atlantic Updates:
Cruise with the Marine Trawlers Owners Association