Warmer weather and rising water temperatures attract cobia to the shallows of the northern Gulf of Mexico this month as they begin their spring migration. Sight-casting to these big bruisers is popular among Gulf coast anglers and guides alike.

Capt. Brian Carter hooked this northern Gulf cobia by tossing a fly around a buoy marker. Photo by Capt. Sonny Schindler.

A cobia may be spotted swimming leisurely alongside the boat. They may seem fickle and uninterested, but if enticed to take your bait, than hang on! Hooking into one of these big boys can cause chaos at the end of your line and in the boat!

The fish show up around mid-March to early April as the surf temperatures warm. Migrating cobia travel northward along the coast of Florida and then westward into Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. It may be as late as May or June in the western Gulf before cobia show up. Water temperature is key, with 68 to 70 degrees ideal for the fish.

Research conducted by the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Mississippi indicated that cobia can be quite the travelers. One fish tagged off the Chandeleur Islands was recaptured nearly three years later over 1,300 miles away off the South Carolina coast. The fastest migration recorded was a cobia that traveled more than 700 miles in 46 days. That fish averaged over 15 miles per day!

Studies also showed that some cobia do not migrate at all. Many of the fish that winter in South Florida remain there year 'round. Some cobia also winter in the deeper waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, and then show up on the beaches to spawn.

Cobia, which also are referred to as lemonfish or ling, are fast growers. Some reach 20 inches in their first year. By age 2, the average length is about 35 inches, but they can reach 44 inches in two years! Females grow faster and bigger than the males. Research shows that the majority of cobia over 40 inches long are females.

Early in the season, the big cobia travel as singles or in small groups of up to three fish. A big cobia is 60 to 100 pounds. As the spring season progresses, the schools tend to get larger and the fish smaller, then averaging 20 to 30 pounds.

According to Capt. Pat Dineen, you don't fish for cobia: You hunt them. Captain Dineen guides the eastern end of the Gulf coast for cobia. He cruises sandbars and beaches scanning the water from atop his boat tower looking for the big brown fish. He will hunt for cobia from the first sandbar out to about a mile offshore.

The ideal condition for hunting cobia is a nice, sunny day with a south or southeast breeze and a little bit of a swell on the water. Since cobia are migrating east to west, they like to take advantage of an east wind and stay on top getting help from the current. This also aids anglers in being able to spot the fish.

A wind coming out of the west may force cobia to swim a little deeper so as not to fight the surface current that is going the opposite direction of its migration route. Having that slight swell provides anglers a "window" to see what's lying just beneath the water's surface.

Capt. Dineen recommended being ready with an assortment of baits. When he is scouting for cobia, he won't have a bait in the water until a fish is spotted, but he will have a rod rigged with bait -- usually a live eel -- and another rod rigged with a bucktail jig ready to throw. Cobia can be fussy about what they want to eat, and offering a selection may be necessary in getting one to bite.