Check out this 172 lb Cobia caught by a spear fisherman in Brazil Today. Its a new record!
(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag93/darondyer/Cobia2_zpsa59f1512.jpg)
Holy cobia!!
Sweet Jesus! That head would be a killer bait! For the everol 14/0
That's what I was thinking! Break out the #22 toothproof wire and the demon for that one!
Holy C!
It's funny how the truly monster fish just look different...I mean they look like twice as large as what you're minds eye envisioned a record fish would look like. I remember almost dropping the gaff in the water when we pulled in a pair of 150lb + wahoo once...my brain just couldn't comprehend what my eyes were seeing, I mean it didn't seem possible. Grander marlin and 1200lb+ sharks still have this affect on me. Though an 850lb Mako or big Tiger seems normal (guess I've already seen alot of these). I wonder how old that Cobia was?
I'm SURE they look just fine if YOU happen to be holding them up.
That was the Cobia that got snatched out of the back of my truck that I caught on my classic Zebco 33.
That would be like hanging onto a Cessna with a string.......Great effort
I want to go on record that I am not happy at the fish being speared. If it was caught on a fishing pole it should be released. A diver can see the fish. Why take such big fish? It takes a lot of years for a fish to get that big. I guess my point is that a diver can look at the fish see that it is big and has lived a lot of years so why spear it. Dominick
I don't know Dominick. I just saw it on yahoo and posted it up. I went back to get some more pictures of it and it was gone. I know they said it beat the world record for spearing a Cobia by 30 or 40 pounds.
I guess that's why he did it. I'm like you , Catch and Release. Free the Fighter! Lets Have some Zin! Really! ;)
(http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag93/darondyer/IMG_22121_zpsa80c96d9.jpg)
I'm with Dominick on this one, underwater footage of that behemoth swimming around would be far cooler than a kill shot.
I also agree that the fish should not have been shot. I had no idea a cobia could get that big. A Fukushima fish of course. ;D
Best yet would have been a catch and release. Very difficult to get scale with a photo in a natural enviro.
Quote from: Dominick on January 25, 2014, 06:12:08 AM
I want to go on record that I am not happy at the fish being speared. If it was caught on a fishing pole it should be released. A diver can see the fish. Why take such big fish? It takes a lot of years for a fish to get that big. I guess my point is that a diver can look at the fish see that it is big and has lived a lot of years so why spear it. Dominick
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Daron, Daron what is that stuff you are drinking? You don't think you are drinking Zin are you? Aaaagh. Troglodyte. :D Dominick
The Bottle says Zinfandel. That's what Troglodytes Drink. :P Just following suit ole buddy. ;)
With regards to the ethics behind spear fishing for giant fish, my thoughts are:
Catching (and harvesting) fish, by any Miriad of 'acceptable' methods must always done in a manner that is both sustainable and ethically sound. While we have many forms of guidance in this matter (federel, state, and locale-specific regulations and codes of conduct, particuarily within the US) which spell out or govern 'acceptable' and sustainable practices, ultimately the responsability lies with the individual doing the 'catching'. I firmly believe that sustainable fishing practices based on sound science can include many methods (Free-dive spear fishing, scuba spear fishing, aquarium trade-based harvesting, rod and reel, net, pole and line, harpoon, trot line, bouy-n-line, bandit reel, seine, and many others). I grew up, and still practice catch-and-release sportfishing, but work for the federel government as a fisheries biologist whose job it is to assisit with the proper management of the US-based Pacific longline fisheries. It's easy to defend your own method as being sound and easier still to point the finger at other methodologies as being unsound, but I think it's important to stick to hard facts and sound science. Sound and sustainable wildlife and fisheries management is often most effectively practiced through the use of many tools or methods. I may not think its very 'sporting' or ethical to catch fish via many of the accepted methods, but that doesn't make them harmful or unsustainable to the fish species targeted, or the ecosystem affected. It's true that typically taking the largest/oldest members of a given species population will likely have the greatest immediate impact on recruitment, sometimes too much recruitment can limit future survivability or scew the age-class structure for a given species. Sometimes taking too many young fish can be a bigger problem then harvesting a few if the older individuals. Typically, (ESP. W/most tuna spp.) most species can sustain harvesting if medium sized/aged individuals that have already sucessfully spawned at least once. Though sometimes if a population is suffering from too little of the older individuals, the medium sized guys need protection for a time. Other times, really good recruitment can lead to too many small immature individuals (which creates too much competition for limited prey resources), and these small guys need to be thined or future recruitment will be severely affected. There are differences to consider between species, populations, and locales. Some methods of harvesting are more 'sporting' some are more 'commercial-oriented', and some methods are more 'targeted' while others are more 'general' (shotgun approach), but most are sustainable if managed effectively. Some might argue, for instance that spear fishing is a more sustainable practice then hook and line, because you can always xhise your exact target fish. As a pole and line fishermen you can't always chose what fish is gonna get hooked, and you may be able to chose what fish you release, but sometimes you can not control post-release survivability. We all like to believe that all fish released, that swim away strongly will live to grow up and fight another day, but actually this is often not the case (post-release survivability can vary widely depending on many factors including lactic acid buildup, stress, O2 levels, muscle-tissue trama, baratrauma, and damage to bones/joints/gills/vessels/other tissues). Part of sound ethical fishing practices include recognizing when it's better to keep a fish, and when it's best to release it (and to use proper techniques to try to ensure survivability). Every species, and population is a but different too. Another consideration is that not all sustainable practices are necessarily 'ethical' as dictated by our culture...for instance the South Pacific Minke Whale population is nearing what many scientist believe to be a maximum effective carrying capacity, biologically speaking, but most people are not comfortable with the notion of killing whales. Same goes for our friends the California sea lion. This can get further complicated by sub population-level differences..like Stellrr Sea Lions need protection accriss most of their range, but there are a few small/local populations that are having a negative impact on their ecosystem. I think in most cases we should trust the scientist and managers and follow the regulations that exist to protect the resources. In general a good rule of thumb with regards to harvesting marine resources is to stick to taking species with high local abundance, widespread distribution. Shorter lived, highly fecund species can typically sustain greater removal rates, and avoiding targeting the oldest/largest, and the youngest/non-sexually mature individuals within a population will be most sustainable. Unfortunately, for many of us (myself included), we may want to keep that trophy fish of a lifetime, or the one species that is a 'rarer' catch locally.
I'm not professing to have all the answers, just thought I would share a few of my thoughts regarding sustainable fishing practices from a fisheries biologist standpoint.
Sorry bout the long post, And just so I'm clear...
I'm not trying to stir up any controversy here.
I don't have a problem if he eats it,
don't kill anything youre not gunna eat
except aussie flies,ticks,the bloke next
door that snores
I've done my fair share of killin Cobes but they are one fish that goes well with some Zin and a big helping of grilled green beans with a shot of lemon juice. My biggest was a 101# and I saw a 132# caught but that fish was a beast that even a 12/0 would have to show respect.
Good pointy Salty. You know people always talk about how hard fighting the Jack Family is in our oceans, But when it comes to them Cobia, they are straight up Bulldogs.They will fight you till the very end everytime.
Quote from: Chris Gatorfan on January 26, 2014, 06:48:30 PM
Good pointy Salty. You know people always talk about how hard fighting the Jack Family is in our oceans, But when it comes to them Cobia, they are straight up Bulldogs.They will fight you till the very end everytime.
X2 Some of the biggest fights with a Cobia occurs when you gaff a green one and he slips off the Gaff before he makes into the box. All hell breaks loose in the cockpit. They can tear up a boat.
They may act calm and collected boat side but they can change in an instant once properly 'motivated'. Cobia deserve to be treated with respect. Their bulldog-like demeanor remind me of Oceanic White-tip Sharks. They may not always be the first ones to the party, but everyone takes notice when they show up.
As I recall, they are also delicious!