I have enough trouble as it is pulling a large cob, or any other cob, out of the swell. The thought of spinning for them and hoping to actually land a hit really scares the hell out of me, but after seeing 2 15kg cobs landing on ESA tonight by PE guest angler got me thinking a bit. Doing some research on this way of catching cob yielded very little information, and there are no pictures that I could find on Havoc lures, but after reading what anglers like Neilg and other spinning and dropshot specialists had to say the picture became a little clearer. .
The first thing you need to do is take a leap of faith: step away from the conventional way of thinking and believe, really believe, that this is possible. Come to think of it, cobs in our area are normally caught on live mullet, and are definitely not a stationary target, so slowly pulling an attractive lure through the water began to make sense.
The second important issue to consider is a change from normal cob tackle. Instead of using medium to heavy rigs suitable for casting an 8 ounce sinker and bait, we have to downsize to lighter rigs. Casting Rapalas or Halcos and Havocs isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it gets a lot easier after you’ve downsized your rod, reel, and line.
The best advice I could find was to switch to a spinning reel and braid ASAP. With this setup, you have much less chance of takedowns, you have a much longer cast distance even when the wind is blowing, and the touch and feel of the braid makes even big cob hitting the light much easier to notice. .
Use a setup similar to a 10ft or 12ft spinning reel rated for about 4oz, pair it with an 8000 spinning reel with 50pd braid or a Daiwa 30 multiplier with .40 line and you should be good to go. Havoc lures from Port Elizabeth seem to work, but wide body rapalas like Giant Shad Raps also work extremely well. These lures with their larger silhouette are easier for the cob to pick up, and when retrieved at slow speed, their action is much better.
All set and with your mind set on landing monster cobs on artificial lures, you now have to find the perfect spot in the water to put your skills to the test. Cobs are common in shallower coastal areas along sandy reefs and estuaries. Cobs hunt primarily by smell and lateral line senses rather than sight, so they are very good at foraging at night and in dirty water. An ideal place to Cob in the surf would be where there is whitewater breaking on a sandbar with a deeper channel right in front of it. You need to wade in so you can cast your lure onto the sandbar and then SLOWLY retrieve it through the channel. The cob normally swims through the channel and also feeds on the sandbar.
This is a great new facet of angling and something I’m sure I’ll be trying out in the near future.