When do cobia run the Alabama beaches?

Mid-March through the first week of May. Peak pushes usually hit Orange Beach and Gulf Shores around the first sustained warm-water stretch with an east wind. Fish move west along the sand within 300 yards.

What is the best bait for Alabama cobia?

Live eels top the list, followed by large bucktail jigs in chartreuse or white and live pinfish. The Alabama sight-cast standard is a 2- to 4-ounce jig thrown in front of a moving fish and reeled away from it.

Do I need a tower boat to catch cobia in Alabama?

A tower helps enormously because cobia are sight-fished in clear water. Bay boats and bow-rider crews catch fish each season from elevated stances, but the serious Cobia Shootout crews run dedicated tower rigs.

What are the cobia size and bag limits in Alabama?

Federal Gulf recreational limits for cobia are 36 inches fork length minimum and 2 fish per angler per day (maximum 6 per vessel). Alabama follows the federal rule through ADCNR.

Cobia Alabama — Spring Beach Migration, Sight Fishing, Ports

Cobia are Alabama's sight-fishing prize — brown migratory predators that push along the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach beaches in March and April, visible from the tower on clear water days.

AL state record

117 lb

Average size

30 – 70 lb

Federal daily bag

2 per angler, 36" fork minimum

Peak run

Mid-March – early May

Scientific name

Rachycentron canadum

Cobia on the Alabama Beach Run

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) migrate east to west along the Alabama beaches from mid-March through the first week of May, riding the near-shore current inside 300 yards of the sand. Boats run tower-equipped rigs from Perdido Pass to Fort Morgan scanning for single fish, pairs, and the rare run of five or more traveling together. Live eels, large bucktail jigs, and live pinfish get cast in front of the fish; a Cobia Jig in chartreuse remains the classic Alabama throw. The Orange Beach Cobia Shootout draws serious crews every spring, and the leaderboards reflect how much sight-casting skill separates Alabama captains from everyone else on the Gulf. Cobia follow manta rays, sharks, and bait schools; once you learn to spot the shadows, the rest is a cast-and-hang-on battle. Federal size and bag limits apply — check NOAA before keeping.

Best Alabama Ports for Cobia

Techniques for Spring Cobia

Sight cast from a tower — Idle parallel to the beach in 8–15 feet of water, scan ahead from the tower, and throw a bucktail jig across the path of the fish.
Live eel on circle hook — Free-lined live eel in front of a traveling cobia; the most reliable hook-up method when the fish is spooky.
Live pinfish or menhaden — Floated back from a drifting boat or pitched directly at fish; works well when cobia hold around rays or buoys.

Source: NOAA Fisheries cobia profile.

Federal and State Regulations

Gulf cobia are federally managed by the Gulf Council coastal migratory pelagics plan. Recreational minimum is 36 inches fork length with a 2-fish per angler daily bag and a vessel cap of 6. Size regulations changed in recent cycles, so verify currency before any trip.

Confirm the live regulation at ADCNR Marine Resources before keeping any fish.

Month-by-Month Calendar

March: First fish appear when beach water holds above 68°F; tournaments open.
April: Peak run. Orange Beach Cobia Shootout weighs the biggest fish of the year.
Early May: Tail end of the migration; stragglers hold on nearshore buoys and wrecks.
June – October: Resident summer fish hold on reefs, rigs, and cobia towers; bycatch on snapper trips.

Cobia FAQ

Sources

Data last reviewed: 2026-04-18