By FRED EVERSON

The day after Thanksgiving was my last day on the water. Since then we’ve had another cold front blow across the bay, and did it blow. Sunday through Tuesday we were under a very well advised small craft warning and there was little boat traffic.

I fished the area south of Apollo Beach on Friday looking for cobia, and for once they were easy to find. After idling across the flats from the Simmons Park boat ramp all the way to Ande Lucia, I never skipped a single pompano. I did see quite a few bonnethead sharks, but never stopped to fish for them. I caught a cobia here last week and was looking to hook into another one. I was not disappointed. At the north end of the flat I spotted two ling cruising the edge of the grass. I tossed a dark colored jerkbait on a jig head, and one fish followed it back to the boat but didn’t take. A few minutes later another cobia cruised past the boat heading south, but I didn’t get a shot at it. It was late in the afternoon, and the fish quickly disappeared over the grass.

The wind was blowing out of the south, so I motored offshore a hundred yards and tried another drift. Minutes later I saw a pod of five or six cobia and made a long cast to the edge of the school. One fish instantly peeled off to take a run at the lure and hit it hard as I kept reeling. It was full of fight and made a couple of long runs before finally coming to the net. It turned out to be a few inches short of the 33-inch to the fork of the tail, and I released it with no harm done.

I expect the recent wind and cold weather have pushed these fish off the flat. They should be in the vicinity of the hotwater outflow of the power plant in Apollo Beach. Last time I was there I saw many eagle rays, but no cobia. But if the rays are there, cobia are sure to follow. Pinfish are the live bait of choice, while black eels seem to be the favored artificials. Average size of these fish is 15 pounds, but they get a lot bigger, so if you plan to target cobia, tackle up.

Visit captain Fred Everson’s Web site at Tampabayfishingguide.com for charter info or call (813) 830-8890.