Targeting Kob with live bait.

[Raam]

 
Hullo guys...
 
Pls advise ... I heard that Kob chows a livie from the tail first (much like a shad)... is this true ???
If so, where and how would one place the hooks ?
How effective would a circle hook be in this application ?

[Action Man]

A kob can sometimes be a very shy feeder not wanting to commit to a bait set out for him, yet on other occassions with absolutely murder your bait pulling you flat!
 
When rigging a live bait the first thing you must ensure is that you rig your bait ina way that it will stay alive for a decent duration of time. So rigging it in the tail isnt advised as it affects the swimming of your bait which will eventually drown your bait! Ya circle hooks could work for kob as they have big mouths but they like to mouth there baits and dont often swallow so you would prob miss you fish 7 out of ten times
 

[Marthin]

Yis,

I once caught a blacktail in gouritz river... i wasnt at the rod at the time.  I came back and found the rod on the ground.

I reeled in and found a semi concious blacktail on the hook.  You could clearly see a kob had grabbed it.... the marks showed it grabbed it from the stomach side, i think the blacktail was a little big for the fish that took it.

If you are casting a mullet, chances are the kob will engulf the entire fish, even if it's a small kob.  A small kob will easily take a whole pilchard on a 10/0 hook!!!  As said above, most important is the amount of time your bait will stay alive, secondly a proud hook.  For elf i would definately suggest a hook near the tail.  Remember elf bites off a piece... kob swallows whole, and it would struggle to swallow a fish in reverse.

[Kumz]

A kob can sometimes be a very shy feeder not wanting to commit to a bait set out for him, yet on other occassions with absolutely murder your bait pulling you flat!
 
When rigging a live bait the first thing you must ensure is that you rig your bait ina way that it will stay alive for a decent duration of time. So rigging it in the tail isnt advised as it affects the swimming of your bait which will eventually drown your bait! Ya circle hooks could work for kob as they have big mouths but they like to mouth there baits and dont often swallow so you would prob miss you fish 7 out of ten times

   action Man
I put 2nd hook just behind dorsal ...
 
But let garrick ...take bait & run ...
 
 :fshng:

[Crazyfish]

Depending on the size of the live'y, on bigger baits I prefer a smallish hook (carry hook) through the upper lip and the second hook behind the dorsal fin. On small baits I'd rather use a 6/0 hooked through the back between the head and dorsal.
 
From what I have seen most predators swallow their prey head first, as the fins tend to make it difficult to get it down. I might be wrong with this, who can give the right answers?
 
Some people claims that a Cob doesn't like steel, I caught a 5kg on 200lb steel and with a whole Mackerel at Hamburg a while ago.
 
 

[Garrick]

firstly,kob will sometimes on a steel trace.
what I usually do is I place my hook just behind the dorsal fin.most cases a kob will pick up the livie,mouth it and then swallow.I have had a 100% success rate like this thus far.SOmetimes if they are feeding shyly(mostly in estauries and river mouths)I place a trap(smaller) hook just below the skin in the belly area.Hey this works for me.
 
Cheers
 
Garrick

[JasonF]

I made it my mission to target kob on livebait this year. I have a livewell but still need to get a bilge pump to circulate the water. I prefer to cast my livies so I normaly look for gullies close to shore that I dont have to cast that hard. Hopefully it works.

[Nightfox]

It's also a good idea to match your hooksize to size of mullet. Your mullet stays alive longer and the action of the mullet is better giving more vibrations that cob or garrick can pick up.

[SAfish]

I have had good success with the Gamakatsu (spelling) circles in a size 4-5/0. I have used mullet and streepies in the 15-25cm class and I have only lost one fish due to my own wrong doing. My Dad and I fished in the lagoon and had a double up on Kob. His one was bigger so I helped him land his fish. I didn't pay attention to mine and a slack line resulted in the fish shaking the hook. Don't be afraid to use big live baits. Here is a pic of my Dad's fish (6.9kg ORI).