Species guide · Louisiana
Cobia fishing in Louisiana
Rachycentron canadum, a nearshore species also called ling, lemonfish and crabeater. Listed for the Western Gulf region.
Season by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Western Gulf
- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Off season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Peak season
- Jun: Peak season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Off season
- Nov: Not present
- Dec: Not present
Peak: May to Aug. In season (shoulder or peak): Apr to Sep.
Research notes, Western Gulf region
TPWD lists cobia as most common off Texas June through September. The nearshore run starts in April when water reaches about 70 F, with fish under rigs, buoys, weed lines and shrimp boats.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 0
Not scored in this forecast: Atchafalaya and East Cote Blanche Bays, Barataria Bay, Breton Sound, Calcasieu Lake, Chandeleur Sound, Lake Borgne, Lake Maurepas, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Salvador and Lake Cataouatche, Sabine Lake, Terrebonne Bay and Vermilion and West Cote Blanche Bays.
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 66°F to 86°F, best between 68°F and 80°F.
- Water depth
- 3 to 120 ft of water.
- Structure
- Inlet, wreck, pier, beach, reef, bay and open water, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and moving water, with moderate current.Inshore fish in sounds, inlets and the Chesapeake feed on a moving tide, and anglers chumming at inlets usually favor the incoming. Sight-casting along beaches depends more on calm, clear water and high sun than on tide stage.
- Light
- Little tied to dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 3 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- Methods
- sight casting, anchoring and chumming, bottom fishing with live bait, drifting, jigging
- Lures
- bucktail jigs, soft plastic eels, jigs tipped with plastic tails, large spoons
- Bait
- live eels, live crabs, menhaden, pinfish, croaker, squid, shrimp
Regulations
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Not synced yet, last verified Sep 13, 2026.
No reviewed cobia rule for Louisiana is on file yet. Check with LDWF before you keep one.