The Cobia or Black Kingfish, is known to locals as Haruan Tasik and is a heck of a stubborn fighter like the Giant Trevally. As the title of this article suggests, it is indeed a bulldozer of the sea; pulling hard and slugging deep with its sheer power. This is aided by its muscular, rounded body and big forked tail for those sudden bursts of speed.

Cobia are usually taken on baits than lures although sometimes they are also taken on trolling skirts, minnows or metal lures and jigs. They are often found in the company of large manta rays or whale sharks, feeding off the scraps of food left by the large creatures. They are also often found congregating below floating structures such as buoys, FADs or even boats.

Cobia feed on most baitfishes such as tamban (herring), kembung (mackerel) or selar (yellowtail). These are popular baits in Malaysian waters. They also feed on squid, octopus, crutaceans and even shellfish. Although generally a mid-water species, they can be caught by livebaiting or fishing off the bottom. In waters off the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, cobia are often accidental catches by anglers bottom fishing for Golden Snapper or Grouper.

Usually if targetting species such as cobia, a fishfinder would be an added advantage. If a speck shows up on the screen at mid-depth, drop a baited line with a little sinker to the depth shown on the fishfinder and hold on. The take is usually a fierce slam followed by a doubled over rod and line screeching out from the reel.

A cobia is no push-over. If after a few runs and it comes quietly alongside the boat, be prepared for another few last dogged attempts to escape, usually diving deep under the boat. When gaffing the fish, it is advisable to make sure that the fish is tired out before attempting to gaff the fish as you may end up losing a gaff. If releasing the fish, carefully gaff the lower lip to avoid injury.

Cobia are not the best eating fish around but they do make good Curry. A reasonable sized fish of 8kgs can also provide enough slabs of meat on the BBQ or fish and chips.