Richmond man hooks 51-pound cobia at Jennette’s

| August 27, 2012

(Courtesy Jennette’s Pier/Daryl Law)

Wakyn Feris of Richmond, Va. caught a 51-pound cobia while pin-rig fishing with a live bluefish on the north side of Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head on Monday around 8:45 a.m.

The former Kill Devil Hills resident had been on the pier for about three hours before he watched two cobia swim toward the bait on the surface. The second one took it and “smoked” his line out.

Then, Feris said, he “put the heat” on the big fish by reeling as hard as he could. The fight, however, lasted 30 minutes.

Several pier regulars helped him gaff the 52-inch long fish and bring it up and over the rail on to the deck.

The state saltwater record for a cobia is 116 pounds 8 ounces.

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See what people are saying:

  • Fishing Gal says:

    Great job!!! I am so JEALOUS!

    • on August 29, 2012 @ 2:22 pm

  • that girl says:

    Pretty work Wakyn! nice fish.

    • on August 29, 2012 @ 9:25 pm

  • KDH Rezident Evil says:

    Not to be the party pooper, but trophy pictures like these make me reflect on those of a hundred years ago when hunters posed over a pile of buffalo carcassas, clearly oblivious to the fact that they were hunting a species to extinction. Are Cobia endangered? No clue, to be honest. But I do know that overfishing has depleted a number of fish stocks and it makes the gloating poses all a bit unsavory to me.

    For what it’s worth, I’m not one of these PETA nuts that thinks there is some kind of moral equivalency between lobsters and children, but let the flaming begin anyway.

    • on August 30, 2012 @ 12:24 am

  • Tourist says:

    KDH Rezident – If you truly are a resident of the OBX, how can you be so clueless as to whether or not the Cobia is nearing extinction. There is no one on earth that cares more about overfishing a breed than the professional US fisherman. Without these fish they would not be able to make a living and provide the rest of us with a delicious choice for dinner.

    • on September 2, 2012 @ 10:20 am

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