UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot68
- Red drum63
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Spotted seatrout60
- Crevalle jack58
- Southern flounder58
- Summer flounder57
- Florida pompano54
- Gray snapper54
- Weakfish53
- Black drum52
- King mackerel52
- Little tunny47
- Black sea bass44
- Cobia44
- Red snapper44
- Spanish mackerel44
- Gag grouper42
- Sheepshead42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Greater amberjack40
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 449 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Frying Pan scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
28Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 9 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
56Light: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Cobia is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
The Frying Pan
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing The Frying Pan
The Frying Pan is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, black drum and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Grapevine Bay76
Bay · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 65
9 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- The Straits75
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 67
9 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Babbitt Bay71
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Red drum 65
9 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Orange Point66
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 59
9 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with NCDMF before you keep a fish.