UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Red drum65
- Spotted seatrout62
- Southern flounder61
- Crevalle jack58
- Summer flounder58
- 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 · 10 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 429 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
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
61Light: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gag grouper 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 Gag grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks 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 seasonGag grouper
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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, 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. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Gag grouper
- Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.
- 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 Bay77
Bay · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 67
8 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 70
8 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 68
8 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 62
8 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.