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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack52
- King mackerel49
- Red snapper44
- Black sea bass42
- Gag grouper41
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper40
- Greater amberjack36
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Black drum35
- Bluefish35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Red drum35
- Sheepshead35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Spot35
- Summer flounder35
- Weakfish35
- Little tunny33
- Florida pompano32
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 3512 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-2 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 0 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
95Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
45Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
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 yesterday
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
- 1-2 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 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and red snapper. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red snapper peak from May through August.
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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tom Mann Creek59
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Spot 59
- Crevalle jack 55
14 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Ned Bees Point54
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 54
- Spot 54
- King mackerel 52
14 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Poster Gut50
Gut · 3.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 50
- King mackerel 47
- Black sea bass 45
17 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Haulover Point49
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 49
- Crevalle jack 47
- Red snapper 44
17 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 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.