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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker60
- Crevalle jack60
- Spot60
- Red drum57
- Atlantic tarpon55
- King mackerel55
- Summer flounder55
- Spotted seatrout52
- Gray snapper51
- Southern flounder51
- Black drum50
- Florida pompano48
- Black sea bass46
- Gag grouper46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Red grouper45
- Cobia44
- Weakfish44
- Spanish mackerel43
- Sheepshead42
- Greater amberjack40
- Little tunny40
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 442 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.3 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
22Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
79Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: 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
- 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 Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, black sea bass and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Spot peak from September through October.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tom Mann Creek62
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 60
9 kt EL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Poster Gut62
Gut · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Crevalle jack 59
- Spot 59
9 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Haulover Point57
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic croaker 55
- Crevalle jack 55
9 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Ned Bees Point56
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- Crevalle jack 55
9 kt EL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 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.