Firepower Friday — August 29-31

Weekly Trends & Intel

• Bass (late-August Carolina mix)

  - **Timing:** Feed windows are short—**low-light & current** matter.

  - **Find bait, then fish vertical:** Use electronics to hover over suspended schools; **drop-shot** or **flutter spoon**.

  - **Windy points = reaction:** Squarebills or spinnerbaits if clouds/wind push shad shallow.

  
  **Confidence baits (this week):**

  Walking topwater (bone), 6–10XD deep crank (sexy shad), drop-shot (4–5" finesse worm—green pumpkin), 1/2–3/4 oz football jig (gp/orange), 3.3–4.3" swimbait on 1/4–3/8 oz head.

• Trout on the fly (GSMNP)

  - **Approach:** Tight to banks & pockets; short drifts, high-stick in broken water.

  - **Patterns:** Parachute Adams #14–16, Yellow Sally/Stimulator #14–16, Elk Hair Caddis #14–16; **nymph droppers** (BH PT/WD-40 #16–18).

  - **Terrestrials:** Ants/beetles when sun is up; foam chernobyls to move fish in higher flows.

Suggested Regional Rigs:

Smokies
**Overall:**
Cooler stretch with **most streams running higher than normal**. Dry–dropper fishing has been productive park-wide.

**USGS spot checks (today/this week):**
- **Little River (Townsend, TN):** running above typical late-August normals; good clarity most mornings. Gauge: USGS 03497300. - **Oconaluftee (Birdtown, NC):** stable, cold enough at dawn for dries; watch afternoon bumps from storms. Gauge: USGS 03512000. - **Cataloochee Creek:** near or a bit above seasonal norms; small water stealth is key. Gauge: USGS 03460000.

**Guide chatter (this week):**
Afternoon temps still push fish into faster oxygenated seams; **best action early/late** or **higher elevations**; “dry-dropper” the theme. **Fly patterns (top picks right now):** - **Dry:** Parachute Adams #14–16, Yellow Stimulator #14–16 - **Dropper:** Tung BH Pheasant Tail #16–18, Green Weenie #14–16 - **Pocket water:** Elk Hair Caddis #14–16; High-vis foam terrestrials for riffles

**Notes on flows:**
With “higher than normal” across many park creeks this week, treat slick rock carefully and prioritize **broken water & seams** over flat pools.

Central Rivers & Lakes
### Current Lake Levels (today unless noted)
- **Jordan Lake:** **216.01 ft msl** (near full). - **Falls Lake:** **~251.81 ft msl** (≈ full pool 252). - **W. Kerr Scott Reservoir:** **~1030.16 ft msl** mid-day Aug 28. - **Lake Norman:** **~97.6 ft** (≈2.4 ft below full). - **Shearon Harris:** public pool readouts are limited; monitor USGS 02102190 for site data and local conditions.

### Bass (late-August playbook)
- **Dawn/Low-light (bank & points):** Walking baits, poppers, buzzbaits over shallow rock/grass. - **Midday (main-lake structure):** 6–10XD style **deep cranks**, **Carolina rigs**, **football jigs** on humps/ledges; **drop-shot** over bait in 18–30’. - **Schoolers (Jordan/Norman):** Chrome/pearl spoons, small swimbaits, underspins—keep a topwater ready.

### Crappie
- **Brush/Bridge bites** at **12–22’** on **minnows** or **1/16–1/8 oz jigs** (natural shad, chart/white). Slow-troll over timber lines on Jordan/Falls; vertical on marked brush at Kerr Scott/Norman.

Coastal NC (Crystal Coast: Morehead/Atlantic Beach/Cape Lookout)
### Inshore
- **What’s biting:** **Red drum** (marsh edges & flood tides), **speckled trout** at first light, scattered **flounder** around docks and creek mouths. - **Best baits/rigs:** - **Reds:** Topwaters at dawn; **popping cork + shrimp or 3–4" paddletails** once sun’s up. - **Trout:** Walkers/Spooks early; then **live shrimp** or **soft plastics** (white, new penny) under corks. - **Flounder:** 1/4–3/8 oz jigheads + mullet strip or Gulp! along current breaks.

### Nearshore (0–10 mi; Cape Lookout Shoals/ARs)
- **What’s biting:** **Spanish mackerel** (sight-casting & trolling), **bluefish**, and mixed **sheepshead/black drum** on jetties/nearby reefs. - **Best baits/rigs:** - **Spanish:** 0–2 oz **metal jigs** to busting fish; **#1–#2 planers + Clark spoons** at 5–7 kts. - **Blues:** Topwater plugs & metals; **wire leaders** if they’re thick. - **Reefs (sheepshead/BD):** Fiddlers or crab pieces on Carolina rigs.

### Offshore (Gulf Stream/Break)
- **What’s biting:** **Mahi** (bailer/schoolies) remain around weedlines; **sailfish** encounters reported on some boats; occasional blue marlin. - **Best baits/rigs:** Small ballyhoo on **sea witches**, naked ballyhoo; pitch rods ready for sails around rips/weed edges.