Firepower Friday — September 5-7

Weekly Trends & Intel

• Smokies: Early September rains have cooled flows further; water levels remain comfortable with mornings crisp. Dry‑dropper rigs produce in pocket water, but mid‑day requires tandem nymphs in shaded slots. Terrestrials (ants/beetles) still hot, with caddis and small stones trickling on warm afternoons.

• Central NC: Transition week as surface temps ease. Brief topwater bite at dawn remains on points/brush. Bass shifting more consistently to 12–20 ft humps and brush with crankbaits, Carolina rigs, and shakey heads. Jig and Texas‑rig bites good on shade lines and docks mid‑day.

• Coastal NC: Spanish/bluefish bite steady along near‑shore rips at first light. Inside, reds chewing well on moving water at oyster bars and grass edges. Trout action improving in deeper bends (6–10 ft) with soft plastics and suspending plugs. Flounder season opened Sept 1—fish showing on creek mouths and hard bottoms during tidal swings.

Suggested Regional Rigs:

Smokies

Dry Flies — Parachute Adams · Yellow Sally · Elk Hair Caddis · Ant/Beetle

Nymphs — Pheasant Tail · Prince Nymph · Pat’s Rubber Legs · Green Weenie

Streamers — Woolly Bugger · Sculpin · Muddler Minnow

Central Rivers & Lakes

Topwater — Whopper Plopper · Buzzbait · Walking Bait

Mid-depth — Deep‑Diving Crankbait · Carolina Rig · Shakey Head

Shallow/Weed — Texas‑rigged Worm · Flipping Jig · Swim Jig

Coastal NC (Crystal Coast: Morehead/Atlantic Beach/Cape Lookout)

Flounder — Bucktail + Gulp · Mud Minnow on Jighead · Finger Mullet (Carolina‑rig)

Red Drum — Popping Cork + Shrimp · Gold Spoon · Topwater Spook Jr.

Speckled Trout — MirrOlure MR‑17 808 · Z‑Man Paddletail · Live Shrimp under Float

Spanish/Blue — Clark Spoon · Got‑cha Plug · Mackerel Tree