Firepower Friday — September 19-21

Written By Eldon Sloan

Weekly Trends & Intel

  • Smokies: Fall transition building. Cooler nights have trout moving into shallower riffles to feed during mid‑morning windows. Terrestrials still effective, but October caddis activity is increasing and fish are starting to look up for bigger offerings. Tandem nymph rigs producing in deeper slots when sun gets high. Streamer bite strengthening with overcast conditions.

  • Central NC: Shad migration accelerating—bass pushing bait onto flats and into creek arms during low‑light periods. Topwater schooling action more consistent through mid‑morning. Mid‑day pattern steady with deep crankbaits and Carolina rigs off humps and ledges. Jig bite around docks and laydowns improving with cooler surface temps.

  • Coastal NC: Spanish mackerel and bluefish bite remains sharp at sunrise along rips and tide lines. Inshore, red drum numbers strong on both tides—look for grass edges and oyster points. Speckled trout fishing showing steady gains, with best action in deeper bends and along creek mouths on soft plastics. Flounder continue to hold near sandy drop‑offs and structured transitions, hitting live bait and bucktails.


Suggested Regional Rigs:

Smokies

Dry Flies — Parachute Adams · Elk Hair Caddis · Terrestrial (Ant/Beetle) · October Caddis
Nymphs — Pheasant Tail · Hare’s Ear · Prince Nymph · Pat’s Rubber Legs
Streamers — Woolly Bugger · Sculpin · Zonker

Central NC

Topwater — Whopper Plopper · Buzzbait · Walking Bait
Mid-depth — Carolina Rig · Deep‑Diving Crankbait · Shakey Head
Shallow/Weed — Texas‑rigged Worm · Flipping Jig · Swim Jig

Coastal NC

Flounder — Bucktail + Gulp · Finger Mullet (Carolina‑rig) · Live Mud Minnow on Jighead
Red Drum — Popping Cork + Shrimp · Topwater Spook Jr. · Gold Spoon
Speckled Trout — MirrOlure MR‑17 808 · Z‑Man Paddletail · Live Shrimp under Float
Spanish/Blue — Clark Spoon · Got‑cha Plug · Mackerel Tree

Eldon Sloan
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Firepower Friday — September 5-7