"September 6th, 2025 - NC Coastal Fishing Forecast: Spanish Mackerel, Bull Reds, and More"

Artificial Lure coming to you with your Saturday fishing report for September 6th, 2025, focused on the Atlantic waters and barrier islands of North Carolina. Let’s get right to what you need for a successful trip today.

Weather’s looking favorable with quiet marine conditions. High pressure is settled in, yielding light and variable winds, and seas at 2 to 3 feet across the Cape Fear to Cape Lookout stretch, according to the National Weather Service. Expect winds to shift eastward at 5-10 knots as we move through the day, making for easy boating if you plan to run out to the nearshore reefs or chase pelagics a little farther off.

Tidewise, we’re seeing some strong movement. In Atlantic Beach and Cape Hatteras, your first high tide comes just before 6 AM, with the second rolling in around 6:30 this evening. Low tide rips through just before noon. With a tidal coefficient climbing from 77 to 90 by sundown, expect some pronounced current flow—great for stirring up those inshore predators. Sunrise is right at 6:42 and sunset at 7:26, so you’ve got a solid window for that magic first-light bite.

Now for the action: Local guides and the Atlantic Ocean, North Carolina Fishing Report podcast are buzzing—**Spanish mackerel** are putting on a show around the inlets and along the beach, mixing it up with **bluefish** and packs of hungry sharks. Early morning and dusk have brought runs of **slot red drum** in the surf and around marsh creek mouths, with some brute bull reds coming off the outer shoals. Pier anglers have been hauling in nice numbers of **speckled trout** at dawn on glassy mornings, and there’s been a run of **flounder**—especially around structure and sandy drop-offs.

Offshore reports have **mahi** and smaller **blackfin tuna** holding on weed lines just past the break, while king mackerel are turning up on slow-trolled live bait or deep-diving plugs over hard bottom.

Best bets for lures and baits today:
- **Spanish mackerel & bluefish**: Silver stingsilvers and Got-Cha plugs worked quickly through busting schools; don’t overlook a flashy spoon or small epoxy jig.
- **Red drum**: For surf and creek mouths, try Gulp! swimming mullet on a jighead, or gold spoons slow-rolled over the flats.
- **Speckled trout and flounder**: Soft plastics like the Z-Man MinnowZ on a quarter-ounce head, especially in new penny or electric chicken, excel in the stained water from this week’s tides. Live mud minnows or finger mullet drifted near the bottom also score.
- **King mackerel/mahi**: Clarkspoons, Drone spoons trolled behind a #1 planer, or live menhaden if you can net them.

Top hot spots:
- **Bogue Inlet**: Producing consistent Spanish mackerel and bluefish action on the outgoing tide, with speckled trout at first light on the inside bars.
- **Cape Lookout Shoals**: Big schools of bait drawing in reds, kings, and even some late-season cobia.
- **Oak Island Piers**: Good flounder bite near the pilings, with sheepshead mixed in for patient anglers.

Water temperature’s hovering in the mid-70s, which is keeping the fish active and feeding according to tides4fishing and local angler reports. With larger tidal swings today, plan around the tide changes, especially for inshore targets.

Before you head out, make sure you’ve got your licenses sorted and remember current regulations—trout delayed harvest waters start up in a few weeks, but today there’s still solid wild action, especially in the ocean and estuaries.

Thanks for tuning in to your Saturday update. Don’t forget to subscribe for daily local insights and up-to-the-minute reports throughout the season. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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