Text & Photos by Patrick “Tupat” Eichstaedt // @TheRealTupat
POWERED BY: Off the Hook and Tupat’s Hawaiian Poke Sauce and Seasonings
Summer has been a hot one here in Volusia County – not to mention the fishing has been extremely hot! The red snapper bite was on fire along with many other offshore catches in the past month. As for the backwaters of Bethune Beach, the bite has been over-the-top good! I’ve been so into the topwater action lately it’s kind of addicting. The anticipation of a big strike is such an amazing feeling, and when that fish hits and hooks, it’s even better!
Evan Geiselman (@EvanGeiselman, pictured above) was fresh off a recent contest run and came around to test his topwater action, scoring this beautiful backwater snook. Just a few minutes later, he scored a nice slot redfish on his topwater lure. Evan is a very good angler and has had his fair share of epic catches growing up in New Smyrna Beach. Good luck, Evan, on the remaining year and we are all pulling for you to qualify for the World Surf League!
My longtime buddy and fellow …Lost alumnus, John Perkins, had been seeing us catch numerous species of fish throughout the past month and he decided to give his topwater lure a test. The summertime trout are somewhat elusive in the backwaters but John was able to smash this one (pictured above). Nice catch, John, and I look forward to seeing more beautiful pictures.
And finally, Casey Collins (@CaseyColli, pictured above), my regular fishing partner, scored the catch of a lifetime in the backwaters sight casting this beautiful triple tail with his pink D.O.A. shrimp. These fish live mostly in the ocean near debris, buoys or weed lines. I had just broke off on a monster snook and heard Casey yell, “I sight casted a triple tail!” So, here is the beautiful fish that was caught in the backwaters of Bethune Beach.
Moving forward into fall, keep your eyes out for tailing redfish in the very shallow creeks and also large snook along the banks and drop offs.
BEST DAYS TO FISH IN SEPTEMBER:
1 , 5 – 7, 12 – 16, 20 – 21, 26-30
Until next issue… Cast ‘em, Hook ‘em and Catch ‘em!
September 2019 Tide Chart:
