Text & Photos by Patrick “Tupat” Eichstaedt // @TheRealTupat

Powered by: Off The Hook at Inlet Harbor & Tupat’s Hawaiian Seasonings and Poke Sauce

With the end of a decade coming up and the vision moving into 2020, the fishing was nothing less than stellar. We still have yet to get more than 3 to 4 days of cold weather which has played a key role in the larger schools of fish not showing up as of yet. The schools of reds will be coming soon though, and the larger trout have been spotted in tight areas.

Florida Fishing in January

Jordan Blouin (@Jordan_Blouin, pictured above) a local Ormond Beach Realtor and talented lady angler caught this over-slot redfish in the Halifax River using a large live shrimp. If you have any real estate needs feel free to contact her at JordanBRealtyPro@gmail.com.

The bite in the backwaters has been primarily live mullet and David Chambers, longtime NSB local OG, hooked into the catch of his life in the shallows of Bethune Beach (pictured above). I told David, “If something is in here, it will maul your bait,” and sure enough this beast redfish took him for a radical ride!

I’ve been waiting patiently for the trout bite to start back up in the backwaters and sure enough the last week in December the bite was firing on all cylinders. I caught this monster (pictured above) on a live mullet with a circle hook and 1 BB shot weight. The key to catching these bigger trout is to be very quiet, patient and just know that they are there!

Moving into 2020, expect to see a very hot bite and more schools of trout and redfish piling up! I recommend using live mullet, live shrimp and/or plastic that you can sight cast with. Thanks all for the support over the past year and stay mentally and physically tough in 2020!

BEST DAYS TO FISH IN JANUARY: 2 – 4, 9 – 12, 16, 21 – 27, 31

Until next issue… Cast ‘em, Hook ‘em and Catch ‘em! 

January 2020 Tide Chart: