Sea Trout Fishing During A Space Launch

Topwater Sea Trout fishing during a space launch is always great fun, especially when you're catching instead of fishing.

After giving my wife's truck an oil change and getting some chores done around the house, I decided to take Elmo and Odie for a spin around Peacocks Pocket Road to see if the fish were biting.

With all of the afternoon thunderstorms running through the area like clockwork, I figured that the water levels in the marsh should have risen and that the sea trout bite should be on.

I have been working out of town in Mobile, Al. and today was the first day I could spend any time with my two beloved canines.

Around 4:.30 pm I loaded up four spinning rods and the dogs and headed out to the marsh.

The Black Point Wildlife  area was closed for some reason but Peacocks Pocket was open for business.  The unimproved road needed mowing and the high grass made it problematic for out of town drivers.

I entered the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge via the eastern entrance to the kayak launch and drove slowly around the entire area.

The air temperature was 95 degrees and there was virtually no wind blowing over the marsh.

I let the A/C on in the truck to keep Elmo and Odie cool as I made several stops to fish.  The water was flat in the marsh and weedy on the Indian River side of the road so I concentrated on fishing the marsh canal.

The first area I stopped at had some activity along the bank and after two casts with a pink and chartreuse paddle tail bait, I hooked up with this nice fat sea trout.

After releasing the fish I managed to hook up with a small ladyfish that nailed a top water Chug Bug smeared with Pro-Cure Inshore Formula.  The little lady jumped all over the place before I landed and released it.  I considered using it for cut bait but I didn't have the foresight to bring along a cooler to keep anything.

As I slowly drove down Peacocks Pocket Road, I stopped several times to toss the Chug Bug at sea trout and redfish that I spotted in the canal and around the small ponds.

I managed to land several more ladyfish and five more sea trout on the Chug Bug before my truck started acting up.  The ABS and engine lights both came on and I almost couldn't restart the truck when it stalled out.

I decided to head for the nearest Chevy dealer but it was close to 7:00 pm and everything was closed so I decided to head for the house.

On the way out of the refuge, I had to stop at two more spots where some huge redfish were foraging in extremely shallow water.  I spooked the first fish by tossing the Chug Bug too close to its nose, but the second fish nailed the top water bait as I very slowly tickled it past it's nose.

The red nailed the bait and was briefly hooked but it managed to pull out the center treble hook from the split ring after a couple of minutes on the line.

Undaunted, I tied on another Chug Bug pattern and continued out of the refuge.  As I was driving past another pond, I spotted two redfish pushing a wake and actually partially coming out of the shallow water.

Despite the condition of the truck, I pulled off the side of the road and gave the new Chug Bug pattern a try.  This time the fish bumped the bait but did not eat it. 

After several casts I decided to see if the truck could make it to the house.

On the way out of the wildlife refuge, I lost  the power steering and brakes.  I could steer but not with the power assist and the brakes were functioning but without power.

I managed to make it home without killing myself and as I washed down the rods I remembered that a space shot was supposed to go up this evening.   

I asked Karen if she would like to see the launch and she agreed if we could take Elmo and Odie along so we got into her truck and headed back to the "swamp".

As we passed some of the spots I fished earlier, I noticed that the redfish were still feeding in the same areas. 

The United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket was set to launch around 8:00 pm and it was almost that time when Karen and the "kids" pulled off the road to watch.

As I opened the door to let the dogs out, the Delta IV took off and I almost missed the shot.  I turned on my smart phone and took the following video at the spot where I hooked the redfish 20 minutes earlier.

As we headed back home, I was hoping the truck wasn't too bad off.  I'd sure like to get another shot at those redfish.

Till next time, Tight Lines.