Another SpaceX Launch

After getting drenched the other day waiting for the Space X Launch that was scrubbed, I decided to give it another try and get in my daily walk to boot. 

The launch was supposed to lift off around 3:00 pm so I parked and walked over the bridge about a half hour earlier. 

About the time I got to the top of the bridge, I spotted a tugboat motoring down the ICW pushing some kind of erection.

I tried out the video on my Samsung S10+ and took a short vid just before liftoff.

The liftoff was not as great as some that I have watched but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I waited about 5 minutes to try and catch a video of the booster coming back down to the Cape, but I missed capturing it on video by a hair.

I planned to get in some fishing today, but decided to hit Haulover tomorrow to checkout the bite.

Till then, 

Tight LInes.

The Fishing Piers Are Open

On the way back from wetting a line in Gator Creek, I drove underneath the A. Max Brewer bridge and was happy to see that the fishing piers were finally open.

I stopped just long enough to take a couple of pics of the area to post here.

I was glad to see that they poured asphalt next to the sea wall on the south side of the bridge.  That area always managed to wash out with the weather, hopefully the upgrade will last a bit longer.

The fishing this afternoon wasn't great but I didn't get skunked.

When I left the house around 3:20 pm the air temperature was in the mid 70s and there was a moderate wind blowing across the water from the South.

The rods I had in my truck all had either topwater Chug Bugs, XPS Slim Dogs, or Creme paddletail baits.

I had a bucket of live shrimp on the porch that Karen and I picked up the other day, but I decided to leave them until tomorrow.

It was late and I didn't particularly want to fool around with live bait this afternoon.

I alternately tossed a baby bass pattern Chug Bug and an XPS Slim Dog around the shallow flats for awhile with no followups.  The water in the area was crystal clear and I spotted only one trout in that area.

I moved on towards the entrance to Catfish Creek Loop, knowing that it was still closed, and hoped to fish the shallow pond on the way.

Unfortunately there were two groups of anglers fishing with live baits in the area.

As I drove up to the barriers, two more groups of anglers were loading up a shallow boat into their vehicle so I turned around and started to head out.

On the way out, I spotted a fish break the surface so I stopped to give it a shot.

The second cast got a half hearted strike and two casts later I picked up a very small sea trout.

At least I didn't get skunked!

I released the fish without even bothering to take a pic of the undersize fish and decided to head home.

I got a shot of the Indian River on the way out along with the pics of the fishing piers above.

Till next time

Tight Lines.

Spacex Atlas V Rocket Launch

I wasn't even aware that the Spacex Atlas V Rocket Launch with the GOES-S next generation weather satellite was going today until I started to cross the A Max Brewer Bridge and saw all the people lined up.

 I didn't plan on taking Elmo and Odie with me to Haulover Canal to do some bank fishing today, but they started going crazy when they saw me opening the closet to take my fishing rods.

I loaded up the rods and as soon as I opened the door the boys were in their respective positions at the windows.

I drove down to Mims the get some blue crabs from the bait shop on US1, just around the corner from SR 46.  The guy had a ton of blue crabs for bait both dead and alive so I picked up a couple live ones and four fresh dead crabs, just in case.

We drove into town and as we hit the bridge I was surprised to see all the people lined up the the launch.   I stopped and asked a guy about it and was told it was launching at 5:02 p.m. ET, about 30 minutes to go.

I was going to pass it up but decided to put a couple of rods out in the marsh canal to see if I could lure in a redfish.

The wind was blowing steadily and I wasn't sure the launch would go but I decided to stick around anyway.

At about 5:02 pm I took this short video, then packed up the rods and headed over to Haulover Canal to fish for black drum.

Elmo wasn't feeling well so he sat in the truck, but Odie stayed with me while I was waiting for something to eat my blue crabs.  He loves to fish.

The wind wasn't bad at Haulover and it was a beautiful afternoon to fish but I only had one bite on my lightest rod and the fish dropped the bait.

I was using a surf rod with an Okuma baitrunner and 30 pound Power Pro for the live blue crab and the other two rods both had Okuma baitrunner reels spooled with 12 pound Cajun Red mono.

There was a lot of activity in the canal.  The Pelicans were diving on baitfish, some snook were busting baitfish right on the opposite bank, and there were a lot of Manatees munching on sea grasses and getting in the way of my lines.

I stayed with it until about 7:30 pm and decided to pack it in.

Several people came in late to bank fish for drum and redfish, but Elmo wasn't acting very happy and I figured that if a black drum didn't eat that beautiful, fresh, blue crab all that time we were fishing; it was time to go.

As most of my readers already know, I'm an artificial bait fisherman.  On a good day, my attention span live bait fishing is about an hour or two at the max, and today was no different.

Job would not be proud of me.

Anyway, we headed home fishless but I still enjoyed the trip.

Till next time, Tight Lines.