Bayou Bienvenu journey

TEAM JO-JO:

Me was hot to trot o go fishing Friday, texted crew to see if anyone wanted to make a late trip to MRGO in Bay Flat Jr to see if the big girls were out and about, & play, and if they wanted the Berkley Jerk baits, go no response from that text, me was a little disappointed in crew.

Big Pablo was a little confused asked , (to go) when to text, me texted now, but say he be working. So we agreed to make a trip on Saturday instead.

SIGNS:                            

·         Monday nigh card game, me no fish down 3

·         Tuesday night card game me no fish, up.7 “C” note, me be a shark.

·         Me getting better.

·         Friday wind had me checked mated as far as fishing goes.

·         Good night sleep, up at 4:30 for our 5:30 meet up at Waffel House in Oak Harbor

·         Bay Flat Jr all loaded up ready to go.

·         Saw a bubby rabbit along Oak Harbor this be a good sign for sure.

·         Big Pablo be waiting for me, suggested we get some breakfast, me never turn down food.

·         No wildlife sightings along Hwy 11 or 90

·         Not many boats on Hwy.

·         (2) Boats already launched, one waiting to launch

·         Big Tony had about 200 live shrimp left.

·         Yamaha Nightmare Machine took one pull to start, now that sign being a regular one,  which me like., no more 20-230 pulls to get her started.

·         COLD!!!!! It b3 37* F, with N.N.W 18-20 mph, wind  / cold cut right through me 4 layers of clothes, and a 20 mph speed it got a lot colder.

·         Off to MRGO to start our fun cold morning of fishing.

CONDITIONS:

·          Perfect

·         Wind, N.W. 21-23, N.N.W. 14-16 mph.

·         Water status / conditions: Slight chop, little ripples

·         Sky, overcast morning, sun came out around 1 something, warmed up pretty good, but still cold.

·         Temp, started out at 38* F, got up into low 40’s

·         Water level, down 12-14”

·         Water Temp , 48.2 F, not good, me like max 57

·         Salinity,   2.75

·         Specific Conductance  5280

·         Pressure,   30.10 R

·         Water clarity on a scale of 1-7, MRGO a 7 plus, ICW a 4 minus

·         Mississippi gauge:  6.68’

·         Caernarvon Outfall:  730         ft3/s

·         Tide,  falling all day

·         Peak tide,  04:43  H  1-05’

·         Peak tide,   16:33 L 0.10’

·         Major Feed Time:  14:01

·         Minor feed time:   04:32 – 14:31

·         Tidal Coefficient:     70

·         Fish Activity

·               High Activity   

·         Boats out and about,  (12)

·      ONEOFTHEPACK’S REPERTOIRE OF TECHNIQUES / STRATEGIES      

·         Be safe.

·         Have fun.

·         This is me daily therapy for ALL me aliments.

·         Put some run time on the Bay Flat Jr and the Yamaha Nightmare Machine

·         Gather Intel for future trips, and to share with fisherperson, (on Facebook) to help assist them in their choice of areas to fish, lures to use and presentation of same to the elusive Silverwonders.

·         Catch what catch can.

·         Learn what learn can.

·         Introduce Big Pablo to:

§  Berkley jerk bait action

§  Area along MRGO we be fishing.

§  The Pen action with the Redwarriors

·         Our Game plan:

§  “A” Guillotine gate & surrounding areas

§  “B” MRGO rocks

§  “C” back to guillotine gate & surrounding areas

§  “D” ICW at main locks in ICW

§  “E” ICW Bho. Bros.

§  “F” The Pen

·         Find a spot  # with the seven fundamentals / criteria of catching:

1 WIND AT YOUR BACK: (This criterion, along with cold was our challenge for the day, hard to find a place to get out of wind & cold, but we moved ahead and caught a few.)

2 MOVING WATER: (Had plenty, falling water found some current lines to fish, but water moving to fast to catch.)

3 WATER CALRITY: (MRGO had the best-looking water a 7, ICW a 4 minus had a lot of sandy looks to it.

4 HOLDING FISH:  (ICW @ Bho Bros.)

5 PATIENCES: (Took over an hour to catch first fish, then another 2 hours before next one, but once we located them is it on, on, on with live shrimp as Big Pablo caught a mix variety of fishes for the box,)

6 SKILL: (Jerk bait technique / presentation, offering live shrimp on a jig head, and a Carolina rig type techniques / presentation.

7 LUCKS: (Survived the cold!)

·      Oneofthepack’s repertoire of Techniques / presentations:

·         Anchor up cast & retrieve slowly along the bottom, with a twitch every now and then, tight lining…………………………………Missed 2 big fish popped line.

·         Drift with the wind cast & retrieve (DWWC&R)……………Jerk bait (1)t, missed 1

·         Oak River Troll (ORT)……………….Did not try.

·         Reverse Oak River Troll (RORT) ………..DID NOT TRY

·         Oak River Skim (ORS) ……………DID NOT TRY

·         Cork ……..DID NOT TRY

·         Lake P Troll (LPT)…………….Did not try.

·         Drop shot: Did not try.

·         Dead bait……None

·         Live bait………………All but one fished caught with live shrimp.

·      Oneofthepack ‘S repertOIRE of LURE DU JOUR:

·         3” H&H Purple Beetle, matched up with H&H ¼ oz. round white head with gold hook……………Did not try

·         3” Chartreuse Glow Beetle, matched up with H&H ¼ oz. round white head w/gold hook………….Did not try

·         Matrix Shad Lemon Drop, matched up with H&H ¼ oz. round white head w/gold hook……………Did not try.

·         Matrix Shad Lemon Drop, matched up with H&H 3/8 oz. round white head w/gold hook……………Missed 2

·         Matrix Shad Lemon Drop, matched up with H&H 1/2 oz. round white head w/gold hook……………DID NOT TRY

·         Salt Strong Power Prawn (added 10-25-24) matched up with: Did not use:

§  ¼ oz. jig head :          

§  3/8 oz. jig head :    

§  Tandem Rig:           

·         Matrix Shad Lemon Drop, matched up with 3/4 oz. round lead head w/ 2 trailers, ……Did not try.

·         Tandem rig, ¼ oz. round H&H jig head with gold hook, matched up with Matrix Shad Lemon Drop …..Did not try.

·         Berkley jerk bait 1t

AREAS / SPOTS / NUMBERS ON THE MAP FISHED:

Guillotine, MRGO 1t, Guillotine, ICW east of locks, ICW Boh. Bros. all fish caught there, The Pen, stopped fishing around 1 something.

OUR REWARDS:

·         Lived to fish another day.

·         Great breakfast at Waffel House, thanks Big Pablo for buying, owe you one.

·         Got to meet Big Nathon, , (He indicated he follows Team Jo-Jo) he paying for launch asked if me Stanley, yessum says me and that be Big Pablo

·         (8) Silverwonders, 1 Miniwonder

·         (1) Bull Redwarrior

·         (1) Slot Redwarrior

·         (1) Whitewonder

·         (8) Fresh water cast, nice ones too

·         (1) NMR on Jerk Bait, missed a nice NMR reeling Jerk Bite strike, lost her reeling.

·         (2) Popped lines BIG fish, me bad drag to tight, second time caught me off guard.

·         Lessons learned:

§  The water was dirty in ICW, very sandy looking, falling tide had river water from locks, (when they open & close them)  to Mississippi River pour down IWC.

§  West of main locks in ICW also dirty & sandy looking

§  Guillotine locks water sandy looking there too.

§  MRGO had the best-looking water be a 7 plus.

§  MRGO gave us some action with Jerk baits.

§  ICW around Boh. Bros was the hot spot; Big Pablo wore them out with those BIG lively shrimps for Fisherman’s Friend.

§  Fish where in 20-25  feet of water.

§  Fisherman’s Friend Big Tony live shrimp may be over with, catching them that is.

§  Me use to love wintry weather, me think ageing did something to me, cause me was so clod today. Once me feet got cold me knew it was all over.

·         Best fishing trip of my life, until the next one.

FISHERPERSON OF THE DAY:

Me never had a chance, caught 1, missed 3, seems it was a live shrimp type of day and me stayed true to lures. But me 1 NMR Silverwonders on jerk baits made me day for sure.

Big Pablo was on a roll and his BIG livery shrimp from Fisherman’s Friend was just what the fish god order for the fishes today, she just said live shrimps’ day for sure. Big Pablo fisherperson of the day in a BIG way.

SUGGESTIONS:

Based on how cold it is, me suggest you get a late start and let the water warm up a little, me think water temperatures below 55* shuts fish down. Just me thoughts.

Big Hugh and his mate Big Mike, (Saturday)  on The Pen for 10, we saw them at around 1, they indicated counting them ones that got away, and the bites they had , they had NONE! But he texted me later on in the day they had 20 Redwarriors in The Pen, late bites 3 to 4:30. Me think water warmed up???????

PONDER OF THE DAY:

“We ask a simple question and that is all we wish: Are fishermen all liars? Or do only liars fish?”

Q&A:

What’s the scariest / creepiest place you have ever fished?

TEAM JO-JO’S future stratagem:

Bay Flay Sr still in dry dock, Bay Flat Jr available, but have no plans for a trip anytime soon, mab Tuesday will have an open Bay Flat Jr, mates welcome to come abroad, until then:

Good Fishing

Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack

釣り先生

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