CCA Night Out

Team Jo-Jo

At the CCA “ Anglers Night Out” this Tuesday evening we had about 35-40 crew show up to listen to the various Captains, (see attach for additional info)  speak , comments as follows:

Captain Dudley up first , talked about all that is impacting the Speckle Trout inventory, and / or lack here off. One of his comments that really caught my ear was the building of a freshwater diversion in Lake Maurepas. He is of the opinion that if that happens Lake Pontchartrain fishing is over, and it will impact crabbing, shrimping, etc.

I know what the Caernarvon Outfall Channel at Caernarvon, Louisiana has done to Delacroix and surrounding areas, and its capacity is on 8,000 ft3/s. Also, the Mardi Gras pass in Point A La Hache has just about turned Team Jo-Jo’s zones 1, 2, & 3 into one big fresh water pond, and has impacted the Speckle trout activity in a very negative way.

The River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp (MSP) project is a proposed diversion that would reconnect the Maurepas Swamp with the Mississippi River, bringing fresh water and sediment to the swamp's wetlands. The project is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, near Angelina and Garyville in St. John the Baptist Parish. The diversion would use gates in the river levee to open throughout the year, allowing water to flow through a 5.5 mile controlled-flow diversion into the swamp. The project's main structural features include:

• Two 10x10 box culverts that can divert 2,000 cubic feet of water per second

• A 100x100 foot receiving pond with a 20-inch layer of riprap

• A 50-foot wide, 10-foot deep outflow channel that runs from the river to U.S. Interstate 10 

https://www.lacoast.gov/reports/gpfs/PO-29.pdf

https://mississippiriverdelta.org/project-to-restore-maurepas-swamp-takes-one-important-step-forward/#:~:text=Overview%20of%20River%20Reintroduction%20Into,tupelos%2C%20to%20grow%20and%20thrive.

https://coastal.la.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Maurepas-Swamp-Final-Full-Fact-Sheet.pdf

https://ap25.coastal.la.gov/projects/river-reintroduction-into-maurepas-swamp

Contract awarded (click on below)

https://www.nola.com/news/environment/maurepas-swamp-diversion-construction-contract-awarded/article_f31ef352-446d-11ef-a0e4-23d096b53ba0.html#:~:text=BY%20CHRIS%20GRANGER-,Maurepas%20Swamp%20revitalization%20plans%3A%20The%20state%20is%20planning%20to%20reconnect,defenses%20and%20revitalizing%20the%20ecosystem.

How many of your fisherpersons knew about this planned and now released for construction freshwater diversion in Lake P?

Captain Chris was up next, he echoed Captain Dudley concerns about diversion in Like p, he also touched base on the bites in and around the Rigolets, & Chef.

They had a number of other captains at meeting listen to all the presentation & comments, it was a very informative event with lots of discussions in / on the art of fishing & catching.

Good Fishing

Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack