Delacroix Redwarriors MIA

TEAM JO-JO:

One of Team Jo-Jo’s long-time mates, deckhand, friend & co-worker Big Jimmy showed up at our Team Jo-Jo Fishing Curriculum Session this past Saturday. Now, Jimmy has been riding the IR list (Injured Reserve) for a spell, but he walked in grinning ear to ear and announced he was officially cleared — ready, willing, and able to climb back aboard the Bay Flat Sr for some serious fishing therapy.

In classic Team Jo-Jo fashion, we didn’t waste much time with formalities. The magic question got tossed out: “So, Jimmy, what you are doing tomorrow?” Next thing you know, we had a Sunday trip on the books quicker than you can say “Silverwonder sandwich.”

Now, here’s where the story takes a little twist. My go-to first mate, Big Rudy, couldn’t make the run. That left me and Big Jimmy as a twosome crew. While that sounded fine at first, it also meant one big thing — we lost our catching machine in the process. No Rudy radar, no Rudy Mojo, no Rudy fish dance. Just me, Jimmy, and the wide-open marsh of Delacroix.

Still, the mood was high. The Bay Flat Sr was fueled up, the Yamaha Dream Machine was purring like a kitten, and the thought of sliding through our “Disney World” marsh — where every cut, bayou, and pond holds a memory — had us grinning before we even left the dock.

The game plan was simple: poke around some of our old stomping grounds, keep an eye out for good water clarity, and let the current tell us where to set up. No overthinking, just pure Team Jo-Jo style exploration. Jimmy was eager to shake off the IR rust, and I was eager to see if we could coax a few Silverwonders or Redwarriors into the box without Rudy’s secret sauce working in our favor.

Of course, with only two of us onboard, we knew this trip wasn’t going to be about numbers. It was about getting Jimmy back in the groove, soaking up some Delacroix magic, and seeing what kind of surprises the marsh had in store for us.

SIGNS:                            

·          Team Jo-Jo Fishing Curriculum Session was a hit Saturday:

o    Below is a comment on same it be right on!!!!!!!!

o   T-DOC:  EXPERTLY shared his knowledge of the fishing-rod-making profession and/or showing his unlimited PASSION for this highly skilled art!!!

o   DEFINITELY ONE OF A KIND...AN HONOR AND PRIVLEDGE to have witnessed this presentation, meeting this special-person and an honor to have shook his hand!

                                   Sincerely, John Castelluccio, Jr.

·         Got a good night sleep 6-7 hours.

·         Up at 3:30 AM for our 4 AM meet up at Cash Saver parking lot, Waffle House still closed.

·         Had some confusion as Big Jimmy riding up and down Hwy 11 looking for Cash Saver, had to bring him on cell phone?

·         No wildlife sightings along Hwy 11 or 90

·         Few boats on Hwy, gas station, and/or  boat launches.

·         Sings had a turn to bad, made a stop at donut shop for hot doughnuts, but line never moved so we backed out and went without any, not a good sing this be.

·         I made a stop at Meraux food store for ice, drink & snack,

·         Check point  Alpha canal at junction water level  down 6=8”

·         Check point Bravo, tide slack at Reggio canal, BF net up.

·         Passed up Bay Flat Sr to pick up some dead shrimp down the road, to me surprise Lionel’s was open on Sunday  and had live & dead shrimp. Looks like this may happen every Sunday while shrimp is available.

·         Off to Team JoJo’s spot # 6 to start our fun day fishing.

CONDITIONS:

·          Perfect

·         Wind, N.W 6-8 mph perfect it was.

·         Water status / conditions: flat calm to slight chops perfect it be.

·         Sky, sunny & clear

·         Temp, mild, warm, hot, hotter, hottest, red button popped out.

·         Water level, down 6-8”

·         Water Temp , 84.9 F

·         Salinity,  1.0

·         Specific Conductance 2000 

·         Pressure,  29.98 R

·         Water clarity on a scale of 1-7, 2 plus

·         Mississippi gauge:  4.78’

·         Caernarvon Outfall:        578     ft3/s

·         Tide, Rising all day.

·         Peak tide,  08:32 H 1.8’

·         Peak tide,  21:35 L 0.1

·         Major Feed Time:  N/A

·         Minor feed time:    N/A

·         Tidal Coefficient:   44 low

·         Moon Phase: Waning Cresent

§  Moon age 23

·         Last quarter:        9/14

·         New  moon:         8/23/25

·         First quarter:       8/31/25

·         Full moon:           9/11

·         Fish Activity

·          Average Activity   

·         Boats out and about,  NONE!!!!!! Lonely it be, happy to have SeaTow

·      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 Sr and the Yamaha Dream 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.

·         Get Big Jimmy:

o   Back down in Delacroix

o   Back on water

o   Back in shape

o   On some Redwarriors

·         Bring some fishes for Big Jimmy & family.

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

1 WIND AT YOUR BACK: (Wind not a factor, perfect it be, kept us cool for awhile to sun took over)

2 MOVING WATER: (Rising all day, falling would have been much better)

3 WATER CALRITY: (2 minus , not looking good it be)

4 HOLDING FISH:  (Kenny’s seafood)

5 PATIENCES: (Needed a lot, not for catfish we would not have had any action)

6 SKILL: (Jig head with shrimp fishing bottom & current)

7 LUCKS: (Got Big Jimmy back on water, and he got to stretch his string with catfish)

·      Oneofthepack’s repertoire of Techniques / presentations:

·         Anchor up cast & retrieve slowly along the bottom, with a twitch every now and then, tight lining…………………………………(1) Redwarrioe.

·         Drift with the wind cast & retrieve (DWWC&R)……………DID NOT TRY

·         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………………None

·      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……………(1) Redwarrior.

·         Matrix Shad Lemon Drop, matched up with H&H 3/8 oz. round white head w/gold hook……………DID NOT TRY

·         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:

§  1/16 oz:.

§  1/8 ox:

§  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.

AREAS / SPOTS / NUMBERS ON THE MAP FISHED:

Team Jo-Jo spot # 6 & 21, Redwarriors (MIA) in both!!!!!!

OUR REWARDS:

·         Lived too fish another day.

·         (0) Silverwonders

·         (1) Ratwarrior

·         (2) Crabs

·         (16) Gaff Tops

·         (11) Hardheads

·         (1) Bshel of grass

·         Lots of fresh air & sunshine

·         Found some FRESH dead shrimp at Lionel’s now this be a good sign!

·         No food, no drinks just fishing, just the way we like it.

·         See Big Jimmy back in action.

·         Beng on the water with one of the best fisherpersons me know, that be Big Jimmy

·         Lessons learned:

§  Redwarriors seem to be (MIA) at our honey holes.

§  Patients still best tool in tackle box

§  Catfish never (MIA) and bite no matter what, we are happy to have some action.

§  Water clarity a little off a 2 plus it be.

§  Not much bait in water, once again mullets where not to be found in areas we fish.

§  Did not take Big Jimmy to get back in the action, he still has his skills.

§  Sun still makes hot & red button to pop out after 10 AM, we called it at 10:30, just a might to long for me, got to feeling bad came in.

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

FISHERPERSON OF THE DAY:

Big Jimmy killed the catfish he be fisherperson of the day for sure, and he can have it too!!!!!!!

Oneofthepack was just Oneofthepack!

SUGGESTIONS:

Questions to Ask Before a Fishing Trip:

1.    Target Species – “What are we fishing for?” (Silverwonders, Redwarriors, flounder, etc.)

2.    Tackle Setup – “How should I rig up my lines?” (tight lines, cork rig, live bait, plastics, etc.)

3.    Rod Count – “How many poles can I bring?” (Sometimes space is tight on the boat.)

4.    Special Gear – “Do I need any species-specific tackle?” (Speckle tackle, popping corks, jig heads, etc.)

⚓ Reason: The last thing you want is to waste the first golden hour or feeding frenzy tying knots while everyone else is catching. If you’re ready, you’re fishing from the first cast.

👉 A little prep the night before—rigging, checking line, tying leaders, packing tackle—makes the whole trip smoother and more fun.

PONDER OF THE DAY:

"The wise fisherman knows that satisfaction is not always measured in the size of the catch."

Q&A:

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever received from a friend? 

TEAM JO-JO’S future stratagem:

Had to plan a run with Big Billy for our Saturday gathering, and as always, he came packing more than just fishing gear — this time it was one of his legendary tales. He swore up and down that on his last trip to the Causeway, he didn’t just hook a fish… he caught himself a human. Yep, you read that right. Not a Silverwonder, not a Redwarrior, but a full-blown human-sized “catch of the day.”

Now, the details are still floating around like a cork in a rip tide, and you know how Billy can stretch a story wider than the span of the bridge itself. Was it a diver tangled up? Somebody’s mannequin tossed overboard? Or maybe just a soggy pair of jeans that gave him a fight like a bull Red? Nobody knows for sure, but one thing’s certain — Team Jo-Jo needs the whole tale from start to finish.

So, we’ve set the calendar: Tuesday is the trip, the day the truth gets reeled in along with whatever’s biting. Until then, the suspense is thicker than the fog rolling across Lake P at sunrise.

Until then!!!!!!

Good Fishing

Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack

釣り先生

Please subscribe to our video channels

https://youtu.be/DW