Jerk baits vs. MRGO

TEAM JO-JO:

Team Jo-Jo’s Fishing Adventure – Battling the Elements & Chasing Silverwonders

The last few days, Mother Nature had us landlocked, dealing out winds, cold fronts, and rain that caused a serious damper on our fishing journeys. But today, Saturday—was looking promising. The fishing itch was strong, so me picked up the phone and called Big Pablo to get the latest scoop.

“How did y’all make out this past Monday?” me asked.

His response came quick and sharply, “Not good.”

Well, that was all me needed to hear. Before we knew it, we had a plan in motion for today.

The Plan

First choice—Delacroix. But we knew from the start that water levels were lower than a crab trap in a drought. Me suspected Bay Flat Sr wouldn’t even make it out of the slip, let alone get us into our usual hotspots. Plan B had to be activated.

With the conditions in mind, me turned my focus to MRGO. Me knew the water clarity there would be solid, and we'd have some natural protection from the wind if it decided to kick up. The only question left was whether the Silverwonders would be there waiting for us.

The Shrimp Dilemma

Now, here’s where things got really interesting. Me mentioned to Big Pablo that Rigolets Marina had live shrimp available—a rare commodity these days. But then, something shocking happened. Big Pablo, the same Big Pablo who never passes on live shrimp, said:

“Nah, my aerator ain’t working, so I’ll pass.”

Wait... what?? Me had to do a double take. This was the same man who would walk barefoot across oyster shells for live shrimp, and today, he was passing on them. Couldn’t believe me ears. Maybe he was feeling confident in the lures today. Maybe he was testing fate. Either way, it was one way or another.

Onward to the Water

With the plan set and the gear ready, we set off, eager to see if the fish were as ready as we were. The challenge of overcoming the elements, finding the right spot, and getting that first hit—it’s what keeps us coming back time and time again.

Will the Silverwonders be waiting for us? Will the decision to pass on live shrimp come back to haunt us? Stay tuned for the full report!

SIGNS:                            

·         Made a Friday night run to Hollowood casino, me know fish this time, cashed in 3.6 “c” notes, added to kitty 1.6 “C” note.

·         Early to bed 9:30 PM

·         Up at 2:30 AM could not sleep anymore, got on the computer, update diary & reports.

·         Hooked up Bay Flat Jr to FORD transporter

·         Me was early for 5:30 AM meet up so me had some breakfast at Waffle House, Big Pablo came in and got some eat too

·         No wildlife sighting along Hwy 11 or 90

·         Ran into a long line of boats waiting to launch, Gulf Outlet Mariners had a bass club fishing out of it, must have been 20 plus boats staging up in The Pen.

·         Big Pablo back3ed down the Bay Flat Jr, could feel the stairs of all the BIG bass boats at the little girl.

·         Yamaha Nightmare Machine was a little stubborn today and took 6 pulls to start her.

·         Off to MRGO rocks in search of the big girls.

CONDITIONS:

·          Perfect

·         Wind, N.E. 8-10 mph

·         Water status / conditions: slight chop

·         Sky, overcast

·         No rain

·         No fog

·         Temp, kept jumpsuit and rai coat on all day, cold it be

·         Water level, down 12-14”

·         Water Temp , 51>98 F

·         Salinity,    3.2

·         Specific Conductance 5920 

·         Pressure,  30.39 F

·         Water clarity on a scale of 1-7, a 6

·         Mississippi gauge:  10.97’

·         Caernarvon Outfall:  626         ft3/s

·         Tide, falling all day

·         Peak tide, 08:00  L  0’00’

·         Peak tide,   21:51  H  0.79’

·         Major Feed Time:  06:24 / 18:53

·         Minor feed time:   01:58 / 11:51

·         Tidal Coefficient:    31  Very low it be

·         Fish Activity

·          Averag Activity   

·         Boats out and about,  50 plus

·         Saw 16 boats along the trestles in Lake P on way home around noon

·      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.

·         See if the big girls are still along rock in MRGO

·         See if the jerk baits still attracting the big girls

·         Try our luck for some Redwarriors in The Pen

·         Get back to launch and pick up before all the bass boats came in to pick up

·         Bring some fishes for Big Pablo family

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

1 WIND AT YOUR BACK: (Perfect it be slight wind helped move us along rocks and towards rock, trolling motor kept us on tack and the per4fect distance from rock to cast & retrieve jerk baits, Big Pablo was operator of trolling motor, antiqued as it is, he had no problem operating same.

2 MOVING WATER: (Falling all day, but not strong, did not notice it along rocks)

3 WATER CALRITY: (A 6, very fishable & catchable it be) 

4 HOLDING FISH:  (MRGO rocks)

5 PATIENCES: (Took all of 20 minutes for Big Palo to being in his first BIG girl, all 3# plus of her, action was on, on, on, crazy 12 minute, caught 6, then it stopped, we stopped fishing around 10:10 came in to fish The Pen>)

6 SKILL: (Jerk bait technique / presentation, just keep changing up presentations)

7 LUCKS: (We beat the bass boast back in, and caught a nice Redwarrior for Big Pablo’s collection of fish today)

·      Oneofthepack’s repertoire of Techniques / presentations:

·         Anchor up cast & retrieve slowly along the bottom, with a twitch every now and then, tight lining…………………………………DID NOT TRY

·         Drift with the wind cast & retrieve (DWWC&R)……………Used trolling motor to move us with wind as we tossed jerk baits to the rocks.

·         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……(1) Redwarrior

·         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……………Did not try.

·         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:

§  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.

·         Greenish colored suspended jerk baits

AREAS / SPOTS / NUMBERS ON THE MAP FISHED:

MRGO along rocks, back & forth in the strike zone, we concentrated around a Loon that kept diving lang rocks.

OUR REWARDS:

·         Lived to fish another day.

·         (9) NMR Silverwonders

·         (1) Redwarrior

·         Big Palo right on time, suggested we at before we go out

·         Great breakfast at Waffle House in Oak Harbor

·         No wildlife sightings along Hwy 11 or 90

·         Gulf Outlet Martine hosting a bass  club, Pearl River club, had 15-20 boats fishing it, we where met with a line of boats all the way back to Paris Road, and took a while to make it in the water.

·         It was like an on-water boats show with all the bass boats

·         Nice quick, (Sopped fishing at 10:30) relaxing trip to one of our favorite spots.

·         Lessons learned:

§  If you know a bass tournament is fishing in the same area you fishing best get an early start before they start unaching and get back early before they start picking up.

§  NMR Silverwonders still along rocks in MRGO

·         Jerk bait working well along rocks, today I was the greenish jerk bait that caught all the fish except for Redwarrior, it was on dead shrimp.

·         Me can make this run on a ¼ tank of gas.

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

FISHERPERSON OF THE DAY:

Big Pablo Takes the Crown – A Day of Fishing & Memories

Some days, the fish bite. Other days, they play hard to get. But every day on the water is a blessing, and today was no exception.

From the start, Big Pablo was dialed in. First Silverwonder? Big Pablo. Second Silverwonder? Big Pablo again. Biggest Silverwonder of the day? You guessed it—Big Pablo. And just to put the cherry on top, he also dominated the Redwarrior division, proving that today was his day.

And here’s the kicker—he did it all while operating an ancient, two-handed trolling motor that had a mind of its own. Picture this: one hand on the rod, the other battling the trolling motor, all while keeping us locked in on our mission to hunt down the elusive Silverwonders and Redwarriors. Talk about multitasking!

With a performance like that, there was no debate—Big Pablo was the undisputed fisherperson of the day.

Oneofthepack’s Mission

Now, as for me, Oneofthepack, my mission was a little different. Of course, I wanted to put fish in the boat, but my real goal was something deeper. I just wanted to be in Bay Flat Jr, on the water, embracing everything Mother Nature had to offer. The good, the bad, and everything in between—it’s all part of the journey.

Some folks chase limits. Me? I chase moments. And today, we had one of those memorable, picture-perfect days that stick with you long after the last cast.

Until Next Time…

With another adventure in the books, we packed it up, knowing we’d be back soon for another round. Big Pablo set the bar high today—but that just means me got some catching up to do next time!

Until then… Tight Lines & Good Fishing!Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack 🎣🔥

SUGGESTIONS:

Might we suggest you fisherperson trying out the jerk bait technique / presentation along the rocks in MRGO, type / color as follows:

·         Berkley:

o   BHBSWCT90S-CLWN

o   BHBSWCT90S-PIL

o   BHBSWCT90S-MUL

o   BHBSWCT90S-PKSV

·         Bill Lewis:

o   Scope Stick  BLF-SS100-SSP6-776 Pro herring 3/8 oz.

o   Scope Stick  BLF-SS100-SSP6-791 Ayu 3/8 oz.

o   Scope Stick  BLF-SS120-SSP6-791 Ayu 1/2 oz.

·         Rapala:

o   HJ-10 TSD- Tennessee Shad 3/8 oz.

o   HJ-10 BB- Baby Bass 3/8 oz.

o   HJ-10 GPCL- Glass Pink Clown 3/8 oz.

o   HJ-10 CLN-Clown 3/8 oz.

o   DHJ10 CLN- Clown 3/8 0z. swimming depth 7-16’ deep dive lure

o   DHJ10 PCL- Pink Clown 3/8 0z. swimming depth 7-16’ deep dive lure

o   DHJ10 CLN- OGH-Olive Ghost 3/8 0z. swimming depth 7-16’ deep dive lure

The Price of the Silverwonders Addiction

Some folks spend their money on fine dining, some on fancy cars—but for Team Jo-Jo, it’s all about the thrill of hooking into a Silverwonder and feeling that rod bend under the weight of a true fighter.

Me investment for all the above? A solid $175.00+, and let me tell you, every penny was spent in pursuit of those elusive 2 ½ to 5 ½ lb (NMR) Silverwonders. When you get hooked on chasing these beauties, the tackle box just seems to grow on its own—more jerk baits, more lures, more gear—because the next cast could be “the one.”

But when that drag starts screaming, and you feel the power of a big girl on the other end, suddenly, that $175.00 is nothing. From our experience, it’s worth every single dollar.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about catching fish—it’s about the passion, the thrill, and the memories made along the way. And you can’t put a price tag on that.

PONDER OF THE DAY:

"Faith makes all things possible and fishing makes all things easy."

Q&A:

What action / presentation do you use for your jerk offering to the Silverwonders?

TEAM JO-JO’S future stratagem:

Monday we will be back at them, all species will be fair game, from Lake P to Delacroix will be our hunting  for fish abord Bay Flat Sr or Jr, whatever it talks is our motto, until then:

Good Fishing

Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack

釣り先生

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