Lake P challenge w/thunderstorms & Lake P Troll

TEAM JO-JO:

Fishing Report – Tuesday, June 17, 2025Team Jo-Jo – Bay Flat Jr – Trestles Attempt x2

Original Plan:After Monday’s solid trip with Big Don, the plan was to make a repeat performance today. But after a late-night card game that kept me up until 1:45 AM, I didn’t get moving until 9:20 AM. With no call from me, I figured Big Don assumed the trip was off.

Morning Activity:I shifted gears and decided to rig up some Lake P Troll trailers. Much easier to prep these in a controlled environment than on the water. Saves the hassle of tying four knots in the boat – just snap them onto the main jig head and you're fishing.

Big Rudy’s Call – Round 1 (Evening Trip Attempt):Missed a call from Big Rudy mid-day – we were originally set for a Wednesday trip, but he mentioned Wednesday's forecast was looking rough. He suggested we take a shot this evening, saying the Nautide app predicted good bite activity from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

3:00 PM – Arrival at the Pointe:I got there early. Thunderstorm offshore heading our way. Sat in the truck figuring we’d call it.Big Rudy calls: “How does it look?”Me: “Winds not bad.”Big Rudy: “On my way.”

We waited out the first thunderstorm in the truck. Big Rudy checked his radar and saw another cell behind the first one, but it didn’t look bad. So we waited.

First Launch – Abort Mission:Once the first storm cleared, we launched Bay Flat Jr. Headed toward the trestles, but all we could see was lightning popping south of us.After 30 seconds of trolling, Big Rudy says, “What do you think?”That’s all I needed. Lines up, back to the dock.

Storm Passes – Round 2:Big Rudy suggested we re-launch after the storm passed completely. I was ready to call it, but Big Rudy’s phone showed a clear window ahead.We dried out Bay Flat Jr and waited it out. Sure enough, the storm passed quick with minimal wind and no lightning.

Second Launch – Back to the Trestles:We agreed: "One lightning strike, we’re out."Conditions improved. Winds laid down. Water got calm. Some light rain, but no big deal. A shaky start, but glad we gave it a second shot.

Final Notes:

• Fish on this trip (Fell right on top of them).

• Still a solid mission – prepping gear, adapting on the fly, and trusting the weather app radar dance.

• Props to Big Rudy for pushing when it counted and knowing when to hold ’em or fold ’em.

SIGNS:                            

·          Me was BIG fish at card game, 1.35 of “C” note me donated

·         Cancel one trip, up pop another

·         Saw (2) Bunnie rabbits along Rat Nest Road on way to the pointe, now that be a sign for sure.

·         Thunderstorm after thunderstorm had us too block, but Big Rudy never gives up

·         Yamaha Nightmare Machine started with one pull that is better than see 2 rabbits

·         Off to trestles we tried for the first time we came back quickly and lighting all over

·         Off to trestle second time, till had me doubts, but Big Rudy say go so we go

·         Hit the mother lode of Silverwonders

CONDITIONS:

·          Perfect

·         Wind, S.S.W 14-16, S.S.W. 10-13, S. 6-8 mph

·         Water status / conditions: slight , heavy chop, then flat calm

·         Sky, mostly cloudy

·         Got rain on, little wet

·         Temp, kept rain suit on whole time

·         Water level, up 4-6”

·         Water Temp , 84.4 F

·         Salinity,  1.4

·         Specific Conductance 2670 

·         Pressure,  29.96 F

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

·         Mississippi gauge: 11.6’

·         Caernarvon Outfall:        436     ft3/s

·         Tide, rising all evening

·         Peak tide, 05:08 L 0.03’

·         Peak tide,  18:54 H 0.46’

·         Major Feed Time: 05:04 – 17:19

·         Minor feed time:   23:45 – 11:23

·         Tidal Coefficient:   59

·         Fish Activity

·             High Activity   

·         Boats out and about, one 

·      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.

·         Make evening trip cause next day not looking good

·         Use Lake P Troll technique / presentation

·         Bring home some fish for Petite Yana

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

1 WIND AT YOUR BACK: (Wind at first was a problem, blow long & hard, but then went dead clam, then slight breeze, this criterion does not factor today.)

2 MOVING WATER: (Was supposed to be falling but was rising hard all evening, moving it be, that is all we need)

3 WATER CALRITY: (A 6 plus, looked like rain water, dark, clear, clean it be)

4 HOLDING FISH:  (South of mile marker 174, (west side of trestles) between 1st & second group of steel pilings, we never made it to mile marker 174, we just kept going back and forth between groups of steel pilings, that is all it took, it was a crazy 20 minute of catching)

5 PATIENCES: (Made it second time to trestles at 5:50, 6:10 our first fish, then it was on, on, on, 1, 2, 3 fish at a time it was crazy & fun)

6 SKILL: (Lake P Troll technique / presentation)

7 LUCKS: (Me was not too enthused (bad weather) to be out on the water and had very low expectations on catching. So, when we went out the second time, me decided to start our troll at the second sign from the north drawbridge. Normally, me would have gone straight to mile marker 174, but I figured we’d troll for a few minutes and head in.)

But Big Rudy never gives up.

It took about 15 minutes for the first fish… and from then on, it was on, on, on. Had I gone to mile marker 174 to start our troll, we would’ve never caught a fish.

·      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)……………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)…………….All fish caught with this technique.

·         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……………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:

§  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, ……All fish caught with these lures / rig.

·         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:

Lake Pontchartrain, west side of trestle between 1st & 2nd group of steel pilings just north of mile marker 174, they where stacked up in a tight strike zone.

OUR REWARDS:

·         Lived too fish another day

·         (22) Silverwonders, 3 Miniwonders

·         (5) Double hook ups

·         (1) Whitewonder

·         (20) crazy minutes of catching one after another even had 3 at a time twice

·         (4) bottoms

§  Lost 1 trolling rig

§  Lost rea trailer on another

·         Big Rudy brought me a Big Mac meal w/fires & Dr Pepper, my kind of first mate

·         No sinkers bar today

·         Being on the water with the best fisherperson me know that be Big Rudy.

·         Lessons learned:

§  Big Rudy’s theory on when bites would be on was correct, Nautide App nailed it

§  Big Rudy’s perseverance, persistence, never giving up attitude did it for us today.

§  “You got to go to know”

§  Wind & rain is not a problem, but lightning is both of our lines in the sand.

§  Bay Flat Jr bilge pump still no work

§  Bites quick, bites end just as quick.

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

FISHERPERSON OF THE DAY:

Me caught 1st NMR Silverwonders, had 2 doubles, only lost ½ of one of my trailer, had me fair share of Silverwonders, but efforts was short today for the honors.

Big Rudy caught 3-4 doubles, biggest NMR Silverwonder, most Silverwonders, brought me  Big Mac meal, made the trip, made the evening, he be a catching machine.

SUGGESTIONS:

Just go and get your creel, suggest Lake P Troll be your technique and be prepared to be cleaning a bunch of fish for your efforts.

PONDER OF THE DAY:

“Great catches don’t come from luck alone — they start with the right crew, the right plan, and the right spot.”

And having Big Rudy for a first mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q&A:

How do you know that not all fisherpersons are annoying?Some are dead

TEAM JO-JO’S future stratagem:

Nothing plan, but life does not go on without fishing, so plan to make a trip happen soon, until then:

Good Fishing

Team Jo-Jo & Oneofthepack

釣り先生

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