Local Fishing Tournament Raises Record Amount for Charity
The third annual T-Joe’s Fishing Invitational is in the books and according to tournament operator Mike Maggio of Slidell, “It was a huge success!”
The fishing tournament that was held at Island Marina of Lake Catherine was started in 2020 and is the result of the devotion Maggio’s father, Joseph Maggio, had to St. Jude’s.
Joseph died in 2019 and is a big reason for the direction of the tournament. “My dad was a big St. Jude contributor and being that he died of cancer we thought it would be a good idea to donate the money we collected to the hospital,” he said.
Until then, the Maggio family had been gathering for a family tournament that served as a family reunion, but after seeing how many people were fishing the event, Maggio and his family decided to move forward with growing the event. “The first one we held at my brother’s house on Cowan Bayou off of the East Pearl River,” Maggio said. We had 80 people show up to fish that tournament and we raised 2,500 dollars,” he said.
In 2021 the tournament saw 130 people fish with 6,000 dollars raised. “After that tournament we decided to find a different venue because it was getting too big for my brother’s house,” Maggio said.
The family reached out to David and Angie Stewart of Island Marina of Lake Catherine who were more than happy to hold the event at their marina.
When it was all said and done, the 2022 event saw 180 adults register and raised over 11,000 dollars to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “It’s hard to believe our little tournament has raised over 20,000 dollars in three years,” he said. “Just to know this money is going to help all the families that have been affected makes all the difference in the world.”
Tickfaw Recovery
The fish kill that occurred in the Tickfaw River after Hurricane Ida seems to be in the rearview mirror says Chris Populis of Covington.
Populis made a trip to the river and covered a lot of water but ended up riding sac-a-lait. “I fished all over the river both upper and lower and to my surprise there were some good fish holding on the structure,” he said.
Populis was using a black and chartreuse jig in 7-12 feet of water. He ended his day at 11:30 a.m. with seven sac-a-lait that averaged over a pound each! “The best seven fish weighed 9.39 pounds! It’s nice to see the river on the comeback since the storm,” Populis said.
Tournament Results
The Double Nickel Bass Club held their event at the East Pearl River. At blast-off most of the 16 anglers that fished the tournament headed north instead of heading south to the marsh. There wasn’t much water moving and the fish seemed to have lockjaw possibly from the fish feeding during the full moon. In the end it was a group of disappointed anglers who weighed in.
Ralph Dunn took first place in the end with a 3-fish limit weighing 8.67 pounds. Joe Frierson took second place with a limit that weighed 7.05 pounds. In third place was CJ Pichon with a limit weighing 6.45 pounds. Pichon also caught the big fish of the day: a 4.35 pounds.
Upcoming Tournaments
The Bayou Lacombe Big Bass Tournament is holding their next event on Friday, July 22. Biggest bass wins. $10 per person entry fee. Blast-off is at 5 p.m. at the Main St. Launch in Lacombe.
The Double Nickel Bass Club is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on Tuesday, July 26. For more information, please contact Joe Picone at 985-630-4170.
Pearl River Team Trails is holding their next tournament at the East Pearl River on August 13. For more information, please contact Charles Dauzat at 985-960-3260.
Florida Parishes Bass Anglers are holding their next tournament on the East Pearl River on August 14.
Liars and Lunkers is holding their classic tournament on July 31 at Lock One. This is a tournament for all of the anglers that fished at least three of the five Spring/Summer Series tournaments.
Anglers can fish either side of the lock and we will fish until noon. Food and drinks will be served at weigh-in. For more information or to confirm if you have qualified, please contact Chad Hartzog at 985-502-3217.
(Keith Lusher Jr. writes a weekly column. For more info, visit NorthshoreFishingReport.com.Contact Keith at keith@northshorefishingreport.com.)