Cardude, now that I have had a good nights sleep.... All you really need is;
The Waterway guide and appropriate charts. The guide does exactly that, guides you step by step through each of the sections, with the lock and bridge names, hailing channel etc. They will not respond to "bridge at MM 78" they want the name right.
An AIS (I am going to keep repeating that!)
A good chart plotter as places like Morgan city has about 5 different rivers and canals all leaving/joining there and it can get confusing.
A good mate or crew member. My hat off to guys that do this stuff single handed.
A hand held or dual frequency radio. Mississippi traffic control will ask you to monitor channel 67 (or 68?) and channel 12. Same with Berwick traffic control. When you approach locks and bridges they are normally channels 14 and 13 respectively.
Plan your day, with alternatives. One lock was being 'greased' and had everyone backed up which I was fortunate enough to make up with $$rottle.
Have a beer with someone who has done it and pick their brains. ( I am available and run about 3-4 beers an hour).
Make sure you have Steve's number in Houma. He is a great guy!