My first fishing trip to Venice, an angling Mecca at the mouth of the river, was more than an opportunity for me to catch speckled trout the size of my leg and redfish so large and strong they could only be compared to a bull. It was my chance to fish where history and fortunes had been made.
 
After making the approximately 70-mile trip from New Orleans down LA-23, anglers have the choice of launching at Cypress Cove Marina or the aforementioned Venice Marina. Both offer conveniences like back-down ramps, tackle, fuel, snacks, beverages, restaurants, on-site lodging and professional guide services.
 
No amount of mental preparation in the world can equip an angler for what he or she will see after leaving the boat harbor of either marina. A confusing maze of passes, bayous and canals spreads out in all directions. This isn’t the place for novice navigators to fish, so inexperienced anglers should think about booking one of the many reputable guides that work out of Venice.
 
Since I would rather spend my day fishing than finding fish, I always fish with a guide. And one thing that guides like Captain Owen Langridge with Big “O” Charters have taught me is that the best fishing during May is along the bays and beaches at the ends of Pass A Loutre, Southeast Pass, Dennis Pass and South Pass.
 
To the east of South Pass, Captain Langridge suggests fishing Blind Bay, Redfish Bay and Garden Island Bay. He also sometimes fishes below Port Eads and East Bay. Although there are some good areas to the west of Southwest Pass, Captain Langridge says they are much better during June than they are during May.
 
“May is for fishing to the east of South Pass,” Langridge explains. “These big bays hold tons of big spawning trout, but they are very large. Blind Bay, for example is seven to eight miles wide. So you really can’t just go through them fishing without a plan and hope to find some fish. There are some things you can do, though, to help you find fish faster.”
 
The most important strategy for locating fish in such a vast area is finding clear water. However, since saltwater is denser than freshwater, it all looks muddy on the surface because the stained freshwater from the Mississippi River will actually flow over the top of the heavier and clearer saltwater.
 
Savvy anglers watch their prop wash while idling through the outer bays because the spinning action of a propeller pulls the water near the bottom up towards the surface. The best spots are where the prop wash behind your boat is good, green water.
 
“Start looking for bait activity wherever you find the green water,” Langridge added. “Bait will often appear as little dimples on the water’s surface. It’s very subtle, but you can see it. My key is to look for green water first and bait second.”
 
Captain Brent Roy with Venice Charters Unlimited begins his mornings by quickly fishing the beaches between the bays with Zara Spooks and MirrOlure She Dogs, two of the most popular surface baits in Louisiana. These topwater lures are hard plastic baits that work with a side-to-side motion as they float on the surface, perfectly imitating a big trout’s favorite food—mullet.
 
“After the topwater bite dies, I switch to soft plastics (rubber-like baits that are realistic imitations of shrimp, cocahoe minnows or other baitfish) fished under a cork, and fish the points, Roy explains. “Good baits to try are purple/chartreuse or black/chartreuse cocahoe minnows and chartreuse sparkle beetles. Fish them 18 inches under your popping cork.”
 
Popping corks attract speckled trout and redfish when an angler jerks or “pops” his or her rod to make the cork splash the water’s surface. The soft plastic hanging underneath is pulled toward the surface with each pop. Trout that come to see what created the splashing noise, see the soft plastic falling toward the bottom, and they can’t pass up the easy meal.
 
Redfish are often caught within the schools of speckled trout, but anglers can frequently move in to the more interior marsh and catch big reds from points, grass flats and drains by fishing dead shrimp or plastics under a popping cork, gold spoons and spinnerbaits.
 
Plaquemines Parish hosts numerous redfish tournaments throughout the year such as the RFRI Plaquemines Parish Redfish Series Tournament, IFA Redfish Tour and the HT3 Redfish Tournaments.
 
Greg Watts, half of the Watts Brothers fishing team, one of the most consistent redfish tournament teams in the nation, is one professional redfish angler that loves to see Venice on his upcoming tournament schedule.
 
“When the redfish are active at Venice, you can catch them on a shoestring tied to a hook,” Watts said. “My brother Bryan and I love fishing down there every chance we get. We fish from New Mexico to North Carolina, and I can tell you there’s no place like Venice, Louisiana.”
 
After your first fishing trip to Venice, you’ll understand why the rest of the fishing world agrees with Watts.
 
Fittingly, as anglers back away from the dock at Venice Marina, the last thing they see are big green letters that read, “Fishing Capital of the World.”
 
Fishing Hot Spots Nearby
Breton Sound Islands – Breton Sound, the large water body to the east of Plaquemines Parish and directly south of St. Bernard Parish is full of scattered islands that offer exceptional fishing throughout the summer. Three of the most popular, Belle Island, Iron Banks and Stone Island are great early-morning topwater spots, but they quickly get crowded on the weekends.
 
Block 69 Rigs – Some of Venice’s best big trout anglers prefer fishing the oil rigs out from the Mississippi River passes, and Block 69 to the east of Flatboat Pass offers exceptional fishing with the added bonus of being easy to access. Try fishing live croakers on the bottom or bouncing soft plastics on the bottom, but be aware of the many snags that can hang lures.
 
Empire Rock Jetties – Rocks attract all kinds of saltwater fish, and the jetties at the end of the Empire Canal to the west of Plaquemines Parish are no exception. Live bait catches trout and redfish, but it will also catch more hardhead (saltwater catfish) than you’ll want to take off. Try topwaters early and soft plastics bounced on the bottom later in the day.
 
Shell Island Bay Beaches – Shell Island Bay is positioned about half way between Scofield Bayou to the east and Four Bayou Pass, and the entire stretch is a lengthy beach that offers excellent fishing later during the summer by fishing topwaters and soft plastics on bottom (inside the gullies) that run behind the beaches. Cuts that drain the interior bays during a falling tide frequently stack up speckled trout.