Fishing Offshore: Charter an Adventure in Venice

'When the redfish are active at Venice, you can catch them on a shoestring tied to a hook," one guide says.

Fishing Charters in Louisiana

Go deep sea fishing off the coast of Louisiana to catch the big ones!

Deep sea fishing off the coast of Louisiana.

Early morning fisherman head out for a day of deep sea fishing.

Catch red snapper while deep sea fishing in Louisiana

Catch a red snapper while deep sea fishing in Louisiana.

Girl catching a fish on Fishing Charter in Venice

Sometimes the best deep sea fishing is near the oil rigs which create sea life habitat in the deep waters.

Fishing

A fishing trip to Venice—an angling Mecca at the point where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico—is more than an opportunity to catch speckled trout the size of your leg and redfish so large and strong they could be compared to a bull, it is a chance to fish where history and fortunes have been made.

Deep-Sea Fishing in Louisiana

After making the approximately 70-mile trip from New Orleans down La. Hwy. 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.
 
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, so inexperienced anglers should think about booking one of the many reputable fishing guides that work out of Venice.
 
One thing that guides like Captain Owen Langridge with Big "O" Charters has 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. 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 west of Southwest Pass, Captain Langridge says they are much better during June than in May.
 
“These big bays hold tons of big spawning trout, but you really can’t go through them fishing without a plan,” Langridge says. 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.
 
Captain Brent Roy with Venice Charters Unlimited begins his mornings by quickly fishing the beaches between the bays. “Good baits to try are purple/chartreuse or black/chartreuse cocahoe minnows and chartreuse sparkle beetles. Fish them 18 inches under your popping cork,” Roy advises.
 
Redfish are often caught within the schools of speckled trout, but anglers can frequently move into 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. Redfish are so abundant that Plaquemines Parish hosts numerous redfish tournaments throughout the year. Greg Watts, half of the Watts Brothers fishing team, one of the most consistent redfish tournament teams in the nation, is a professional redfish angler who 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,” he says. “We fish from New Mexico to North Carolina, and I can tell you there’s no place like Venice, La.”
  

Top Saltwater Fishing Spots in Louisiana

 
Breton Sound Islands – Breton Sound, the large water body 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. 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 saltwater fish, and the jetties at the end of the Empire Canal 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.
 
Shell Island Bay Beaches – Shell Island Bay is positioned about halfway between Scofield Bayou east and Four Bayou Pass, the entire stretch is a lengthy beach that offers excellent fishing during the late summer by fishing topwater baits and soft plastics on bottoms (inside the gullies) that run behind the beaches. Cuts that drain the interior bays during a falling tide frequently stack up speckled trout. 
 
Chris Ginn is a Washington Parish, Louisiana-based outdoor writer. When he's not writing for Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, you'll likely find him on the Bogue Chitto River.
 
Learn more about Louisiana fishing and fishing licenses through our Fishing Resources page.