[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he fishing out of Venice has been on fire the past few weeks. Coastal Angler did another Hook, Line and Dine event during Jazzfest this year. It was the best one yet. Keep an eye out for the article in upcoming issues. In the past month we have been catching yellowfin tuna as close as seven miles out of South Pass. Most were caught with a combination of live bait, pink Mirrolures and Frenzy poppers. Remember to use the appropriate size hook on your live baits. A Mustad 5/0 circle hook on live pogy (menhaden) was our setup. Although they were not monster tuna, there were lots of them. The yellowfin have now made their move out to the floaters and are in the 45-100 pound range including some being caughtaround 150 lbs. Grass lines are forming up well and holding lots of bait.
Along the grass lines we are seeing lots of mahi and marlin. No matter what you choose to put in your spread, I recommend a blue/ white Islander. Just about every pelagic species will strike on that bait, naked or rigged with a ballyhoo. We are starting to run more overnight trips and will continue until the fall. When fishing red snapper we use Mustad 16/0 circle hooks. Using a larger hook helps keep those pesky under size snapper from stealing the bait. Visit my website or give us a call for more info. Have a great summer. Good luck and stay safe out there.