Why Venice, LA is #1
Capt. Peace Marvel
It was October 1988. A buddy of mine and I had towed his bay boat to Venice, Louisiana in hopes of catching some red snapper. As we approached Head of Passes [lower Mississippi River Delta], we saw some thunderstorms brewing offshore so we took a left and headed down Pass a Loutre to pitch worms into the Roseau canes for bass and redfish. By noon we had managed 30 redfish, 25 bass, 5 speckled trout and 8 flounder. The weather had cleared up so we pointed the boat back toward Head of Passes and hooked around into South Pass. The seas had slicked off and were flat calm.
We caught a few snapper at the sea buoy about a mile out then decided to venture a little further to the 7-mile Rigs. Our trip was interrupted when about 5 miles out we ran across a school of monster yellowfin feasting on mullet. They were jumping and busting 10 feet from our little boat when I grabbed a half dead bass out of the live well, hooked him to a big Penn Senator and free lined him into the school of feeding fish. Within seconds a tuna inhaled the largemouth bass and three hours later we hoisted a 126 pound yellowfin onto our 19 foot bay boat.
We were ecstatic. And I remember thinking on the ride up river: “Where else in the world but Venice, Louisiana?”
Venice is the last outpost on the Mississippi River, dead in the middle of the largest warm water river delta in North America. If you like to inshore fish, the seemingly endless marsh is home to probably more trout and redfish than the rest of the Gulf states combined.
Is wade fishing your thing? No problem. 13 miles from Venice Marina is Breton Island which is the first island in the famous Chandeleur Island chain.
The offshore fishing is unparalleled. From the mouth of the river we drop 100 foot per mile. I have seen people in jon boats with tiller engines catching snapper, grouper and cobia right out the mouth. Not much further and your in amberjack, tuna, wahoo, dolphin, marlin and swordfish territory.
Venice is the only place on the face of the planet you have a shot at a 100lb+ yellowfin on a day trip 365 days a year.
Aside from the fact that Venice is ground zero for the Mississippi River “food conveyer belt,” the hundreds of oil rigs right off the mouth of the river provide excellent habitat for all kinds of fish. There are rigs in from 6 feet to 7000 feet of water and all of them have some kind of fish on them.
Another thing that makes Venice the best offshore fishing destination is its central location in the Gulf. Depending on which pass you go out of, you may see boats from Pensacola to Grande Isle all of whom probably traveled twice as far to get where you are fishing.
South of Venice, and inaccessible on a day trip to any other port in the Gulf, are about two dozen deep water production and exploration rigs set in 3000 feet to 7000 feet of water.
Ok, so enough about the fishing, let’s talk about the resorts and beaches and clubs and the… oh wait a minute, that’s the best thing about Venice. There is pretty much nothing down here.
Other than the occasional tourist that wanders the 60 miles south from New Orleans, people only come to Venice to work for the oil industry or to fish. We will never be overrun like many other great fishing destinations have been. Don’t get me wrong, there are some nice lodges and good restaurants and Venice Marina is well equipped but no Ritz Carltons or high rise condos will never block my view of the shrimp dock.
Venice might be the “End of the World” but if you’re a fisherman, it’s the launching point to some of the best fishing grounds on the planet.
Capt. Peace Marvel
504-858-8862
captainpeace@aol.com
Venice, LA