Venice Redfish

About 90 miles away from New Orleans at the end of both Hwy 23 and pretty much the Mississippi River sits Venice, a town zero feet above sea level. Venice isn’t pretty, nor is it a tourist-focused exotic fly fishing destination. Those that have been before understand. It is hurricane-ravaged, marked by rusty industrial buildings, populated by oil workers and commercial anglers. Hard-scrabble, blue-collar, you get the idea. I like that.

To book a trip, please e-mail: fishalkeller@gmail.com

Now, don’t let me scare you from this place. As far as fishing goes, Venice redfish have has no equal. The giant redfish that live in these shallow marshes are the most aggressive feeders anywhere. This is where anglers from all over the world head to tangle with the largest redfish one can catch in the shallows. NOLA Guides fishes this area during the prime months, September through December. We highly recommend booking a year in advance for this location because of its very short season, limited to only about 120 days. This is when the water is the cleanest. Those huge bull reds are swimming on top, affording anglers the best sight fishing opportunities.

Accommodations

Cypress Cove Marina & Motel

(504) 534-7777

https://www.cypresscovevenice.com/lodge

Lighthouse Lodge & Motel

(504) 534-2522

https://lighthouselodgevenice.com/

Salt Grass Lodge

(228) 806-8306

https://www.saltgrassoutdoors.com/

Woodland Plantation

(504) 656-9990

https://www.woodlandplantation.com/

Little Fish Lodge

(406) 478-6753

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/26039525

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/26939285

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/26939646

Transportation

You will need transportation to the meeting location before and after your charter if you did not drive here or rent a car. Please let Capt. Al know so you can coordinate the times with our recommended driving service: Mike Favre @ 504-858-7533

 

Regional Map

Species

PRIMARY:REDFISH

Secondary:Black Drum / Sheepshead / Speckled Trout

Characteristics

Salt Water Flats Fishing

What to expect

Sight Fishing to redfish in 1-8′ of water

map-venice

 

What To Expect

Best Time of Year

September-December

Fish Size

Fish Range in the 15-40+ pounds

Flies

We fish weighted streamers and the occasional popper

All our skiffs are outfitted with casting platforms & poling platforms for fly fishing. We can also accommodate anglers with conventional gear requirements, as some of our associate guides have bay boats for trout fishing, etc.

Our service includes picking you up at your hotel in New Orleans. We stop for you to buy breakfast & lunch along the way, and we return you to your hotel after the day is over.

When fishing with a guide in Louisiana you must purchase a trip ticket that is good for 3 days. This is very easy – just call 888-765-2602.

Have a paper and pen ready along with a credit card and driver’s license. It will cost you about $8.00.

Chase the most aggressive redfish around, but book early the shortened season means trips fill up fast.

Start Your Adventure

testimonial-nick

“The fish were big, they were dumb, and Captain Al put me right on top of them. A great trip for a first time salt angler.”

nick hoover

We’ve caught record setters here

We don’t count the number of redfish caught, we count the pounds. It is very common to catch 15 to 20 redfish over 20 pounds on fly during the day in Venice. My personal best came from these waters in 2004, it weighed 44 pounds caught on a top water lure. The IGFA World Record in the women’s fly rod, 20lb class tippet, was caught on my skiff last year it officially weighed 33 pounds. Venice, by far, has the best fly fishing for giant redfish during these months than anywhere else in the world.