VENICE FISHING LODGE
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Welcome to the Venice Fishing Lodge Fishing report. The best and most current report for Plaquemines Parish and the Venice area. The Venice Fishing Report is updated regularly by the charter captains at Venice Fishing Lodge.
VENICE FISHING LODGE
CAPTAIN BILLY NICHOLAS
VENICE FISHING LODGE
CAPTAIN BILLY NICHOLAS
Fishing Report
It’s been an unusual winter to say the least as far as the
weather goes, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting the fishing. Redfish down
river on the east side have been plentiful with limits coming in usually less
than an hour. The keeper sized fish are mixed in with some really big Bull Reds
up to 40 pounds.
Trout fishing is getting better every day and the males are
starting to move onto the beds. What that means is the big females will be
showing up over the next few weeks.
We’ve discovered a new line of baits that haven’t been used
before in our area and the fish absolutely are crushing it. TTF’s Killer Flats
Minnow in “Mumpy Glo” and “Morning Glory” are two of my favorites. Captain Alan
won’t leave the dock without the Texas Trout Killer II in “Bug Juice”. Give
these baits a try and be looking for the new Purple Rain color that should be
out soon.
Tight Lines, Captain Billy Nicholas
Billy@Venicefishinglodge.net ~ 504-657-5937
After an unusual rise in the river this fall it’s now back to a normal winter time level and the fishing has really picked up. Trout are in the areas around Buras and Empire and Redfish anywhere you find clean water. Down river on the east side is where we’re spending most of our time catching redfish. Black, blue and purple with a chartreuse tail seem to be what turns them on right now, rigged on a ¼ oz jig head then slow role it. Fish seem to prefer it this way as opposed to bouncing it off the bottom.
White or Glow with a chartreuse tail seems to be the colors the trout like best. Fish them under a popping cork around structure and shell.
Hot Spot: Shoreline
between Pass a Loutre and
Tight Lines,
Capt. Billy Nicholas
Fishing Report September
29, 2009
Unreal….. The fishing is absolutely
unreal. The Redfish are everywhere, trout are on every point outside of the
passes, Jacks, Bass, Triple Tail, Sheep head, whatever you want to catch you can
find it…. IT’S ON.
Just outside of
The storm minnows on the southeast side
of the river have the trout going nuts. Work your way from point to point until
you see the storm minnows “showering” the water. Make you cast to the edges of
the bait pods and you’ll have a box of trout before you know it.
VFL only has a few days left open in
October so give me a call and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
Tight Lines, Capt. Billy Nicholas
(504)657-5937
Billy@venicefishinglodge.net
Fishing Report September 17, 2009
The heat of summer appears to be leaving us and fall temperatures seem to be upon us. Clear water in the marsh and the redfish are everywhere…you can’t get here fast enough. The fishing has been unreal and were not having to run far to catch em’. The wagon wheel, Yankee pond, riverside and any other predominantly freshwater ponds have Redfish as well as the area around Sandy Pt. and Double Bayou. With the water being high, don’t look for the fish to be along the cane, concentrate on sand points and bars to locate your fish. Spinner baits have been the bait of choice lately. Captain Chris is throwing a Terminator inline spinner and Captain Shane a Triple Play both rigged with a red / gold flake paddle tail.
Action offshore has been good as well, but not as good as it’s going to be. Tuna will begin falling in behind the shrimp boats in October and the fishing is second to none. 150 pounders is what you’ve got to look forward to, catch em’ till you give up. Unfortunately there are very few charter boats that still have availability so if you want to book a trip you better hurry.
As for as Venice Fishing Lodge, we still have a few week day trips and the weekend of October 24th available. If you can get down in the next two weeks we have a weekday special thru the end of the month. Go to the home page to see the special.
Also anyone wanting to get their captains license, VFL is holding an OUPV course at the lodge November 1st thru 8th, details on the home page also.
For those of you wanting to get that last fishing trip in before hunting season starts, you need to hurry and book, only 6 weeks left. Give us a call and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
Tight Lines, Captain Billy Nicholas
504-657-5937
Fishing Report August 28,
2009
The heat is on and so is the site
fishing. The river is clearing up and the water in the marsh is too. Grass is
filtering the water and redfish are starting to float. All that makes for a
great site fishing trip. >From Port Sulphur to
Trout fishing has been fair at best.
We're fishing deep structure, gas wells, rigs and rocks mostly. Not large
numbers, but some good size fish in the 3 to 5 pound range. Fish a new penny
Gulp shrimp under a popping cork 3 to 4 foot deep. As fall gets closer, the
trout bite will get better and mid September thru November should be great.
Redfish and flounder are showing up on
the sand bars in the passes as the river continues to stay low and the salinity
levels increase up river. Fish the short grass away from the Cain. Flounder want
it slow so if that’s what you are fishing for, that’s what you'll need to do.
Look for the redfish numbers to increase in the passes as we get into September.
Tight Lines, Capt. Billy Nicholas
(504)657-5937
Billy@venicefishinglodge.net
Fishing Report June 26,
2009
With the river dropping from 16 plus feet
earlier this month to down around 10, the water down south is absolutely
beautiful. Redfish and trout are along the beach front from Southwest pass to
Main pass. The red’s are mainly in the surf between the sand bars and trout out
off the shoreline along broken cane stubble. Pretty much anything you want to
throw at them they’ll eat, but we seem to get a few more bites on darker colored
plastics.
The areas around California Point are
also holding good numbers of fish. Finding drop offs with moving water is the
key to finding trout. Do your Red fishing along the grass shorelines during
slack tide, and then move back to your trout hole when the water starts moving
again.
Sight fishing in the marsh north of the
wagon wheel and Yankee pond has also been good. Grass is growing in all the
usual areas and is filtering the water as it drops out of the marsh ponds. Fish
on a falling tide around the drains from shallow ponds.
If you’re wanting to sight fish, you need
to start thinking about booking your trip. The river will continue to fall and
will be clean in a couple of weeks. Look forward to fishing with you!!
Tight Lines, Capt. Billy Nicholas
(504)657-5937
Billy@venicefishinglodge.net
Fishing Report May 8, 2009
After a month of the wind blowing 20 mph one day, calm the next and then blowing again, we’re finally getting some consistent weather. With that we have been able to get out and fish the underwater islands along the east side. These high spots in the surf used to be land and were eroded away by past storms. A lot of these areas will show on your gps as land especially if your maps are pre Katrina. The trout we are catching in these areas are in the 3 to 5 pound range with an occasional 6 and 7 pounder.
Redfish are along the canes on the wind blown shore and along the points at the end of passes. Also look for them on sand bars extending out from islands out in open water.
Offshore fishing this week has been outstanding. The Black Fin Tuna bite is on with a Yellow Fin or two mixed in. Wahoo and Dorado are along the rips and Amber Jacks are around the rigs. If you hook up an AJ, you’ll need to pull him away from the rig before he breaks you off. If you want to get in on this bite, you need to do it in the next month as the Tuna will begin moving out as summer approaches.
Tight Lines, Captain Billy Nicholas
504-657-5937
Fishing Report March 23,2009
Better late than never…Yea, the trout have finally shown up down river. Good size and numbers are being caught in the ponds between pass-a-loutre and main pass. Fish on a Northwest, North or Northeast wind. If the wind has any south to it, it’ll blow it out; you need clean water to catch’em. The redfish are right there with the trout and the bigger trout are tight to the cane with the reds. School trout are off the bank out to 75 yards. Fish the banks that the wind is blowing in on. The wind pushes the bait against the shoreline and the fish follow. YUM samurai shad bounced off the bottom or under a cork, black and chartreuse, disco minnow or blackened disco minnow are our colors unless the water gets real clear.
Trout fishing around Empire has picked up as well. If your looking for a top water bite, that’s where I’d go. Fish over shell reefs or around structure and debris. Bone colored Top Dogs or Heddon white with a red head are what’s getting the bites. Be sure to have a soft plastic rigged and ready to throw. When a trout misses your top water, follow up with your samurai shad or a money minnow and more than likely the trout will take your bait. Now’s the time to fish Venice, it’s all coming together. Temperature is warming up, trout are showing up and ice chests are filling up. Give us a call and let’s go.
Captain Shane Cockerham
Venice Fishing Lodge
504-657-5937
Fishing Report March 12, 2009
With the river 5 foot lower than it was this time last year, finding clean water is a lot easier than past springs. The main river is still fairly muddy but the incoming tides don’t have to fight the 12-foot plus currents they were last year. This allows the clean gulf waters to push further into the marsh, and as we all know, find clean water and you’ll find fish. Concentrate especially where the water is mixing. (Dirty fresh water and clean saltwater) As you motor along, look at your prop wash and if you’re turning up clean water, I can almost guarantee fish. This is the pattern we’ve been on for the past few weeks and will continue thru the spring months so long as the river doesn’t rise above 12 foot or so.
Both sides of the rivers outer edges are holding huge numbers of redfish and a few scattered trout. On a trip this week with Capt. Shane, Capt. Alan and Jonathon, we caught over 75 redfish in about an hour and a half along with a 56-pound blue cat Capt. Shane caught on a samurai shad under a popping cork. There’s a picture on the photo page of Jonathan holding the fish back at the dock.
As for bait, Yum samurai shad, black and chartreuse or speckled grape and chartreuse, the key I believe to be the chartreuse tail. Bounce them along the bottom or fish them under a popping cork. Concentrate on the points and out away from them. Spinner baits are working fairly well even with the water be a little cold, use the same color plastics on your spinners.
If you want to see how to catch’em, Capt. Andy and Mark Davis shot an episode of Penn’s Big Water Adventures on an outside sand bar that airs Friday the 13th at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 1:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. If this show doesn’t get you fired up about coming to Venice, you might as well quit fishing. If it does, give us a call and we’ll get you set up.
Tight Lines, Captain Billy Nicholas
Venice Fishing Lodge
504-657-5937
Venice, Louisiana Fishing Report
February 27, 2009
The transition from hunting back to fishing is a double-edged sword, not happy about the end of the hunt, but can’t wait to get back on the water. All I can say is that it was worth the wait. Redfishing has been outstanding along the roseau cane on the outer edges of the marsh. We’re catching 30 to 50 per day from 18 to 45 inches, a lot of over sized but still able to scratch out a limit of keepers most days. The YUM samurai shad, black with a chartreuse tail is the bait of choice, bouncing it slow along the bottom seems to be the way they want it if the water is moving. During slack tide, fish it under a popping cork as the fish aren’t as actively feeding at this time.
Trout fishing has been a little slow down river, but the areas around Empire and Port Sulpher have been relatively productive. Throwing top waters over shell reefs or casting samurai shad around structure have been the most productive. Bombers new Walkie Talkie top waters, in the bone or school bus colors, are both working well. The hook placement on this new top water will increase your hookups by 50%. Black with a chartreuse tail or blackened disco minnow are the colors for your soft plastics.
With March historically being one of our big trout months, the river and weather conditions aren’t showing any sign of changing that. Be looking for those stringer limits of 3 to 5 pounders and the big sow trout to be showing up along the outer marsh any day. The redfish should stay put thru the end of April then begin moving into the marsh with the warmer and cleaner water.
Now is the time to start planning your spring fishing trips. As we all know, March and April are busy months at the boat ramp; spring break and warm weather get anglers fired up. Last years line may look good, but go ahead and respool, oil your reels, charge your batteries. Get everything in order before you arrive so you’re not disappointed and end up ruining an opportunity for a great weekend. Better yet, give us a call at Venice Fishing Lodge and will take care of everything for you.
Tight Lines, Captain Billy Nicholas
Venice Fishing Lodge
504-657-5937
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