Seeing red Venice

[capt hoop]

Got back in from Connecticut and went right out on the water. The first day One Eye Ed and I did a 2 boat trip for Super Strike and targeted tuna. It was hard getting bait. We went with 9 for our almost 45 minutes of cast netting. We had a targeted area but the other boat captain decided on a different area so we followed him seeing it was a 2 boat group. The farther out we go the bait is harder to keep alive. This was the case today. We only had 4 alive and they were quickly consumed by sharks and baracuda. We had no choice but to chunk and after 2 hours of that we came up empty handed. The only tuna caught were on live bait that day and that has been the case all week. We went in and found some red snapper but even those have been threatened by the many sharks around. We did manage to put a limit of nice size red snapper in the box and an amlaco jack.



The other boat had about 25 baits and managed to have some alive when he got out. The pogies or menhaden are found nearshore and the salinaty of the blue water stresses them to death. All the fish were put together when the other boat came in.



The next day I ran with Mike Jeffcoat and the storms were threatening early.



This controled the direction we went in and the tuna were not in our plans. Our target was red snapper only. We did get some bull reds in the mix and they went back after a photo moment.



We put some nice ones in the boat and once we got our limit we headed in as the seas built up around noon as promised.



It was a short trip but we got things done and the ride in was quite bumpy to say the least.



Yesterday I had a trip on my boat. I had Mike Jeffcoat as my deckhand. The customer does not like or care for tuna so we went nearshore. He had expressed intrest in getting a shark. This statement turns my stomach because when mentioned it usually jinxes me. We started out by hooking and loosing a cobia. Our second fish is a monster and it is giving us all the fight we want and more. We are fishing for red snapper with fairly light tackle but I had to get out the fighting belt for this one. After what seemed like forever and passing the rod off one time I see what we have.



This big dusky was hooked in the fin so that accounted for the difficult fight. The light tackle was no help but we did finaly get it in without breaking off. It was about 7 feet long.



We did get a lot of catching.





As we were moving from one place to another Mike sees a tripple tail under a small piece of wood floating. I turn around and we quickly add a tripple tail to our box. We ran around looking for cobia and mangrove snapper all over the west delta area with no sign of any life. I was forced to move back into deeper water looking for something else in the box.




Unfortunately the (******) sharks still gave us a problem all day long. Our last fish of the day was a 5 plus foot blacktip shark. After I released it and a storm right next to us we ended on that note.



A lot of action but a skinny board. Just a limit of snappers and 1 tripple tail. All the redfish went back as they were big and in federal waters. At least the snapper were good size.



While cast netting for bait this paddle catfish was caught. First one I ever saw.



Life is Good!
Fishing is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that.

CAPT HOOP -- OUR FREEDOM

[swamp snorkler]

Nice report.

You caught that paddlefish inshore? I've never seen one of those.

[latravcha]

We see then every now and then. They have an area off of Belle River that we see them rolling quite often.

[capt hoop]

It was caught off the dock at Venice Marina near the boat launch in a cast net.

[bjhooper82]

Great report and pics capt.

[I make oil]

Great reports as always Capt. Hoop. We get paddle fish all the time in the Bayou Teche where I live. Neat fish and they get pretty big. I always make the kids release them when they catch them on jug lines and trout lines. Sometimes in the evening they get in big schools and jump.