Best Saltwater Fishing

One of the most commonly asked questions I receive is “where is the best saltwater fishing.” Without hesitation I say, Venice Louisiana. Located about 60 miles South of New Orleans is the most unique fertile saltwater fishery in our country. What makes this area so great for sport fishing is the Mississippi river. It is in Venice that the freshwater that flows from the Midwest heartland of America meets the saltwater in the Gulf of Mexico. The constant influx of fresh river water combined with deep saltwater only miles offshore make Venice unique.

Venice is not just a great place for saltwater anglers. Freshwater fishermen can experience some incredible bass fishing and catfishing too. With tidal movements, water levels change daily and bass that live in shallow marshes must relocate during low tides. When the tide is rapidly falling, bass tend to bunch up. It is not uncommon to catch 50 or more bass in one spot on a falling tide. Catfish are plentiful at virtually every fish cleaning station. Typically, these are blue catfish and channel catfish that are feeding on the remains of cleaned fish.

I have sent many saltwater Texas anglers to Southeast Louisiana and every one of them returned impressed. Even on a dead day, you can still catch fish there. Years ago we were fishing in late April videotaping an upcoming television show. Conditions were not good. The wind was 30 mph and had muddied most of the protected waters. My guide, Capt. Ron Price and I were determined to catch trout on topwater lures, even in these bad conditions. We fished hard for 8 hours and caught fish. But we didn’t catch the numbers of fish like normal. We would catch one here, two there and then move on. At the end of the day we counted 44 trout, 8 redfish and a flounder. Not bad for a day with terrible conditions. Daily bag limits in Louisiana are generous allowing anglers to keep 25 speckled trout (minimum size 12”) and 5 redfish between 16” and 27” in length.

I have fished dozens of times with Ron Price out of Venice. This trip was actually the toughest we have had together. Typically, it is much better than that. The only problem with Venice as far as anglers are concerned is the lack of good accommodations. Typically most motels are not in good shape and it is tough to find a vacancy. But Ron has recently built two log cabin lodges that will accommodate the traveling angler. Most of his Texas customers take their boats and hire Ron for the first day. They then learn how to navigate and where to fish. The remainder of the time they are on their own.

Fishing in Texas can get good at times. But it simply can’t compare with Southeast Louisiana. If anyone knows of a better place for saltwater fishing, please let me know. To contact Capt. Ron Price call (504) 416-6731.