Venice, LA Fishing Offshore - B&I Services Trip
Catherine Brown and the crew from B&I Services had originally scheduled their trip back in March, but were unable to get out due to rough seas. I worked with her to find a date in June that would work for her and her associates, and kept them up-to-date on the sea conditions until their big day arrived.
At her request, I met them at the dock Sunday morning and joined them to serve as mate and photographer, or as Jane referred to me as "our personal cruise director." We headed out South Pass with Capt. Hunter Caballero on the 32-foot Twin Vee "Tail Whipped." Conditions were better than expected with overcast skies and light winds making it cool and pleasant.
After a couple of stops to catch a good supply of assorted live baits, we headed out to one of the floaters where the tuna have been hanging out lately.
There was hardly time to decide who would go first before the reel screamed, and Matt Schxnauder jumped on it and started cranking. His battle lasted about 25 minutes as the rest of the guests looked on and took note of his technique and the pain on his face.
His was the first yellowfin to hit the ice, but there would be more as each of the guests took turns running from side to side on the spacious Twin Vee grabbing whichever rod was nearest to them to do battle with a brute yellowfin or gorgeous acrobatic mahi-mahi.
As has been the case daily lately, there were plenty of big dolphin (mahi-mahi) to be had. On this day they were kind to us and let us get a few baits down to where the yellowfin tuna lurked.
Everyone got to fight a tuna with the exception of Catherine, who chose to stick with the biggest dolphin of the day as her claim to fame.
Around 2 p.m. with the fish box stuffed, we were idling around deciding what to do next when a 32-foot whale shark came up to the boat. Capt. Hunter cut the engines so as not to strike it with the props. All onboard peered over the side into the cobalt water and oohed and ahhed as the magnificient fish effortlessly glided beneath the surface. It eased around us, then dove under the boat, only to surface again, make a U-turn and raise it's mammoth head from the water right next to the bow. We got some great digital shots, which I have posted on my website photo gallery (www.reellouisianaadventures.com).
After the encounter with the whale shark, the crew agreed to end our day with the memories of the bountiful catch and beautiful spotted shark etched into our memory.
Jane, a newby to offshore fishing who caught her fist yellowfin was so excited.
"I want to plan another trip next Sunday!," she said.
The guests enjoyed a comfortable ride in on the E-Sea Rider bean bags under sunny skies and relived their exciting day.
We arrived back at Venice Marina at the same time as my other customers who were out with Capt. Chris Wilson and Capt. Bill Delabar. The fish carts were overflowing with dolphin and yellowfin tuna as we wheeled them over to take group photos at the dock.
Capt. Hunter cleaned the fish as the excited crew packed their ice chests with filets before heading back up the road.
If you are looking for a great way to entertain clients, bachelor party or company team building idea, you can't beat an offshore trip this time of year. You will get to spend 10-12 hours with your associates and go home with a box full of succulent tuna, which by the way, retails for $20 a pound in the markets.
Catherine said all her other employees want to know when they can go for a tem building trip. I'm sure she'll be calling to schedule another Reel Louisiana Adventure soon!
Give me a call to set your date. There are some good spots available in July and August, but they won't last long as phone has been ringing since posting all these great photos.
Don't be a cyber angler....get out from behind that desk, breathe some fresh salt air, test those biceps and make some memories to hang on that office wall!!
REEL LOUISIANA ADVENTURES ~ 504-329-7335 ~ SUSAN GROS
www.reellouisianaadventures.com
FISHING ADVENTURES WITH SOUTH LOUISIANA'S MOST PRODUCTIVE & PROFESSIONAL GUIDES
