Hello from sunny (but frigid) Venice, Louisiana! This is my first report, and I promise to keep readers up to date with offshore as well as inshore, and saltwater fly fishing reports from our area.
As is usual this time of year, the offshore fishing has been red hot, with hoardes of yellowfin tuna ranging from the 40-pound range to more than 200-pounds hitting the docks. Capt. Hunter Caballero had a great day last Friday when summer returned, even if just for the day. Sea conditions were 2 feet, when anglers Jeff Caldwell of Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, Capt. Boola and I hit the Lump aboard the 32-Twin Vee "Tail Whipped". After deploying chopped pogies, swarming bonita were quick to appear in the slick, and we made quick work putting five of them in the boat for chum. Although Capt. Boola grew up in the Venice area, where he guides redfish and speckled trout charters, surprisingly he had never landed a tuna. That would change today I promised!
It didn't take long for tuna to show on the sounder, and we deployed two drift lines with chunks of bonita. It took less than three mintes for the line to rip from the spool as Boola jumped on the rod. The look on his face was priceless, and like most "tuna virgins" he expended most of his energy on the front end instead of pacing himself.
His first yellowfin weighed about 40-pounds, followed by an 80-pounder and then a 130-pound brute that gave him the fight of his life. We also landed a 150-pound mako, which hung around the boat for 5 minutes, giving Capt. Hunter plenty of time to rig up with wire. Considered the "prize of the Lump" for their leaps, fighting ability as well as the fact they are great eating, this was a welcome catch for this crew.
Jeff added another hundred pounder, and Boola and I doubled up for two more triple digit fish, before calling it an early day with a full fish box. We pulled the hook and made a few wraps around the Lump, weaving around 56 boats that were on anchor that day. On our way back to the pass, we tried a couple more rigs, but picked up no wahoo.
If you haven't fished Venice, LA. before, you owe it to yourself to check out this world class destination. Often referred to as "Tuna Town U.S.A.", Venice offers everything from endless bluewater species year-round to skinny water redfish on fly.
Tight Lines!
Susan Gros
