Inshore Venice Fishing Charter Reports

One of the most often asked questions we get is “when is the best time to come fishing”. Often times we get this question after an incredible day of fishing, which is kind of a head scratcher. However, we have a reputation of exceeding expectations so it's no wonder some clients are always looking for the next step. Most of the time I answer that question with, “whenever it's best for you” or “whenever you have a day off work”. That seems like the easy way out on the question, but it's literally the truth.

Growing up I fished all over south Louisiana with my dad and grandpa. While many areas offer some excellent fishing opportunities, I chose Venice to be my base of operations. One of the main reasons was the consistent year round fishing available on the Mississippi River Delta. Redfish are available 365 days a year. Speckled Trout are almost the same, but there are times when they become scarce, mainly in harsh winter conditions. Redfish however seem to get excited about tough conditions sometimes and are our “go to” fish when the going gets tough. That's why I always say, the best time to fish is anytime you get here!

To be honest, there are obviously better times than others. For instance, if you want to catch and release monster bull reds, you need to think about coming in late August through October. If you want to catch a monster wall hanger Speckled Trout, then you might want to concentrate on April through June dates. These type of trips are very specialized for certain individuals.

If you follow our facebook feed with daily reports, you will notice that our team is very consistent year round. We produce limits and happy clients in every month of the year. This is one of the biggest reasons that Reel Shot Guide Service is so highly regarded.

With all that being said, the point of this article is to inform our clients of one of the most underrated times of the year to fish, early spring. For the purposes of this article early spring is defined as late February and March. Although this time is technically late winter, we tend to experience more of an early spring in extreme southeast Louisiana. As I'm writing this, in February, water temps are already touching the 70's some days, while air temps are often in the mid to upper 70's. Many places around the country are experiencing wintery conditions and we are wearing flip flops and catching fish!

While that sounds great, why is this such an underrated time to catch Speckled Trout and Redfish? I think the biggest reason is that many people associate fishing in the Louisiana inshore marsh with summer time. That mindset has many focused on those months to book their trips. Weather can be challenging at times during early spring, but the good weather days usually far outnumber the bad ones.

Rain is really the only deterrent in regards to weather. Clients who have fished other areas often worry about wind, but our charter fishing trips are seldom stopped due to wind. The lower delta is such a vast area with so many nooks and crannies to hide in, that we can ALWAYS find a good spot to get out of the wind and have a successful charter. In fact, a stiff wind can actually help us, as a good guide will know where the wind is pushing the cleaner more favorable water out of the flooded cane that the Venice inshore fisheries is so well known for.

Another factor in why early spring charter fishing trips can be so successful is simple biology. Fish are cold blooded creatures. As the water warms, their bloods warms and thus their metabolism increases. During the coldest conditions, the redfish and speckled trout do not require feeding as much as they can remain dormant instead of using up energy chasing prey. However, as the water temps begin to rise, they begin to “wake up” and must make up for lost time in replenishing their reserves they used up during the dormant period. This is especially true for Speckled Trout as they are spring-summer spawners and they have to build up for the rigors of breeding.

Now that we have discussed all these biological factors, here's the real world evidence. The single best month of fishing in my 19 year career doing guided charter fishing trips was MARCH. In March that year, I fished 24 charters and caught caught 2200 Speckled Trout and 24 limits of Redfish. Here is another example, the most watched video I've ever posted on the Reel Shot Guide Service facebook page was filmed in…..MARCH. On that day I recorded THOUSANDS of 27-34” redfish schooled on the surface in packs of 50-200 fish. We caught so many of these young bull reds that my guys took their hooks off and were just teasing them on the surface creating violent explosion after violent explosion! Now we can't guarantee that its always going to be like this, but during the early spring period we EXPECT to catch our limits of redfish every day and most days we release many more.

If you've been wondering about when to book your guided charter down in Venice, Louisiana, give March a strong look. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the fishing and the lack of other anglers on the water. It also gives you time to plan another fishing trip later in the year! It's not too hot, its' not too cold and the fish are active, what more could you ask for?