Venice Tuna fishing on fire?

Mako Sharks show up in Venice as normal?

So, the fishing has been hit and miss for several months in Venice. One day the Yellow Fin Tuna fishing is world class, literally we run out of fish box space and the customers say "No-Mas", let's go catch something else Captain.. Then like children on Christmas Eve all of us Charter Captains can't sleep that night anticipating the next day and sure enough the Grinch stole Christmas. Where did the Tuna go? What happened?

Well not this past week or let's just say we got two days back to back... On Friday and Saturday Captain Eddie VanGordon fished the Glacier Bay for www.CajunOdysea.com.

On Friday he had a group from Killer Bee Bait and on Saturday he had the Nguyen group from Houston, TX.

On Friday Captain "One-Eye-Ed" knew exactly where to get started on the Yellow Fin Tuna and boy he was right, they were there thick. The trick was using Frenzy fluorocarbon and hiding the 7/0 Frenzy Circle hook inside the chunks. But what most people do not know is **TIP** when you are chunking if you will add menhaden oil to your slick you will increase the activity of the fish. Whether you know it or not, whether you see them or not most times when you are chunking there are fish working in your slick. If you add an attractant it will get these fish excited and aggressive. Killer Bee Baits produces a variety of menhaden oil that is second to none and we always use this product. Check ‘em out!!! Killer Bee Bait Inc. produces and distributes frozen and shelf stable fish bait, chum, and oil products. The company's brands include Ribbon Fist, Killer Hoo's, Hookem, Moonshiner's, Chum, and Killer Bee's Menhaden Oil. The company is headquartered in Biloxi, Mississippi... OH, and one last **TIP** on chunking, make sure to add a variety of bait to increase the activity. I like to take a bag of squid, cut them up and toss them in a 5 gallon bucket with about 2inches of Killer Bee menhaden oil, I let them soak and as I'm chunking I toss some cut, soaked squid ! This really works well for me !! On Saturday the plan was the same the Nguyen group wanted fresh Sushi and Captain "One-Eye" new their address. OOOOOPPPPSSSS, where are the YellowFin? Another light switch day? After about 15 minutes on the spot, the deck hand for the day, Bryson Ball spotted a jumping Mako chasing an airborne King Mackerel. Then shortly after that Bryson spotted either the same Mako Shark or another one surfing in the face of a 4ft blue wave, this time the fish was closer and the crew got a GOOD look at the monster.

Being a seasoned Captain, "One-Eye-Ed" instructed a customer to get a King Mackerel out of the fish box and asked Bryson to cut this 3ft piece of bait in half. The Captian already had the "Mako-Rig" ready; all he had to do was add the bait. Captain "One-Eye" uses a Shimano 80 wide, on a Melton Tuna Lifter (CTL 5080WO-UB) spooled with Jerry Brown Hollow Core 130LB line then connected by Loop/Loop connection to a 20' wind on aircraft 700lb steel leader built by Jimmy Gilet @ Professional Sports in New Orleans and finally a hook the size you saw in "Jaws"... OK, so it's ready, the Mako rig is now baited and two huge sharks have been spotted in the first hour of fishing. The crew is having a blast jigging and catching Blackfin Tuna, King's and other time filler fish, while Bryson cuts and chum's his fish killing heart out.

The moment of truth: Bryson looks into a wave and the 800LB Mako is eating in the slick!! Bryson grabs the ready and most deadly Mako rig on the planet and tosses the 10lb bait to the fish, sure enough the fish breaks out of the wave and goes straight down for the sinking mackerel. Wholly, $H!T, is all the crew can say as they watch the beast eat the bait. At this point everyone realizes they have the fish or maybe this fish now has them? As Bryson watches with anticipation the line is zipping off the 80 wide in free spool, the fish stops and Bryson knows the time is coming, the fish it absolutely totally eating the bait, 700lb steel aircraft cable and all. Captain "One-Eye-Ed" gives the go ahead and Bryson locks her down. Eddie eased the throttles in gear and the line comes tight Bryson sets the hook and the fish goes airborne !! It's here and now, it's really happening. The fish jumps, and jumps and jumps to no avail on his part. At one point Bryson remembers saying "look at that fat belly, that fish has a gut as wide as a California Red Oak" he could see the sagging in the fish's Jaw and just new this was a true trophy. Now the jumps had turned into tail walks, this fish was screaming across the surface like a Blue Marlin. Now the beast is ripping line from the 80 wide like it's a Zebco 303... The charter crew suits up and the rod transfer is done. These guys are in good shape, they are great anglers but they are small guys, two of them hold the harness (that we have secured to a cleat) while one helps his buddy hold the rod. The fight was epic, the beautiful blue color of this apex predator is shiny, beautiful and the black eyes are most mysterious. This really is a dangerous fish. The battle raged on for over 2 hours. Bryson recalls "there were times we had the fish close to the surface and in sight but every time we thought the fish was beginning to tire, it would peel line again."

At this point the sea condition had picked up and a small craft advisory had been put into effect, there was a massive rain and cold front approaching and the winds were forecast to increase over 40knots. There were other charter boats fishing around the CajunOdysea team, but they were leaving one by one. Each Captain offered assistance and stayed in radio contact as long as possible with Captain "One-Eyed-Ed"... One by one they left and all alone in 4-6ft seas with increasing winds was this vessel, crew and this fish, each determined to wind the battle.

Finally, the moment of truth the big fish's dorsal fin was on the surface and the CajunOdysea team took this opportunity to ease beside the fish. "The fish was calm, not scared and continued to swim on the surface" remembers Bryson. Captain "One-Eye-Ed" eased the boat beside the fish; Bryson readied the Top Shot flying gaff that had been secured to the port cleat. It's now, the time is here? As Bryson recalls the thoughts in his head, he says to me, Michael "it's here all I've fished for and now it's here. This is the biggest fish I've ever seen alive!" as he goes on, "When I gaff this fish will it jump? Could it pull the cleat out or worse will it dig the corner of the boat into a wave face?" He clearly explains there was a calming voice in his head saying "Dear Lord, what is about to happen?" He does it- the gaff is sunk into the fish's gills and wholly hell breaks loose. The fish surges straight towards the depths and then WHAM the 20ft of ¾ inch rope slams taught, the cleat holds and Bryson recalls with clarity "the boat did in fact surge under, the "Y" on Yamaha went totally under water this fish has pulled the corner of the splash well into the sea." The Captain eases the Starboard engine in gear and the fish is caught and tangled like a spinning alligator in the rope "One-Eye-Ed" seizes the opportunity and continues to drag the fish backwards effectively drowning and killing the beast.

Un-able to load the fish into the boat with the weather quickly deteriorating the CajunOdysea team pulls the fish backwards onto the swim platform between the engines as far as it will go, then they tie it off with 4 ropes and bring the 26' Glacier Bay Catamaran to plane dragging the fish to Venice Marina.

Once at the Marina there is a crowd gathered and the fish quickly becomes the center of attention. Bill Butler, one of the owning brothers of Venice Marina has heard of the catch, he already has the scales and fork lift ready to get the fish up and weighed. Everyone works quickly and the final weight is 798LBS of pure Mako-Madness. The crew cleans the fish, baggies up the fillets and the jaws were removed from the head. This fish will feed many people and the memories of Saturday March 20, 2010 will remain etched in the minds of these fine anglers and crew for the rest of their lives.

For your offshore fishing adventure check out our team
www.CajunOdysea.com.

Best Fishes-
Captain Mike Gray

Offshore Charter References and Qualifications

Things to Check out When You Book a Tuna Fish Charter

Too many times choosing your Offshore Charter Service is like going to an employment interview, you ask a few questions, make small talk and basically try to "Size" up the Captain. If you like him and he is pleasant BOOM you are sold and he has a trip. Not long into your marriage you find out there were a TON of questions you should have known the answer to BEFORE you took the plunge.

So; to help maximize your day offshore I'm going to recommend some really intuitive ideas and peel the layers back so you can expose the Captain and/or the Charter Service.

Most Charters booked are quality and professional operations. When booking through the internet it is wise to ask some TOUGH Questions. Although there may be some references or testimonials on his site still ask the Captain to provide you with the last 3 client's name and contact information. This will give you a good idea of the last times your Captain has been on the water.

Check the Captain and his Charter service at places he would not expect

For instance, call the Marina he fishes out of and inquire about him there. Get a decision maker on the phone; ask for the owner or manager maybe the dock/harbor master. Ask them the same questions you have already asked the Captain when you spoke with him: Does he fish regularly? When was the last time they saw him out? Did the speaker see his catch? What's the word around the dock about his Charter operation?

Another place to call is lodging facilities if your Captain recommends lodging you can bet they know him and his service. They too see his customers and they know if he caught fish or not, they know if the customers are worn out and happy!!!!

And one final place you could check is local tackle shops, you can ask them what kind of gear your chosen Captain brings in for repair or if he has purchased his tackle there what kind did he buy. Generally speaking, ask if his tackle is top notch or sub par.

These are just ideas and will spark honesty from one source or another.

Look for a *Guarantee* and ask your Captain what is the policy for un-happy customers, ask him to provide his guarantee in writing before your trip.

Ask your Captain what's his typical day during the specific time of year you plan to book your trip and ask him what specie of fish he will target. Make sure he understands your wishes and desires. Ex. If you are a young gun and all you want to do is kill a TUNA make sure your captain is an expert at killing TUNA you don't want a Red Snapper minded Captain. On the other hand, if you only want to target reef specie fish like Amberjack, Red Snapper and Grouper, make certain your captain understands and doesn't haul you to the TUNA grounds, regardless.

Let's discuss some misconceptions, shall we?

Flashy and fast boats are only impressive to their owners. This DOES NOT mean that a Captain with a nice sled isn't a "natural born fish killer," I'm only saying web site photos of the boat need to be considered with a grain of salt.

Sponsorships DO NOT make your Captain a PRO by any means. Remember, these are all good, fine and dandy but what you really want is a Captain that will give you a pleasurable day offshore catching fish to make memories for a lifetime.

If there is a bad or poor report on a blog or website this does not dis-credit your chosen Captain. Quite often poor reports are simply a matter of miss-communication between the guests. There is always one person who arranges the trip and everyone else just pony's up their share. Sometimes they (the friends) don't know what they are signing up for.

AND FINALLY:

Make sure the Captain and operation you are considering are insured and be sure the Captain is properly licensed. Make sure your Captain is USCG licensed (Coast Guard) I highly recommend checking references and credentials.

To your day offshore-
Captain Mike Gray

Venice Wahoo bite is definitely world class.

There are many species of fish to catch in the fertile waters just offshore in Venice. In an effort to help each reader become a better fisherman, I'm going to be specific and target ONE species of fish.

*****WAHOO*****

Here we go!! Reels and equipment: I typically use Shimano 50 wides, YES smaller reels will work but NOTHING less than a 30 wide or I promise disappointment is coming your way. I like the larger equipment because I typically target Jumbo Yellow Fin Tuna and the occasional Mako on the same day. BUT for this blog we are speaking only of Wahoo. I spool my 50 wide Shimano with a Jerry Brown backing, then top shot with Yozuri HD Pink fluorocarbon of 80lb up to 130lb. By doing this you have plenty of backing and a line that will last many, many seasons. Also, once you learn to work with the Jerry Brown hollow core line, you can repair it, add to it and put loops as needed all at 100% line strength. I don't use snap swivels, personally I think they are too large. IF I USE a snap swivel, I will put it on the 130LB simply because of the knot size when tied to the steel leader.

Speaking of leader, I use 90lb or 110lb single strand piano wire (if you will).... I DO NOT USE the 7strand or multi strand. YES it is easier to work with initially but it cost you bites. HOW, the strands open and water goes through when trolling causing bubbles and a "Misty" look running through your leader. I use small barrel swivels, connected with a haywire then connected to the bait with a haywire twist.

Baits commonly used in Venice Louisiana are Mann's stretch 30's in Pink, Braid Maruder's in Mackerl and Blue's and Bomber CD 30's as well as Rapala Magnum X-Rap in Bonito pattern.

For the fisher person that is just starting make sure to get several kinds of diving baits in different colors and make sure you change the hooks and split rings immediately, DO NOT FISH the hooks and split rings that come factory on the bait. YES, you can pull Wahoo bombs or you can use downriggers, but for simple wahoo fishing I've explained bait choices, colors, rigging and tackle.

NOW let's talk where and when: Typical water depths in the 200ft range around rigs and don't forget to look on your sounder and pull contour lines. Fish will be in deeper water and a little shallower. Concentrate on the rigs, buoys and rip lines that are present close offshore during the winter. You should be NO FARTHER than 30ish miles from the pass but you will most likely have to go at least 12 to 18 depending on which pass you leave from..... So, if you bring your boat over from out of state and you are afraid to run 15 miles out of the pass before you begin fishing, you best pick another specie of fish, like trout or redfish...

As always I like to peel the layers of the onion back for you and expose the hidden and forbidden.

1. Murky water will be ok. Green is fine and Blue in not necessary.
2. Pull a ton of structure until you find the fish, don't be scared to hit 20 rigs in an attempt to locate them.
3. Change baits and speed until you key in on the fish, once you have their number work 'em over.
4. Set your reels with ALOT of drag, a hoo hits a bait and holds on to it then spits it if you don't have enough drag. You want the hoo to hit the bait and have a huge fu$kn surprise :)
5. Finally, check out the pictures on this blog and check out my site for videos of hoo rigs and Venice hoo lures.

Best Fishes-
Captain Mike Gray

When the reports first come that the Yellow-Fin Tuna have moved in behind the shrimp boats, run don't walk to Venice Louisiana...

Shrimp boat Tuna feed in a pecking order and swim in like size schools. I never leave fish to look for fish, what I'm saying is if you find the right boat with the JUMBOZ then you are set I've never caught a popcorn size Yellow behind a shrimp boat.

So, how do you do this, how do you find these magic boats with fish holding ability. OK, let's start with season, reason and then how to, shall we?

1^st season: If you read the blog you will see I spoke about fall fishing and the signs of migrating tuna just about 1 month ago. Fall is a time for Game Fish to fatten up for the winter. Shorter days and cooler water temperature spur the Yellow Fin into feeding mode.

2^nd reason: Shrimp boats offer easy meals and tons of food. By-Catch is discarded and HUGE Yellow Fin Tuna along with Black Fin, Bonito's and of course Sharks lurk in the prop wash waiting for this easy meal. Also, for some reason the larger shrimp boats move offshore in pursuit of their catch. I don't know anything about shrimping and I have no idea why these boats move offshore in the Fall, I have no idea why they are not out in this area all year, what I do know for certain is they are not in this area but once they move into this deeper water here come the TUNA.

3^rd How to: I'm going to be very specific, this is the behind the scenes, "Only known information by the Charter Captains". Are you familiar with Venice Louisiana? Do you fish Venice Louisiana? I'm sure this method works farter West into Texas and most likely towards the East through Mississippi and on into Florida, but for our conversation I'm talking **SPEFICIALLY** about Venice Louisiana.

Look for the boats in the 200ft. range of water depths you can concentrate in areas of blue or blue green water color. Once you spot a boat on the horizon continue to the boat and get you a bucket of chum ready. We use Porgies, Bonitos and any other chum we can get off the cleaning table. Cut this up into bite size pieces and pull right up behind the shrimper. Tip: put about 1/4 of a 5 gallon bucket full and throw this into the prop wash of the shrimper, you should see bonitos and possibly some black fin show up, this is a good sign and the beginning of the food chain, once they are there chum harder and faster working the fish into a frenzy, don't stop or you will loose them back to the shrimper and there you will be floating by yourself... Let's assume the black fin are there, increase the size of your chunks, earlier I told you to cut them small OK now throw larger bait and start catching some black fin, keep this going and keep a look out for the HUGE Yellows.

Let's talk about tackle for these fish. I like to use NOTHING less than a 50 Wide Shimano on a 50-80 Melton Tuna stick spooled with 130lb Hollow Core Jerry Brown and top shotted with 80lb Momoi and finally finished off with 100lb YoZuri HD Flourocarbon tied to a Mustad Demon of 9/0 or larger hook. I know that sounds technical and I mentioned some brand names. (Hello Sponsor?) DO NOT TAKE Shitty equipment or faulty knots into this situation. Don't cut corners on tackle and don't use old line or drags that have not been checked. If you are reading this and my other posts don't waste your time and go half cocked, you WILL be disappointed.

Last week I caught a 193lber check out the photo posted with this blog.

Good luck, Great fishing and Tight lines.

Captain Mike Gray

First let me be specific in this discussion. We are talking about Venice Louisiana, there is muddy river water on our run down river and back up. There are only LIMITED ways to keep bait alive in our marina AND there are no LIVE BAIT BOATS....What i'm saying is you MUST catch your bait daily, use it or loose it:)

Now with that understanding let's keep this discussion to Summer fishing, Venice is very seasonal and the "Live*Bait" discusssion could go on forever. There are several kinds of summer bait we use, Thread-fin Herring, Small Hardtails, Large Hardtails, Bar-Jacks, and ButterFish (that's what I was told they are)....As well sometimes we can catch Scads or Disco Minnows ? ? (don't know what they really are)....

First we start in the mornings by scanning the shallow water near the passes, if you choose Tiger pass, Southwest, South or other similar passes such as Flat-Boat or Baptise make sure you scan the area as you are heading to deeper water. Look for diving birds and busting King Mackerel. Spend some extra time "Tooling" around this area, if you pass the bait you have already limited your chance of success on YellowFin Tuna by one bait species. It is possible to find Threadfin Herring deeper and they do move up and down the coast line.

Second, stop at the close in rigs to pick up some hardtails, I will use two different sabiki's in order to catch different size biat. I use a really small sabiki, like a #4 and on my other bait rod I use a larger sabiki with a much stronger hook, maybe a #8.....Get as close to the rig as you feel comfortable and work as tight to the structure as possilbe. Don't pass up the single rigs, pipes or bouys, often these hold tons of bait and are void of the predators that steal your biat like sharks and barracuda.

Finally, hit the destination structure once you are on the Tuna ground, it is possible the exact bait the Tuna are feeding on can be caught right there where you are fishing. Don't bank on this and pass the bait early, it is likely you could regret this move.

Other areas to look for bait along your way out are grass lines or floating objects. If bait is spotted put a small sabiki on and catch a few more, at this time it is possible you will need to use a smaller weight.

Let's talk about the actual rig for catching bait: I use a spinning reel spooled with power pro of 20lb diameter and start with a 1oz pyramid sinker. If there is no current or if the bait is real shallow I change to a 5/8oz tear drop sinker. Remember to always use two different sabiki's and two different size weights, unless of course you are really catching them on one (1) specific set up.

I feel this worth mentoning, if the Threadfin herring are on top, similar to the way Mullett swim, don't throw a sabiki with a big weight, you will go through the school and fish beneath them. And as far as tips or hints here you go.

• Hint: Always use a de-hooker and never touch the biat THE WILL DIE.
• Hint: Do NOT allow your anglers to put their hands in the bait well or wash off in the bait well
• Hint: If the ThreadFin are on the top use a weighted popping cork where the weight would go. :)
• Hint: Try up-current and down current side of the rigs and try different depths

Good Bait Catching to 'ya,

Captain Mike Gray