John’s Thoughts on the Day: Venice is one of those legendary fishing destinations that you have seen time and time again on TV shows and in fishing magazines. If you are halfway serious fisherman then you know about Venice and all the legendary fishing that occurs down at the bottom of the Mississippi River.

Getting to Venice is almost an adventure in itself. As you drive down Route 23 with the massive levies on both sides of the road, you know you're not in a normal place. There is massive energy infrastructure with enormous plants and facilities on both sides of the road. As you drive south you also continually catch views of immense cargo ships cruising down the river. The levies range from 15 to 30 feet high, and it's impressive to see how much higher they are built as you drive down the highway.

Upon arriving in Venice, we went straight to the Venice Marina to scout the area and prepare for the next day. The weather was outstanding, so we grabbed a table on the balcony to have a spot of lunch. We were treated to the boats coming in from the morning trips. There were plenty of fish coming off the boats and the beehive of activity drove our spirits to new heights. As I texted back to family and friends I would sum up Venice this way, “the fishing is hot, the beer is cold and the music is country”! We had a nice lunch and a few beverages and then it was back to the lodge to check in and get settled.

The next morning, we went over to the guide’s facility (more about our guides later) to have a group breakfast buffet before we made the short drive back to the marina to meet our guide. Our guide was a lifelong resident of the area and knew every inch of the territory. After boarding we were soon speeding through the myriad dredged waterways and channels created by the ubiquitous energy facilities that scattered the area. My only regret was I didn't take video of us flying down these relatively narrow pathways while our guide confidently piloted us through this maze and out into open water where we could see The Gulf of America.

In no time we were on a fishing spot and getting coached on how to read the water where the bull reds roamed as well as how to use the cork rigs. Rock, our guide, was also casting, as much as to show us what to do as well as putting another lure in the water when suddenly a fish hit. He handed me the rod, which I eagerly took, and I was immediately jerked to the gunnel of the boat holding on for dear life. The equipment we were using was heavy duty spinning rigs and the drags were set on these reels so high that I could not pull out line with my bare hands no matter how hard I tried. The fish seemed unimpressed as it pulled off on one blistering run after another, making you wonder if you were going to be able to boat this fish at all. 10 to 15 minutes later, after multiple runs and circling the boat, we were eventually able to bring the fish to the boat. The fish was as beautiful as it was powerful. An incredible bull redfish who's been busy that morning feeding up for the winter. That's how it went, in the morning we would be working the popping corks and all of a sudden there would be this sound reminiscent of a bowling ball being dropped into the water and your line screaming out the rod bent over on itself as you fought these unbelievably powerful fish. My first fish was a 38-inch bull redfish, and despite all the fishing I've done in this world, I was struggling to even find a valid comparison to any other fish that could pack this much muscle in 38 inches. Mike had top fish of the day with two 40 inch beauties.

We fished through the morning while the wind steadily increased from the north. A harbinger of the Polar Vortex that would impact our Gulf fishing over the next two days. We moved to other locations, picked up a fish or two but the steadily increasing wind eventually blew us out. We moved again to find some of the locations in the lee of the weather, but to no avail. The fish count was 12 or so, equally divided between John and Mike.

We often talk about the fish, but on this trip I was as equally impacted by the wildlife, the birds, and the vastness of the delta. All in all it was one of the best trips I think I've been on and it is no wonder that most people who do this once always find a way to come back and do it again.

Our research on the local guides really paid off when we found Reel Tite Fishing Guide Service out of Venice. The guide was exceptional, and they run a very efficient operation providing services that include lodging and meals to make things a lot simpler and hold down costs. Several days before our arrival we received correspondence with the information we needed to get licensed and then checked in. We would recommend them without reservation.