The Duckbusters best advice is; if it's your first time duck hunting in Venice you should make some trips with some who is experienced in hunting in Venice and NOT go it alone to start. Duck hunting in Venice is like no other place. The tides act like no other place, the current is like no other place, running the river to Pass A Loute is like no other place. But if you do go, the surface drive might help and hurt. If you lose water badly you're screwed because it's not a mud bottom...it's river silt and the surface drive will not perform out of the hole as you're expecting it to. Don't bring the dog. If you do get into a good amount of birds he will not be able to keep up. If you're downing multiple birds coupled with the drift away and current he won't keep up, there is a big tide and if it's falling while you're hunting depending on where you're hunting you might even lose your dog. Go with some else tom learn and you'll see. ARRIVE ALIVE!!!

Im not new to the area, I've been fishing there for 22 years, I know the pass and the area just never hunted in the ponds and yeah I know the tide is huge I was curious about the bottom and the surface drive boats performance, thanks for the info on the dog I will leave him home, is it easy to walk in the river silt or is it deep like marsh mud?

That silt has absolutely no hard bottom. If you try to walk through it, and make it out, you won't try again.

...we rabbit hunted Joseph Bayou years ago past the seaplane ramp...if anyone sees 3 or 4 pairs of cut boots still stick'n up 'da mud...they mine !!!...cheers

P/S...a long time ago they had a S/E experimental aircraft that had a structual failure that went down nose first at over 130 mph...the wings was torn off on impact and the body went down more than 20 feet into the silt...only thing that was showing was the tail section...that silt is like a sponge on water...

You can go either way Pirogues or duckboat.Delta refuge is Pirogues only.Duck boats are better in Pass aloutre because you will be competing with a lot of duck boats.The best hunting are on the duck potatoes flats ,those are fairly hard sand ,you will need 3-6 in. water to hunt them.Hunt on the raising tide.This weekend is 1.5 range with low tide in the morning.Some of the interior ponds have feed with a softer bottom.I would definitly bring a dog.Gators are not a problem in cold weather.Just keep the dog out of the bayous and deep canals.

I second his advice, great and accurate information. Bring the dog he'll be fine and will come in handy.

Hunted Venice for numerous years and the dog is fine. One problem is that you are normally pulling into the canes with your piroque and often you are still floating. You need to have a technique to get the dog in and out of your boat. Coming in, my lab would put his paws on the edge of the piroque then I would press firmly on the back of his neck with one arm and he would leverage himself into the pirogue with a little extra pulling in on my part. I would grab a clump of cane with my other arm (opposite the dog)to keep from tipping. Do yourself a favor and firmly tie the opposite end of the piroque to a clump of cane to keep it from rising up. The other problem is they have a tough time chasing cripples that get into the cane. The cane is too broken up and they can't make much progress. One more thing. ALWAYS bring a cup or cut milk jug for bailing water. Your lab carries a ton of water back into the boat. Good Luck.