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Red Storm
It is your classic good-news/bad-news tale. The good news is there are more red snapper around the oil rigs in the northern Gulf of Mexico today than ever before, and they are much bigger than they have ever been.[…]
Offshore Fishing
Cobia
Cobia thick around near-shore rigs
Steve Herbison and Eddie Permenter both know that Venice is a great jumping-off point for hot ling fishing action.[…]
News Breaker
Congressional bill would protect offshore structures for use as artificial reefs
Legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress that would prevent rigs and other Gulf of Mexico structures from being removed as ordered by the U.S. Department of Interior should be passed, the Coastal Conservation Association said today.[…]
News Breaker
Fishermen cited for red-snapper violations
Six men were cited for alleged offshore fishing violations including possessing red snapper out of season in two separate stops on Aug. 15-16, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported today (Aug. 25).[…]
Offshore Fishing
Circle hook magic
I remember the first circle hook that I ever saw, in the late-1960s. The angler who showed it to me called it a “tuna hook.” I picked it up, looked at it closely and then tried to hook myself with it. I couldn’t.[…]
News Breaker
LDWF kicks off yellowfin tuna tagging program
A tag-and-release yellowfin tournament based out of Venice Marina on Sept. 24 will kick off a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries initiative to encourage recreational anglers to tag and release yellowfin while helping provide scientific data so managers can better understand the species, the agency announced today (Aug. 4).[…]
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The Sucker Punch
Of the 14 snapper species in the Gulf of Mexico, the mangrove snapper has the reputation for being the wariest. Perhaps smartest is a better word.[…]
News Breaker
Morgan City man cited for red snapper violations
A Morgan City man was allegedly caught Saturday (July 16) in Terrebonne Parish with 26 red snapper over his limit, some of which were too small, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reported.[…]
Breaking News
Charter boat accident sends three to the hospital, U.S. Coast Guard says
The charter boat Looney Tuna took on water and capsized this morning (July 12) in Southwest Pass south of Venice in an accident that resulted in three people being medevaced by the U.S. Coast Guard, the agency reported.
The report of the incident was received by the Coast Guard about 8:50 a.m., and a Southwest Pass station pilot boat reportedly rescued the six passengers aboard the 36-foot boat, the Coast Guard reported.[…]
Offshore Fishing
The Scelfo Rig for Spanish mackerel
“They’re fun to catch, but it starts getting expensive if you don’t have the right rig to use,” says Marty Scelfo.[…]
News Breaker
2011 gag grouper season set
The 2011 recreational season for gag grouper will begin on Sept. 16, and will continue until Nov. 15 in state and federal waters, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced yesterday (June 27).[…]
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Mack Attack
A drip of sweat somehow traveled along the Neanderthalic eyebrow-hidden bumps of my forehead and passed down the lens of my cheater eyeglasses.[…]
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Chumming the Shallows
“It’s a bird!” gasped Eddie while pointing up. “No! It’s a plane! No! It’s a PIG!”[…]
News Breaker
23 billfish tagged, released in 39th New Orleans Invitational Billfish Tournament
The 39th New Orleans Invitational Billfish Tournament was held out of Venice last weekend (June 17-18), and a total of 23 billfish were caught, tagged and released by the 24 participating boat crews.
This tournament is regarded as the tournament that put Gulf of Mexico big-game fishing on the map and inspired the many offshore tournaments being held currently across the region.
The fleet found a beautiful rip-line about 54-miles southeast of South Pass and conditions that were conducive to great fishing.
[…]
News Breaker
The mangrove record that wasn’t
The 19+-pound snapper caught by a rig worker last week, thought to be a mangrove snapper, was actually a dog snapper.[…]
Offshore Fishing
Snapper season off to an incredible start
Snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico has been as good or better than many anglers can ever remember in the week that it’s been open. Crews are landing 10-man limits of snapper in as little as 25 minutes.
Capt. Joey Palmisano and his son Billy Joe with Cocodrie Fishing Charters have been getting it done like this every day since the opening of snapper season, and he believes the bite will stay this good the entire season.
“Snapper season opened on June 1s, and it’s really just been incredible,” Palmisano told me as we idled away from Trade Winds Marina in Cocodrie earlier this week. “We’ve been fishing every day, and we’re fishing the snapper on the top.[…]