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It’s Lump Time: Yellowfin Tuna and Wahoo Action in Venice!
Venice, Louisiana is known all over the world as the Yellowfin Tuna epicenter and is known for huge Yellowfins during February and March as we shift to fishing the legendary “Lump”! Champion Charters is knee-deep in the middle of this red-hot Yellowfin Tuna bite and huge Wahoo to boot!
Keep in mind that Champion Charters is in full compliance with CDC and State of Louisiana COVID guidelines. Our boats are continually cleaned and being offshore in the salt air is one of the best ways to AVOID infection. Fishing is great for your health and now is the best time to get out of the house!
The Venice hotels and restaurants are also open and have ready to welcome you back to the Yellowfin Tuna Capital of the world! Let’s get to the latest fishing report:
Giant Winter Yellowfin Tuna!
It’s time to head for the Lump and we’re hitting the Gulf of Mexico in our custom 36′ and 39′ Yellowfins with our livewells crammed with live mullet and pogies and our hatches packed with chunk baits to make sure that we cover all of our bases. Our clients have been relaxing in comfort and safety as we rip it out to the tuna grounds to stalk jumbo Yellowfins and Blackfins.
Once we arrive in the vicinity of the Lump, we’re being greeted by huge Yellowfin Tunas ranging in size from 100 lbs to 200 lbs! Book your trip NOW to get in on this incredible Tuna action!
Football Season is Still On
While fishing – and catching- big Yellowfins, our clients are blown away by the aggressiveness and size of the Blackfin Tunas that are mixed in with the jumbo Yellowfins! These “Footballs” don’t take a backseat to anything! They’re ranging in size from 25-35 lbs!
Monster Wahoos and Melting Drags!
The Winter Wahoo bite continues to be amazing and we expect this to continue into the Spring! We’re catching gigantic Wahoos that weigh between 30 and 100 lbs! These are record fish that we’re catching on the way to and from the tuna grounds. Unlike tunas, we’re targeting Wahoos on the troll using a various lures and ballyhoo combinations.
Swordfish During the Day
The Swordfish bite continues to be strong! We continue to put our clients on Swordfish in the 150 lb to 300 lb range during our daytiming trips as well as our specialty overnight trips. When you book your trip, let us know if you want to book the Tuna/Swordfish combination trip, where we target Yellowfins on the way out and target Swordfish once we’ve boated our limit of tunas. That’s what’s great about operating our 36′ and 39′ Yellowfins: We have the speed and range to tap BOTH fisheries…and more!
Legendary Bucket List Overnight Trips
Our Overnight Trips, which leave the dock at Noon and return at Noon the following day are action-packed trips! More Yellowfins, Blackfins, Wahoo and Swordfish than you can shake a stick at!
Our Overnight Trips are worthy of your Bucket List. Call us NOW to book your Venice Overnight Trip to experience the angling experience of a lifetime!
Book your Snapper Fishing Charter NOW
The world famous Venice, Louisiana Red Snapper Season opens on June 1st and everyone is preparing to catch their share of Red Gold! We at Champion Charters will be pre-fishing certain areas in advance of the Season to nail down where the Red Snapper are holding up so that our clients can catch their limit of huge Red Snapper. This is one of our most in-demand charter trips and our calendar fills up fast! Give us a call to book your Red Snapper experience!
Tight Lines
Captain Chandler
The Biggest Tuna’s of the Year!
I just love our Fall Fishing Season here in Venice, Louisiana. It means, cool temperatures and more importantly…BIG TUNA!
Our clients always ask, “When is the best time to catch Tuna pushing 200 pounds”. Well, the time is now and here.
Utilizing the best electronics in the industry aboard our large center console fishing boats, we are able to put you on the fish fast and consistently. This time of year, we are beefing up the tackle to ensure when you hook into that trophy tuna, she is yours! We are also prepared for bi-catch such as Mahi, Wahoo, Blue Marlin and more!
As a premier Venice Louisiana Fishing Charter, we strive daily to exceed the expectations of our clients. This is why we have heavily invested in the best gear, boats, crew and even lodging. Allow us to put together your entire trip and you’ll find that Venice is a unique fishing town that just spews sport fishing elite.
On our last several trips we have been watching as the fish blow up on live baits right behind the motors. Some of the biggest yellowfin tuna will get out of the water over six feet as they violently explode on the bait. Some of these fish will work our anglers for over an hour before they hit the deck. Are you ready for the challenge?
Our boats fish up to six people comfortably and we have several dates still available in November/December. We clean all your fish post trip and send you packing with the freshest tuna in the world! A truly all-inclusive fishing charter in Venice.
Amongst all the big tuna, we will have Blue Marlin. Commonly referred to as the “man in the blue suit”, there is nothing like taking a break from catching trophy tuna to seeing a one of the greatest billfish dance before your eyes.
As we get closer to late December and January, you will have opportunities at Wahoo as well. That’s the beauty of Venice. All our species are big and the fishing is never dull.
That’s the fishing forecast for the next two months. We are fishing everyday and at many times running doubles. Sonny is in the office and booking all our trips. Give him a call and get on the calendar. I look forward to showing you just how beautiful and amazing the fishing is here in Venice, Louisiana.
Tight Lines,
Captain Chandler
The Yellowfins are Marching into Venice for Spring
The Venice fishery continues to live up to its legendary reputation and Champion Charters is here to put our anglers on the bite! The Yellowfin Tuna made an early appearance and they are here to stay through the Spring conditions. We’re also getting into some amazing Wahoo action on our way out to the Yellowfin grounds. Let’s get into our latest fishing report.
Getting Out Front to Tangle with Tunas
We’re hitting the Gulf of Mexico in our custom 36′ and 39′ Yellowfins with our
livewells crammed with live mullet and hardtails. Our clients have been
relaxing in comfort and safety as we rip it out to the tuna grounds to find the
tunas.
Once we arrive at the target zone and get our baits in the water, we’re being greeted by huge Yellowfin Tunas ranging in size from 40 lbs to 80 lbs and larger! Book your trip NOW to get in on this incredible Tuna action!
Black Goes with Yellow
While catching these huge Yellowfins, our clients are also getting tight on some large Blackfin Tunas too. These tackle-busting Blackfins are mixed in with the Yellowfin schools and are in the 30 lb to 40 lb range!
Wahoos On the Way to the Grounds
As we make our way to the Tuna grounds, we’re picking off 2 to 4 Wahoo each trip by trolling artificials over rips and color changes, as well as looking for bird activity. These Wahoos are in the 40-80 lb class and will absolutely melt our drags…and then melt in your mouth for dinner.
Ask About the Champion Charters Overnight Trip
We have been enjoying EPIC overnight charters with our anglers lately and you should get in on this bucket-list experience!
Our Overnight Trips, which leave the dock at Noon and return
at Noon the following day are action-packed trips! Our anglers are catching
huge Wahoo (from 30 lbs to 80 lbs) during the daylight hours on our way out to
the Tuna grounds by trolling various lures and lures rigged with dead baits.
We will fish our way offshore to the point that we can get set up for the dusk “witching hour” when Yellowfin Tuna, Bigeye Tuna and swarms of Blackfin Tuna launch into a feeding frenzy on schools of flying fish as we pitch live baits to them. After it gets dark, the action stays red-hot. We switch from live baits to “chunking” to keep the tunas around the boat and pitching jigs.
The springtime bite is only going to get better but you need to get out there with us soon as our March trips are nearly filled up and April is booking quickly too. Don’t forget to ask us about large parties! We can take up to 12 anglers! Give us a call to reserve your experience of a lifetime!
Tight Lines,
Captain Chandler
Venice Tuna Fishing is Heating up For the Summer
I can’t believe we are in June already and the fishing has been incredible. Not only are we covered up in nice tuna, but there are also a lot of Mahi and wahoo around.
While each day is different, the name of the game in the summer is to get on the fish early before it gets too hot. We are using live mullet mostly to entice big tuna.
The fish have been hanging around the oil rigs and often you can see them blowing up on top.
We have several dates available in July and our June is just about booked up. Give us a call to plan your destination fishing trip today.
Tight Lines,
Captain Chandler
The BIG Tuna Are Here!
January Through March is a great opportunity for our clients to get on some of the biggest fish of the year, however the big fish have really been here all year long. While the summer is known for small tuna around 50 to 80 pounds, we had many go over 100 pounds last summer. But here in the winter, the fish are pushing 200 pounds! Now is the time get in the books if you have some dates in mind. You can be sure you found the best captain and crew to make an adventure. Here are some pics from the recent trips:
Thankful for Butterballs in November
Throughout the past week, family and friends will gathered together on Thanksgiving to take stock of their blessings and to be thankful for so many things. We at Champion Charters would like to take a moment to express our thanks to YOU for the privilege to serve YOU. Without YOU, we would not be able to do what we love: Introduce YOU to the amazing, world-renowned Venice Fishery.
It may sound a bit cliché but we Americans are blessed to be living in the greatest, most generous nation in the world. We should be thankful for all of the sacrifices of those who came before us so that we may be free.
During November, we’ve also been blessed epic Yellowfin Tuna fishing! We’ve continued our October successes by “going the extra mile” to stay beyond the Venice fleet to take advantage of the amazing Yellowfin bite!
We’re hitting the Gulf of Mexico in our custom 36′ Yellowfin, powered by our triple 300 Yamahas, with our livewells crammed with live mullet and hardtails. Our clients have been relaxing in comfort and safety as we rip it out to the tuna grounds to find the tunas.
Once we arrive at the target zone and get our baits in the water, we’re being greeted by huge Yellowfin Tunas ranging in size from 100 to 150 pounds and larger!
We have been averaging 4 to 6 Yellowfins per trip! Why not more? Because a) we run out of fish box and cooler space for any more fish and b) our anglers have had their fill of battling these giants!
Our by-catch is better than most angling excursions around the world as we encounter big Blue Marlin and Sharks.
As you can see, the Gulf is alive and the Fall Yellowfin Tuna action is red-hot for the Holidays. We still have a few dates available in December even though we’ll be out of town for a week for some much-needed R & R. Book your trip now so that you can put some sushi in your Christmas stockings. Give us a call to set up your trip. I look forward to hearing from you.
Tight Lines,
Captain Chandler
The Big Boys Are Back in Town!
As many of you know, my favorite time of year has arrived: Fall! The temperatures are starting to drop off, the days are getting shorter…and the Yellowfins are getting LONGER!
We have been running a little further out and getting away from the rest of the fleet but “going the extra mile” has been paying off with epic Yellowfin Tuna and Blackfin Tuna bites.
We’re hitting the ocean in our custom 36′ Yellowfin, our triple 300 Yamahas purring like a kitten, with our livewells “blacked out” with live mullet and with bycatch for chumming. Our clients have been relaxing in comfort and safety as we rip it out to the shrimping grounds to find the tunas.
Once we arrive at the target zone and get our baits in the water, we’re being greeted by huge Yellowfin Tunas ranging in size fro m80 to 200 pounds! As a matter of fact, I was able to “hand feed” a fish from the transom that would up weighing more than 200 pounds. What an amazing bite! Check out this monster of the deep:
As if the enormous Yellowfins weren’t enough to keep my clients busy (and well-fed), we are in the middle of an EPIC Blackfin Tuna bite right now. We’ve been catching 10 to 30 Blackfins each trip, with the fish averaging nearly 30 pounds! These bruising Blackfins have been screaming drags and leading to sore arms and backs. We’re catching so many that some of our clients are yelling “No mas!” like Roberto Duran!
For the angler who is fascinated with catching sharks, look no further. There are big sharks mixed in with the Tunas (sharks like sushi too) that will pull drag for as long as you care to fight them.
Simply put, the Gulf is alive and the bite has never been better. We still have a few dates available in October and slots are starting to fill up for November. For Thanksgiving this year, come join me to catch a Butterball to go along with your turkey. Give me a call to set up your trip. I look forward to hearing from you.
Tight Lines,
Captain Chandler
When is the best Time To Tuna Fish in Venice La.
I get asked this question just about daily. And in fact, the best time to go is when you can go.
We catch tuna all year long here in Venice. That is why we call it the “Tuna Capital of the World”. Most of our customers prefer the summer season. The seas are more likely to be calm and we have the opportunity of catching mahi, wahoo and snapper. Calmer conditions allow us to run faster and get to the grounds sooner as well. It is an ideal situation for most anglers. Just look at these recent photos:
But if you are solely interested in Tuna, there really is no better time than the present for you go fishing. Granted we get bigger fish in the winter, however an 80 pound summer tuna fish is no slouch! Plenty of meat for the coolers and a hell of a fight. In fact, sometimes even our 40 pound fish act like much bigger ones and put a hurting on our angler arms.
I recommend you don’t get so caught up in the whole “winter are bigger fish in Venice” thing. Because you have to worry about weather then and there are no guarantees in fishing.
So if you are looking to go Tuna fishing, I highly recommend you book as far in advance as you can. We do still have a few dates left here in June and some in July. Let’s get out there and get tight!
Tight Lines,
Captain Chandler
Spring Tuna Fishing in Venice LA Report
It’s now April and the bite is still wide open! We have been consistently been catching big wahoo and and huge yellowfin tuna. We are only running about 25 miles from the pass burning around 130 gallons. So get with us while we still have some dates open.
Last trip out we had Collin, Hunter, and Jake down to Venice from Texas to target Yellowfin Tuna and a Mako shark.
These guys were great and everyone had an awesome time. The tuna fishing here in Venice LA was phenomenal. The lump bite has really fired off and if you have been waiting to get in on the action now is the time.
We literally had fish under the boat all day! Big ones too!! Days like this are common for this time of year while fishing in and around Venice Louisiana, We took a gentleman’s limit and kept 6 but you could have caught all you wanted. When the fish we were catching were the size they were, 2 per person is really the best way to go.
Yellowfin tuna having about a 70 % yield it’s usually more meat than you know what to do with. Our fish we landed that day were from 70 to 171 lbs and they filled 3 huge ice chest.
I expect this bite to last in this area until late March as they will start moving to deeper water off the shelf after. This is also a great time to target Wahoo in Venice LA. Some days we pick up both when things play into our favor. We never got the MAKO they were after but everyone had a great time.
We still have plenty of dates available and want to get you and your group out there.
Wahoo Are Here and Big Tuna Still Plentiful!
We are fishing everyday, that is everyday mother nature allows us. We had a couple down days due to a front moving through, but rescheduled those trip and got out there. We had a couple days with bigger seas that we had to earn it, but the fishing was awesome.
As we get into spring, I expect the wahoo to stick around and I expect the mega big tuna to be an opportunity for the next 4 weeks or so. On any given trip we are hooking fish well over 100 pounds.
Here are some pictures from our recent trips:
