[Derek]

That’s actually a genius idea… carbon fiber can stay with the financially obligated. I might be hunting down a bamboo pole soon before I end up donating another paycheck.

[Derek]

First off — apologies for the late drop on this report. Between storms trying to drown us, camp gear getting soaked, and the Coast Guard pulling surprise inspections mid-supply run, life’s been a little busy since Venice. Add in drying out kids, gear, and my pride, and it took me longer than expected to sit down and write this up.

Thanks for the patience — here’s my full debrief of our Venice Fish and Camp trip, Aug 23–24.

Venice Madness – Aug 23–24, 2025

Launch: Cypress Cove Marina, Venice

Crew: Supposed to be 11 people, 3 boats. Reality check: storms rolled in and most of the “troops” tapped out. Ended up being me + 2 sons (split between boats) + 2 buddies. Three boats, five brave souls, and zero common sense.

The Original Plan:

Day 1: Trout at salinity edges (sunrise), reds on rocks/cuts/flats (midday), evening recon at Old Rig-1.

Day 2: Trout loop again at first light, then reds at choke points/jetties, wrap up with marsh flats rally.

Contingencies for dirty water, storms, and bad bait signs were noted. (Spoiler: Mother Nature didn’t read them.)

<b class=””>The “What Had Happened Was” Plan:

We launched at 2 a.m. headed for the camp site like a convoy headed to war. After dropping off gear and “setting up” camp, all three boats hit the water headed to planned spot número uno. Shrimp boats lit the horizon, water was glass, and birds were diving. It felt like we were about to crush limits.

Then reality hit. A storm appeared out of nowhere. Glass water turned into 3-footers, and a wall of rain rolled at us like God had hit “reset.” We scrambled into rain gear. My oldest? He left his back at camp. His solution: curl into the fetal position behind the console while I plowed through sideways rain at 20 mph getting sandblasted in the face.

At the South Pass rocks we lined up, trying to fish. Cue the lightning. Zeus himself was practicing fastballs overhead. We caught nothing but Spanish macks, ladyfish, and the true plague of Venice — gafftop.

Plan B: Reds…..

Bayou drain: Keeper reds on the slower-current side. Pattern found.

Tidal Point-2: Looked perfect. Reality = more gafftop.

Cockler Point: Jackpot — 34” bull red on a popping cork + Vudu shrimp. Then? More gafftop. At one point my son was peeing off the back of the boat, and I honestly thought a gafftop might inhale him too.

Joseph Bayou: Side scan lit up a 16’ hole. Jackpot? Nope. White trout. We caught 20+ in minutes, but when we finally weeded through them, guess who showed up again? Gafftop.

Storms kept circling, so we retreated to camp. That’s when the real disaster struck. Camp discipline failed. The boys were supposed to secure tents — instead, they napped. A storm rolled through while we were out that morning and soaked everything: clothes, food, sleeping bags, electronics. Everything but my bag. I expressed my “unconditional love” in a way only a dad at the end of his rope can.

Buddy and I ran 19 miles back to Venice for supplies. Got boarded by the Coast Guard mid-run. Normally my boat is squared away. This time? Fire extinguisher missing. I braced for a ticket, but the Coasties were cool, told me to fix it, and let me go. Shoutout to those guys.

Later found out where my fire extinguisher was. Lets just say my 10 year old son understands the acronym P.A.S.S.

Afternoon Bite:

We regrouped and stayed close. Loomis Pass channels saved the day:

• Rats stacked on grass points.

• Slot reds cruising pond drains.

We drifted drains, boxed 4 slot reds, and stacked rats with a few lurking bulls. Campfire-seared redfish filets put morale back on track.

Day 2 – Sunday: Redemption by Green Hornet

Back to the South Pass rocks. Wind blowing, clouds overhead, no rain. First couple stops = nothing but giant ladyfish.

Then we hit the small cut at the north end of the west jetty. My younger son switched up to a 4’ leader and a Green Hornet Matrix Shad with chartreuse dip. I wasn’t convinced… until he smoked me. Four trout in 5 minutes — two keepers, two too big.

I swallowed my pride, copied his setup, and wham — fish on first cast. Turns out trout were staged on a 6’ flat next to a carved-out channel. Between popping corks and jigs, we went to work:

• 13 keeper specks
• Several oversized trout released
• 7 slot reds mixed in
• Plenty of throwbacks and trash fish.

By noon, storms started building offshore again. We played it smart, broke down camp, and ran back to Cypress Cove before Mother Nature got the last laugh.

Final Tally

Day 1: 1 bull red , 4 slot reds, countless rats, 20+ white trout released, an ocean of gafftop, and a bruised ego.

Day 2: 13 keeper specks, 7 slot reds, overs/unders tossed back, plus one very smug son who out fished me.

Takeaways

• Venice weather can turn on you faster than a teenage daughter.
• Forget your rain gear? Enjoy life curled up like a wet cat behind the console.
• When the specks ghost you, redfish save the trip.
• White trout are fun… until gafftop crash the party.
• Secure your camp. Otherwise, you’ll sleep in wet socks.
• Green Hornet + chartreuse tail = MVP.

Overall: Saturday was survival mode. Sunday redeemed it with a fat box of trout and reds. We left wet, sore, and sunburned, but no fish left behind.

[Derek]

I put together some aerial shots from GED to go along with the fishing plan. First one is a big overview of the Pass A Loutre area, then I broke it down into Quadrants 1-6 so the waypoints are easier to see.

This should help tie everything together, as the quadrants show the finer details for each area. Figured it’d be easier to follow along than just staring at coordinates on a page.

Hopefully this makes the plan more understandable so I can get the very best criticism from you guys.

Honestly though, I definitely appreciate you all looking this over and giving feedback. I’ve fished Venice very little and have only stuck to the beaten path when I did, so any help is greatly appreciated as I’d love nothing more than to turn this trip into one for the books.

Thanks and Tight Lines,

Derek

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 6 days ago by  Derek. Reason: Technical (User) Issues

Mission-Plan-Pass-A-Loutre-–-Arial-View.pdf 7 MB PDF - Click to view

Options

• Copy Download Link

[Derek]

I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure Skynet tried to infiltrate LAFB Elite through my last two attempted posts. Either that or the special characters I used tripped some kind of cybernetic meltdown, Regardless, one hell of a scary near miss. In light of the digital apocalypse I unleashed twice and dared to call a “plan,” I’ve regrouped and put everything together in a PDF. Hopefully this one is actually readable and maybe even helpful.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 6 days ago by  Derek. Reason: Technical Issues

Mission-Plan-Pass-A-Loutre-–-Aug-23–24-2025.pdf 58 KB PDF - Click to view

Options

• Copy Download Link

[Derek]

Didn’t F-up….. but I’ll admit I came close a couple times 😅. Those tracks were clutch, especially running through unfamiliar waters in the dark. Big thanks for sharing, they most definitely kept our whole party out of trouble.

[Derek]

🤣 Haha man, at one point I thought I was dead too!!! Military training or pure stubbornness, either way I wasn’t letting the fish win…

The Green Hornet is a killer, I typically have one tied on. It’s my comfort bait lol. And hey, I might take you up on the trip invite…. a roof and bed sound a whole lot better than waking up in a puddle.

[Derek]

Thanks a ton, Boyce!

I appreciate the warm welcome. Between the rain, wind, lightening, and the boat smelling like a wet dog, I wasn’t sure if it was a fishing trip or I had been reclassed through SERE School. Glad it made for a good first report though – can’t wait to swap more war stories with y’all.

[Derek]

That’s beautiful man.

[Derek]

You’re the man sir. Do expect a detailed report come Monday along with pictures.

I appreciate everything this community has to offer.

[Derek]

Boyce, brave or dumb is still up for debate, but we’ll find out soon enough. I’ll report back with the good, the bad, and probably a few laughs, whether it’s a cooler full of trout or just a new record for mosquito bites.

[Derek]

Devin, appreciate the intel and gear suggestions. When you mentioned a weedwhacker and a gat in the same loadout, I knew I’d made the right choice in doing this.

I’ve spun this up into a full-blown mission plan with tides, waypoints, contingencies, and even google earth quadrants for potential air support if things go sideways. Pretty sure I’ve put more effort into this than some field problems back in the day.

Luckily I won’t be rolling solo. Three buddies are supposed to be coming out too, each with there own boat. That makes it more of a squad-sized push than me trying to shove six kids, tents, and coolers into one 22′. We’ll spread the gear and the risk, assuming none of them pull a last minute “Blue Falcon” maneuver. Garmin InReach is enroute from the Zon and should be in hand by Wednesday. Primary and alternate routes mapped, pretty much expecting the river to throw a curveball.

As for KML files, I’ll gladly take anything the crew here is willing to share. Knowledge is as much a weapon as a jighead out there.

At the end of the day, we’ll either roll back in looking like heroes with coolers full of fish, or I’ll have a fresh after action report titled: “How NOT to Camp and Fish Pass A Loutre With Four Boats and a Small Army.”

Thanks for everything Sir,

Derek