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Venice Revived!

Chris Woodward samples the contemporary bonanza of redfish and tuna offshore the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Offshore Day One: Mustad’s Jeff Pierce chums tuna behind a working shrimp trawler. All photos by Chris Woodward
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Pogies and fish scraps help tuna work up enough appetite for a hook bait.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Mustad’s Jeff Pierce hooked to a feisty blackfin tuna.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Blackfin tuna may not grow as big as their yellowfin cousins, but they fight well and eat well.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Clouds of tuna hang at mid-water depths.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Finally, a yellowfin breaks the surface after a long fight.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Mustad’s Jeff Pierce (left) and Capt. Kevin Beach celebrate their labor as another yellowfin comes aboard.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Almost spent from its deep, dogged fight, this tuna eyes the gaff.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

If your game is tuna, the place to fish right now is offshore Venice.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Shrimp boats again populate the commercial docks at Venice Marina.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Condos have sprung up all around Venice Marina and the boat ramp is nonstop.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

The Venice Marina main building, completely rebuilt after Katrina, houses a restaurant and store.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Inshore Day Two: Skeeter Boats’ Ken Ratley nets a redfish for Ben Jarrett.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Lush hyacinths and grasses offered the Venice redfish plenty of cover.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

The first of more than 30 redfish arrives for photos before release.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Spinner baits tipped with plastic cocahoe minnows just seemed to make the redfish mad!
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Skeeter’s Ben Jarrett admires one of several bull reds that came from the inshore marshes.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Where salt water mixes with fresh, even largemouth bass can thrive.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Nearshore Day Three: This sizeable cobia fell for a pink jig with a white curly tail.
Venice Revived!

Venice Revived!

Eddie Permenter shows off a 45-pound cobia caught in the choppy waters outside Red Pass.
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