Venice wahoo, tuna, tackle and Freeman

Yesterday was like Christmas morning all over again! UPS dropped four packages for me to find on my door step! Two boxes from Braid Products, One box from Frenzy Tackle and one box from Owner Hooks! I am still waiting for a shipment from Bomber and Ande but I have plenty of new toys to play with for now!

We are getting everything ready for the new year! I spoke with Billy

Freeman yesterday and he assured me that he will personally be in Venice on the 8th to deliver the new Freeman 33! He had it in the water yesterday and got her up to 64 mph – downstream, ha ha! (62 upstream)

Friends of mine have begun to catch nice wahoo! Its killing me because I do not have my boat yet but it will be here soon enough! I have at least one trip booked every week starting January 15th through the end of February so looks like I will have plenty of time to bond with the new boat! I was able to book the 5th of February tonight and that was the last Saturday that I had open to fish the Freeman for January and February! March is wide open as of now but not sure how long the Saturdays will hang around! Just because all of my Saturdays are taken up doesn’t mean that we are booked up by far! I think I only have about 17 trips booked in all! There are plenty of Fridays and Sundays open on my boat! Capt. Gray still has a few Saturdays open! If we can’t find a spot for you on one of our boats, we are friends with a lot of great captains in Venice, we will get you set up with one of them if that’s what it takes! Venice needs your business and you will be very happy with what you get when you fish here, especially this time of the year!

I am on the pro staff with Braid Products! You talk about a super company! Dennis Braid has built a business that knows exactly what the hardcore offshore fisherman needs because he is one! David Holmes is my rep for Braid, when I sent my order in for the year he told me that he had a few custom color marauders! He knows that Venice is an awesome place for monster wahoo and he wanted to know if we would be able to put these things to work! Let’s just say I have all nine of them! (Sorry Tommy) These baits are amazing when it comes to wahoo! The great part about them is they are rigged with dual swiveled single hooks! When a wahoo hits a marauder, they do not come off like a treble hook! Don’t get me wrong, some days I will catch all of my wahoo on a bomber or on a stretch but I always try the marauders! I lose less fish on J hooks! I find (this is just me) in clean water the Marauders work the best! In dirty water I may have to switch over to bombers or a stretch! Some days they will eat them all!! (At the same time)

When using wahoo baits that are rigged with treble hooks, I change out all of them out to Owner 4X 4/0 or 5/0 hooks! These hooks will hold up to the big wahoo that we catch in the winter! Most baits come rigged with decent hooks but these monsters will straighten them out like copper rigging wire!

It won’t be long before the tuna start to show up! Get all of your reels cleaned up and ready to go because I believe it’s going to be a great year! Bonita are everywhere and I think it’s just a matter of time before we start to catch tuna in good numbers!

Please visit our site to view pictures and videos from last winter! This will give you the best idea of what you can expect this time of the year! The weather conditions are not the best, it’s a little cool but oh man, the fishing is good! We want you on our new boat! Billy Freeman told me once you fish on a Freeman , you won’t fish anywhere else so we are doing the research to see if this is true! Ha ha! Hope you all had a good Christmas and we wish you a Happy New Year! Hope to see you on the water!

Capt. Josh Howard
225-572-7408
deepsouthcharters@cox.net
www.deepsouthcharters.com

Venice Winter Tuna and Wahoo

Are we different??



I get asked all of the time – what makes you different? What sets you apart from other companies? Well, good question! What does make Deep South Charters different than all of the other great offshore captains fishing in Venice Louisiana? I know most of the captains in Venice and let me tell you, they are damn good at what they do! I had to sit down and think a little. Are we different? Are we just another boat on the list? Here is what I came up with –



When you get on our boat to fish – it’s your boat! We will recommend what we think is your best shot for fish that time of year and we will be geared up to catch them but if you have something else in mind – that is fine too! You are paying so YOU ARE THE BOSS! If you want to ride around all day and catch baitfish then we will do our best to put you on the finest baitfish that you have ever seen! I am only making a point that we want to do what you want to do!



Capt. Gray and I fish hard, I mean real hard! We leave the dock every day with one thing on our minds – FISH!! We do not worry about what is the norm, what can we do to get by and get back to the dock early! Let me be the first to say – I love to get back to the dock early but that will only happen when we can not stuff one more fish into the fish box! Other captains will joke with us about how late we get back to the dock some days but you know what, I am proud to say that we give it our all everyday on the water! Does this mean that we catch more fish than every other boat every day? Hell No!! I wish that was how it worked but in offshore fishing, you can never be sure how a day will go! We have had days when nothing could go wrong – I have seen the days that Capt Gray and I hit the dock and our boats have twice the fish of any other boat that fished that day – and then on the other hand – we also fish those days where nothing seems to go right and no matter what we do, what bait we use, where we fish – nothing works! Those are the tough days! There is nothing I hate more than to pull back into that marina with a lite load of fish and watch the customer count out that money! Even though at the end of the day, I know that we have done everything that we can do to find fish, some days it just doesn’t happen and I know that the customer is paying me with his hard earned money! Those days are hard for me! Back to what makes us different – On those hard days I want to be able to hear the customer say – It was a tough day on the water but we sure had a hell of a good time! That’s what it is about for me! I want you to have fun!! Sure – I want you to catch fish, plenty of fish but I want you to have fun! Most days we are on the water anywhere from 12-16 hours and that is a long time to be on a boat not having fun! Music always helps turn a trip into a party so our boats have a rocking stereo system! We have Satellite radio on both boats and we know how to use them!!






Offshore fishing in Venice Louisiana



Fishing Venice is a treat in itself! Customers tell me all of the time – you guys don’t know how lucky you are to fish out of Venice – They are right! We are lucky to be able to fish in an area that has some of the best offshore fishing in the world! Most people that live right here in Louisiana have no clue what is in their backyard! Tuna, marlin, dolphin, swordfish, jacks, grouper, wahoo, snapper, cobia, redfish, tarpon, trout – You name – We have it! Not only are these fish in Venice Louisiana, but they are plentiful and most important – THEY ARE BIG!! God has blessed Venice with awesome fishing and we want to share it with you!

Venice Winter Tuna and Wahoo

It has been a while since my last post about fishing! 2011 is right around the corner and we are fired up and ready to get back on the water!

Over the last six months or so we have worked to help clean up our gulf. We met many great people during that time! I was able to make friends with several members of the US Coast Guard and let me be the first to say – You Guys Rock! (AND GALS) The Coast Guard personnel were awesome and I would like to thank you for your service!

I am proud to announce that we have a brand new Freeman 33 custom catamaran that will be in Venice a few days before Christmas! You have no idea how excited I am!!! These boats are awesome, they have the speed, they have the looks and they are made to FISH! Top speed of 63 mph, can cruise at 45 mph in rough conditions! Billy Freeman has set me up with all of the bells and whistles! Did I mention that I am excited! Ha Ha!!

Over the summer we were able to get in a few dive and fishing trips. Aaron, Bobby, Capt. Gray, Bradley and I were able to see that the fish are still here and bait was very plentiful! On the rig dives, most of the rigs were full of life! There was one rig dive in the West Delta area that looked a little dead but I have never been diving on that rig before the oil spill so I can’t say if it was always that way or not! Bobby and I were able to dive about 15 oil platforms and all were jam packed with fish! Big game fish, all the way down to the tropical fish!

Most of you know that the winter time fishing in Venice, Louisiana can be the right time if huge yellowfin, wahoo and makos are what you like to catch! To be honest, the cold weather is almost enough to make me hate this time of year – notice I said almost! It’s a tough decision for some people, some have no problem! Most cold days, I mean the really cold days, I can’t help but think- what in the world am I doing on a boat in this cold? That thought may stay with me right up to the moment we land that first fish! At about the 3rd fish all I can think is – man, I can’t wait to get back out here again tomorrow! I can’t help it, I love it!! There is nothing else that will get me out of bed at that time of morning in the cold and have a smile on my face! Ok, maybe Duck Hunting, but that is it!!!!

If you get a chance, please check out our website – www.deepsouthcharters.com Look at the pictures and watch a few videos of us fishing this time of year. I think you will be impressed! The first two videos are my favorite! One is a wahoo video and the other is a tuna video that we shot on Super Bowl Sunday!

Deep South Charters would like to invite you to Venice this January, February and March to experience some of the best fishing in the world! I can’t promise you that we will load the boat down every day with fish but what I will promise you is - Aaron, Bradley, Bobby, Capt. Gray and myself will do everything that we can to put you on the fish and see to it that you have a good time! We want you to have fun! Now, just because we want you to have fun, this doesn’t mean that we are not worried about the fish! Anyone that knows Capt. Gray and I know that we are in competition the minute that we leave the dock! If his boat comes back with one more fish than my boat, I have to listen to it for hours so we have it on our mind!! It’s all in fun! (As long as I win)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! Check out our blog from time to time - http://deepsouthcharters.blogspot.com/ this is a fun site for us! This is a place where we are able to post anything! You will find reports, updates, tips, pics, videos, you name it!

Hope to see you on the water!

Capt Josh Howard
225-572-7408
deepsouthcharters@cox.net
www.deepsouthcharters.com

Video

Here is a video from the Freeman site!

Freeman

2011 is right around the corner! Deep South Charters is proud to announce that our Brand New 33ft Freeman Custom Catamaran with be here a few days before Christmas!! I cant wait! For those of you not familiar with a Freeman, you are in for a treat! This is the best of the best! There is no other boat that can do what a Freeman can, I mean it, NO BOAT in its class can compare! With a top speed of 63 mph, this 33 ft cat can cruise at 45 mph in a 4 ft chop and you will not feel any spray! These things are AWESOME!

We are now taking bookings for the new year, January, February and March should be excellent! The river has been low and the mullet bite should happen this year! Tuna and Wahoo will be our main target but we do not sell the grouper, amberjack, and cobia fishing short this time of year either! Some days they are perfect to top off a full box of fish!

If you get time, go to the site and check out the videos and pictures from last winter! You will be impressed! The first two video's on the video page were shot in Venice last winter! One is a Wahoo video and the other is a tuna video shot on Super Bowl Sunday! This will give you an idea of what is being caught this time of year!

I would like to wish all of you A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Lets go fishing!!

Capt Josh Howard
225-572-7408
deepsouthcharters@cox.net
www.deepsouthcharters.com