Venice Red Snapper 2026: That's a Wrap on a Great Season

Red snapper season is closed, and we're a little sad to see it go.

What a summer. We came back with limits on just about every trip, and we did it 3 to 5 miles from the river.

It was a short ride, and the coolers were full.

Short Ride, Heavy Box

Venice's natural mud humps hold snapper all summer long, and plenty of them sit a quick run from the dock. That means less time riding and more time reeling.

Some of our best spots were found by pure luck. Last year, while fishing behind shrimp boats for tuna, we spotted an unmarked piece of structure about 25 feet down on the sounder.

We dropped on it, and it's been loaded ever since.

We Fish for the Big Ones

Filling the box is easy down here, so we go looking for the quality fish.

Our target is a school of snapper in the 18 to 24 inch range. Picture a crew of six with 24 snapper on ice, every one of them in that class. That's a haul.

Water color matters too. This close to the river, it can change in a hurry. Snapper bite best in clean water, while the sharks get fired up in the dirty stuff.

When we find clean water on the way out, we stop and fill the limit right then.

Snapper and Then Some

A lot of our summer trips doubled up.

Some days, we knocked out a snapper limit and then ran for yellowfin. Other days, we added mangroves and cobia at the closer rigs.

That's the beauty of Venice. You're never limited to one kind of fish.

The Best Part Comes Later

Red snapper might be the best eating fish in the Gulf, and it's about the easiest to cook.

Grill it, bake it, or fry it. It stays moist even if it sits in the oven a couple minutes too long.

It's easy to catch and easy to cook. From the first drop to the dinner table, snapper fishing is a good time.

Now It's Tuna Time

Snapper season may be over, but the fun is just getting started.

The big yellowfin are moving in close for fall. By mid October, we'll be chasing them 5 to 15 miles out, with tuna blowing up on bait and topwater bites in open water.

Call Miss Cassandra at (504) 350-3474 to get on the fall calendar, or visit calcuttagoldfishing.com.