Mangrove Snapper Guide — Venice, LA

The western jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi River are one of the most productive mangrove snapper spots in Louisiana, and most anglers drive right past them on the way to the offshore grounds. The jetty rocks drop into deep, current-swept water that mangrove snapper use as a feeding lane from late winter through early summer. Work them right and you can fill out a limit of keeper snapper without leaving sight of the marina.

This is also a legitimate fishery for smaller boat anglers who can't make the offshore run. The western jetty wall is reachable in a smaller boat, and the bite doesn't require deep water. Anywhere you find hard structure and moving current in this area, you'll find mangrove snapper.

The prime window is late March through late May. Water temperatures in the 68 to 78 degrees F range concentrate fish on the jetty rocks and nearby structure. June can still produce depending on conditions, but the spring bite is the most consistent. Moving current, incoming or outgoing, is more important than the tide stage itself. Slack water slows the bite considerably. Wind out of the south or southeast keeps the water cleaner along the western wall.

Cut bait is all you need here. Large cut menhaden (pogies) and cut bonita are both proven producers. The oily flesh puts scent in the water quickly and holds up in current. Rig a basic bottom setup: PowerPro braided line as your mainline, an 18 to 24 inch fluorocarbon leader in 30 to 40 lb (mangroves are line-shy around structure), and a circle hook in 2/0 to 4/0. Add enough egg sinker to hold bottom in the current, typically 1 to 3 oz. Drop to the bottom, reel up a turn or two so the bait hangs just off the rocks, and wait. Let the circle hook load when a fish hits. Sweeping hard is the fastest way to pull it out of the mouth.

For bottom fishing the jetties and nearby platforms, a heavier conventional setup handles the current and keeps fish from running back into the rocks. The Penn Squall II Lever Drag Combo is built for this, a 7-foot rod with a size 30 conventional reel that has the backbone to pull snapper out of structure. For smaller boat anglers working lighter tackle, an inshore spinning combo with 20 lb braid and a heavy fluorocarbon leader handles keeper mangroves without issue.

The jetties are a well-known spot among local anglers, but the coastline around Venice is dotted with equally productive mangrove snapper structure that gets far less pressure. Decommissioned oil and gas platforms throughout the nearshore zone hold fish year-round. The barnacle-covered legs and cross members create the same ambush environment as the jetty rocks, just offshore. Concrete breakwaters and coastal armoring structures along the Louisiana shoreline are also worth fishing. Any hard surface in moving water holds snapper. The approach is the same at all of them: cut bait on the bottom, work a spot for 15 to 20 minutes, and move if you don't get bites. Once you find active fish, they tend to stack. A Humminbird Helix 7 Fish Finder with GPS makes it easy to mark productive platforms and return to the same waypoints on future trips.

The western side of the river mouth consistently holds more fish than the eastern wall during the spring bite. The current deflection off the western jetty creates an eddy that concentrates baitfish, and the snapper follow. The first 200 to 300 yards of the jetty from the tip, where open Gulf water meets the calmer river current, is where fish stack most reliably. Keep XtraTuf ankle boots on the boat if you plan to step out onto the jetty rocks, and a Grundens rain jacket within reach. Weather at the mouth of the river moves fast in spring.

Louisiana mangrove snapper require a minimum of 12 inches total length and fall under a 10-fish snapper aggregate bag limit. The season is open year-round. A free Recreational Offshore Landing Permit (ROLP) is required to possess mangrove snapper. Register at wlf.la.gov before your trip. Always verify current regulations with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.