I'm moving to the New Orleans area from Midland and I'm looking to get back into saltwater fishing. Used to fish lower Laguna Madre inshore and Mansfield or SPI offshore decades ago. Been out of the game for a while. Hoping some folks here have some knowledge of the area. I'm planning on fishing the Delacroix area for inshore and going out of Venice for offshore

1) Maybe a dumb question... but any recommendations on a boat that could fish both Delacroix and make it offshore to target billfish? Planning on needing two boats but worth asking!

2) Navigating Delacroix looks intimidating from satellite images. I plan on getting a guide a few times before taking it on. Any advice on how to learn the area?

3) For offshore it sounds like the Southwest Pass is the only option (I read that South Pass and Pass A Loutre have silted in and not recommended). Is this correct?

4) How far from the Southwest Pass do you need to run for billfish? It looks to be damn deep about 10 miles out but also a lot of mud coming from the river and I figure there may be some water color issues that extend fairly far out

5) Any guide referrals for either Delacroix or Venice (offshore)?

Any help or advice is appreciated! Thanks and gig'em

Jeff Johnson, Aggie and great fishing guide near Venice.

https://neworleansfishingguides.com/fishing.html

I havent fished Delacroix but I have fished the Lake Borgne area with a buddy. Lots of redfish in the drains around there. The fact is that entire area is better fishing than anywhere on the Texas coast.

I continue to hear conflicting info about using South Pass.

Marlin water is within 8-10 miles of southwest pass. I think Cognac is about 10-12 miles if I remember right. Right at 1000ft. And the bluewater rip is often times north of it. If you've never seen that rip, it's like nothing you will see offshore of Texas. The blue water current from the east intersects with the Mississippi river water being dumped out. Itll go from mud brown to cobalt. Formed up solid for weeks/ months at a time.

If I had to have one boat to fish all of that, it would be a Blazer Bay 2400. Thats the old kenner 24 hull. Takes a chop better than any other bay boat while also floating reasonably shallow. The wind doesnt blow down there nearly like what you are used to. While the heat is brutal, you'll get lots of dog days of summer where you can get plenty of offshore fishing in. Its crazy seeing people out trolling with outriggers and 50s on bay boats but they catch fish.

You can also fish East Bay on all but the nastiest days. Its fairly protected water. There's cuts on the south shore of southwest pass that cut in to it. Top notch mangrove fishing, red snapper, etc.

No place better for the diversity of fish species in such a small area.

I've fished Delacroix 5 years in a row with guide named
Corey Gradwohl 504-481-0248

Good guy and we've limited out on reds every time.

Good luck. Love fishing down there.

Ditto CS78's first comment re Lake Borgne. I spent 10 years in the New Orleans area. I fished Delacroix a couple of times (and did well) as well as Lafitte and other points west of the river, but my primary launching points for inshore were Hopedale and Lafrance's marina near Ansley, Mississippi. Success on the north side of Borgne was limited, but the south side (Biloxi Marsh) is friggin' unbelievable. Reds are almost always "on". Specks, flounder, etc. are always around but really turn on in the fall. I haven't lived / fished there in years, but it was common to make the trip across Borgne and see only one or two other boats all day - and sometimes none. I used a Mowdy P-18 (no longer made, but essentially a V-22 with a shortened hull) set up with a trolling motor. It was perfect for the environment - plenty of bow to cross a sometimes-very-rough Lake Borgne, but shallow enough draft to easily get around in the "duck ponds" on all but the lowest of tides. It drew lots of strange looks and comments from the coonasses at the ramps / lifts (tunnel-v's were very uncommon there at the time) but I could go lots of places that most of them couldn't.

Give Biloxi Marsh a close look!

...on learning those areas, I don't think there are any shortcuts - study the hell out of maps, use GPS, and maintain constant awareness of where you are.

Thanks Vegas!

CS78 said:

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I havent fished Delacroix but I have fished the Lake Borgne area with a buddy. Lots of redfish in the drains around there. The fact is that entire area is better fishing than anywhere on the Texas coast.

I continue to hear conflicting info about using South Pass.

Marlin water is within 8-10 miles of southwest pass. I think Cognac is about 10-12 miles if I remember right. Right at 1000ft. And the bluewater rip is often times north of it. If you've never seen that rip, it's like nothing you will see offshore of Texas. The blue water current from the east intersects with the Mississippi river water being dumped out. Itll go from mud brown to cobalt. Formed up solid for weeks/ months at a time.

If I had to have one boat to fish all of that, it would be a Blazer Bay 2400. Thats the old kenner 24 hull. Takes a chop better than any other bay boat while also floating reasonably shallow. The wind doesnt blow down there nearly like what you are used to. While the heat is brutal, you'll get lots of dog days of summer where you can get plenty of offshore fishing in. Its crazy seeing people out trolling with outriggers and 50s on bay boats but they catch fish.

You can also fish East Bay on all but the nastiest days. Its fairly protected water. There's cuts on the south shore of southwest pass that cut in to it. Top notch mangrove fishing, red snapper, etc.

No place better for the diversity of fish species in such a small area.

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Wow! Great info and I'm even more excited!

Interesting comment on South Pass. I hear different things that it's passable for small boats