Mark's Trip to Venice, LA

Since these are pictures of me, Melissa insists that I be the one to tell you about them. These are pictures from a recent trip to Venice, LA with a group of guys from church. We went fishing for redfish which this part of the country is known for. This also happens to be one of the many places destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Obviously the fish are still there, but many of the people are not as they are still rebuilding. Even though you can still see some of the destruction, much of the clean up and rebuilding is ongoing. The people of the area are in good spirits and doing well. The fishing is AWESOME!!!


For those who may not know, the above picture is a redfish. They are known for their spots. This particular fish had seven spots altogether (3 you can see and 4 on the other side). Seven is unusual, but even with only two spots they are beautiful and strong fish.

Here I am fighting a red (not the one above).

And the fights ends successfully!!! This red measured 39" and weighs between 25 and 30 pounds from what I'm told.

The same fish (compare the spots on the tail) as caught on the Mississippi. That's right...freshwater redfish.

Here's the same fish to give you the idea of the length. Remember, I'm 6'2" tall.

A couple of hours later I landed this beauty of 41".

Again, here's an idea of how long this fish is.

This fish was caught out in the Gulf of Mexico along the beach. It's not a beach like you see at a resort, but for my purposes it was perfect. This red measured only 32" but was a joy to land.

Here's one of my best friends with his 38" red also caught in the Gulf. You can see we aren't far from shore.

This is Casey Duncum, one of the youth from our church, with his 38" red.

Craig, yet again, showing off. Craig had a rough day the day before not catching a single fish. He came back on this day to land 3 reds over 30 inches. Not a bad way to end a trip. Even though the fishing was truly amazing, the fellowship was better. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys to be with on a trip. There were a total of 14 of us on 5 boats all hauled from North Texas to the Southern most point of Louisiana. It was worth the trip. If you ever have a chance to fish for redfish in Venice, LA, invite some of your buddies and take the time to deepen relationship over a few large fish and larger tales.