# Any reputable tuna charter for Gulfport/Biloxi area?



## Mattatoar (Apr 30, 2008)

Looking for info on a charter that does tuna trips out Gulfport or surrounding area. I tried the trip to Venice once... long drive, really high price tag, and lousy fishing. Friends of mine have had the same experience so we're looking for other options.

I'd like to explore taking a tuna trip without the drive through LA and all that.

Time frame: Thinking around May; 3-4 people.


Thanks in advance!


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## d-a (Mar 13, 2010)

Id rather ride in a warm car down the La peninsula than ride in a boat the same distance.

Im not sure who you or your buddy went with, but my first trip there was horrible too. I now go out with Capt Eddie and have had nothing but stellar trips. It could be your time frame too, Seems the fishing changes over twice a year. Once going to a summer pattern and once going to the winter pattern. Until the "change" is complete there is lots of good days and bad days in there. I generally wait till the summer pattern has settled in and have had great trips aside from the initial one. I like the summer pattern since the probability of everyone on board catches a YFT instead of winter time when it might be a one fish(over 100lb) day.

d-a


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

Its fishing, sometimes they are on fire, other times you will think you have to ride by the fish market on the way home.....


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## Contender (Apr 4, 2012)

Like d-a said. You can ride in a car or a boat but you are going to the same place. Had a good trip our of Dauphin Island a couple years ago on the Deliverance and we fished the same rigs folks out of Venice fish.

Just depends on how you want to get there.

In fact there are boats from here at OB that make the trip as well. Leaving from OB, DI or MS will require a much longer boat ride making a day trip more hit or miss. 

Good Luck


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## Mikvi (Mar 11, 2008)

No tuna charters out of Gulfport or Biloxi that I know of. Mainly reds and specks in that area. Ram Powell is 109 miles out from there. Water is only 80ft deep 40 miles out. I lived there and we used to leave the boat in Venice.


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## OP-FOR (Jan 23, 2010)

I grew up on the Ms gulf coast and it is a haul for tuna. I highly agree and recommend the trip to Cypress Cove (Venice, LA) and charter from there. Do not get the " Winter Lump Syndrome". Wait until summer.


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## Mattatoar (Apr 30, 2008)

Well, I had hoped there were options without the drive down through LA and then into Venice. Personally, I'd rather be on the boat for a few hours then stuck in traffic etc. like I experienced 3 years ago. 

My trip there was very pricey and disappointing. Yes, its' "fishing." I get all that. Folks that fished the day before we left; they absolutely slayed them. It was very encouraging. We ran 100+ miles from the mouth and paid for the gas that our Captain burned. It doubled the charter cost. I felt like an a$$ having talked two buddies into meeting me there to fork out a lot of cash for two small fish. Not the 40th birthday trip I had envisioned. Add truck fuel, lodging at Venice, time driving... I had hoped there might be someone closer in to the FL Panhandle that ran tuna trips. 

Thanks for the information! I'm going to keep exploring the possibility of running a trip from Alabama.


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## d-a (Mar 13, 2010)

Mattatoar said:


> Well, I had hoped there were options without the drive down through LA and then into Venice. Personally, I'd rather be on the boat for a few hours then stuck in traffic etc. like I experienced 3 years ago.
> 
> My trip there was very pricey and disappointing. Yes, its' "fishing." I get all that. Folks that fished the day before we left; they absolutely slayed them. It was very encouraging. We ran 100+ miles from the mouth and paid for the gas that our Captain burned. It doubled the charter cost. I felt like an a$$ having talked two buddies into meeting me there to fork out a lot of cash for two small fish. Not the 40th birthday trip I had envisioned. Add truck fuel, lodging at Venice, time driving... I had hoped there might be someone closer in to the FL Panhandle that ran tuna trips.
> 
> Thanks for the information! I'm going to keep exploring the possibility of running a trip from Alabama.


Good luck, there is several boats out of DI and OB that will take you to the floaters. Ive went on two different boats three times and only caught two yellowfin's one was a two night trip so we got to the rigs south of Venice. We did have some excellent bottom fishing but it wasn't what our group was looking for. Now we just suck it up and drive the extra to ensure we get a trip like we want. 

My other choice would be Fourchon and head out towards green canyon. You will bypass New Orleans and its almost the same distance mileage wise.

This is one day from our last May Trip with Cpt Eddie









d-a


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

Ain't many monkey boats anyways in al and ms anyways are there to run tuna trips. Most the ones I know are big boats and they are probably pricey compared to the boats la runs. Just my opinion.


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## ScottH (Jul 18, 2011)

You can find charter boats to do this in AL and FL, but they will be more expensive than the LA fleet on average, given runs average longer and boats average bigger. Hard to avoid the math of more time and fuel.


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## Lyin Too (Aug 31, 2009)

Try the Fighting Chicken out of Ocean Springs marina.


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## Mattatoar (Apr 30, 2008)

okay... so, thanks for the input from one and all but after gathering the data and consulting my potential crew; we're headed back to Venice and this time booked with Capt Berger on May 3rd.

Options out of Alabama & Mississippi seemed like big and slow boats. Most of these Captains said "tuna" but posted some very "non-tuna" reports and pics. I had hoped that some options would be 24 hour trips that were comparable in overall expense compared to a Venice excursion (taking boat fuel, drive and hotel into account) but not so.


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## bobinbusan (Feb 16, 2010)

You may want to try, CHICKEN OF THE SEA, OUT OF THE CAN, NOT TO BAD , BUT NEED A BIG BOAT :thumbsup: :thumbup:


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