Offshore fishing
in Louisiana.
1 departure port. Run distances to named structure, month-by-month bite windows for 5 species, and the rigs that land fish.
Explore seasonal bite windows by port →Venice: river run, then the rigs.
The Midnight Lump sits about 20 miles off Southwest Pass, while the 24-Mile Rigs are about 27.5 miles from the South Pass sea buoy. Those distances start at the passes; the river run from the marina comes first. The Venice guide breaks down both pieces of the trip.
Venice has two yellowfin peaks in its calendar: January through March and September through October. Blue marlin peak in June through August. When the offshore run is wrong for the day, the delta redfish window gives this state a separate inshore play.
Run the yellowfin chunking rig →Distances and month windows come from the sourced port guides below.
What bites, month by month
Combined from 1Louisiana port calendar. A mark means at least one listed port has that window. Open its port guide for the local months.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowfin Tuna | ● | ● | ● | ◐ | ◐ | ◐ | ◐ | ◐ | ● | ● | ◐ | |
| Blue Marlin | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ◐ | ◐ | ||||||
| Wahoo | ● | ● | ● | |||||||||
| Redfish | ◐ | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ◐ | ◐ | ◐ | ● | ● | ● | ◐ |
| Tarpon | ● | ● | ● |
● Peak at a listed port ◐ Shoulder at a listed port — No window listed
Season guides for Louisiana
Deeper dives into each species window: port comparisons, peak months, and the rig that gets it done.
Regulations
State and federal regulations for Louisiana offshore fishing. Requirements change; verify before you depart.
- Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries: Recreational Fishing ↗
- LDWF: Louisiana Recreational Fishing Regulations (2026 PDF) ↗
- NOAA Fisheries: Fishing Regulations and Seasonal Closures in the Gulf of America (federal reef fish) ↗
- LDWF: Recreational Offshore Landing Permit (ROLP), free, required on top of the HMS permit ↗
- NOAA Fisheries: Atlantic HMS Angling Permit (tunas, billfish, swordfish, sharks) ↗
FAQ: Offshore Fishing in Louisiana
What fish can you catch offshore in Louisiana?
Louisiana offshore fishing covers Yellowfin Tuna, Blue Marlin, Wahoo, Redfish, Tarpon. Peak season varies by species and port.
How many offshore fishing ports are there in Louisiana?
OffshoreHookup covers 1 offshore departure port in Louisiana: Venice.