What a year this has been for yellowfin tuna fishing in Venice. The fish have generally been all over the place. Now some days they didn’t feel like biting but overall it’s been good for fish of all sizes, from barely keepers to 200 pounders. The only downfall has been the lack of dolphin (mahi mahi). Last year they were everywhere and this I have seen very few. I think it’s been because of a lack of floating grass. Another strange thing about this year has been the lack of baby hardtails for live bait. Normally by this time they are everywhere but they have been hard to come by. Luckily, the fish have been willing to bit the chunk baits for the most part. The highlight for me was a 201 pound yellowfin that came on June 10. It was a long and grueling battle of 4 hours on 60lb test line but we got him. The rig fishing has been very good lately as well. Red snapper, mangrove snapper, and cobia have been around if you’re looking for white meat. Unfortunately, the feds have closed amberjack on us for the rest of the year.
