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CHARTER FISHING WITH LOUISIANA'S BEST CAPTAINS
Take Me Catchin':
Take Me Catchin':
Why Charter Fishing?
Local Experienced Guides
Many of our guides have grown up in the areas that they explore with their customers. A lifetime of experience allows them to keep their customers on the fish.
Licensed & Insured
Every guide you find listed on this website is verified to be legally licensed to offer charter fishing trips in the state of Louisiana. The state requires charter captains to provide proof of liability insurance to obtain this license.
Equipment & Techniques
While providing all of the equipment for a wonderful day of fishing, our captains also understand the importance of being flexible and adaptable to changes in conditions or the needs of their clients.
Stress Free
Nothing could be easier. Just show up, step in the boat and leave the rest to us!
WHAT'S BITING...CATCHIN' REPORTS
Dularge Sheepshead!
We had Mike and GROUP Contractors down and it was a little bumpy but not enough to keep us from doing the big sheepshead thing. Thanks Capt Marty for …
2025 Is starting off Great
2025 in Cocodrie is starting off great with plenty of trout for your enjoyment. Late winter and spring are super times for trout and larger reds and d…
TESTIMONIALS
I’ve chartered numerous trips through Capt. Lovell, both for personal and professional trips. My entire family as well as clients always ended the trip saying Travis is their favorite guide!! He’s easy going, efficient, and a wonderful personality to be around all day! Plus you always go home with a ton of fish!! Friend of mine have taken their small children in a trip and they had the best day ever! He was even great with the kids.
I would highly recommend Travis for any family or work trip. He truly is my favorite Captain to charter with! 😁
My wife and I had never been fishing in the marsh before. We made a post on Facebook asking for charter recommendations. MULTIPLE people recommended Travis Lovell with Reelin Good Charters. We contacted him and booked a weekend. We had an amazing time and caught plenty of fish. Best of all, we gained a lifetime friend. I highly recommend Travis for anyone looking to experience fishing in Louisiana!
Tell us all about your trip. Your responses help inform our captains on how better to serve customers and improve their charter experience. Oh, and you will be entered to win a FREE Louisiana Charter Fishing trip.
Dorado (Dolphin Fish)
- Appearance
- Dorado - or dolphin, as they are commonly called in Louisiana - are brilliantly-colored fish with a 55-66 dorsal fin rays, extending almost the whole length of their back. Their backs and upper bodies range from bright emerald green to a blue, while their sides and underbelly are yellow. Males have a blunt, vertical forehead.
- Habitat
- Dorado prefer open blue ocean where water temperatures are above 68ºF. Gravitate towards floating objects like seaweed.
- Fishing Tips
- Summer is the best time for dorado in Louisiana. Smaller females are easier to locate as they’re commonly found around floating objects and seaweed patches. Larger males are found in open water, often travelling between schools of female fish. Chum the waters if you’re having trouble finding them, and troll with skirted or feathered lures.
Cobia
- Appearance
- The cobia is often described as looking like a cross between a shark and a catfish. The cobia has a large head, whitish lips, dark brown to tan back and white bellies.
- Habitat
- They inhabit coastal offshore waters and prefer structures and reefs. They migrate and can be seen swimming on the surface.Very curious around objects and boats, they show an affinity to hang around larger sea creatures like sharks, manta rays and stingrays. They will swim around buoys and oilrigs in search of prey.
- State Record
- 112 pounds, Jason Reed, 1994
- Fishing Tips
- Cobia are caught while bottom fishing reefs and wrecks with jigs, live and dead baits and swimming plugs. They are also sight fished on the surface with live bait, jigs and lures. Some preferred baits include eels, shrimp, small baitfish and natural bait tipped jigs.
Blue Marlin
- Appearance
- The blue marlin is a large pelagic fish with an elongated upper jaw that forms a spear. They have a pointed dorsal fin with no dark spots. They are black to blue on the back and silvery to white below.
- Habitat
- These popular gamefish live in open ocean waters in the temperate and tropical parts of the Atlantic and the Gulf. They prefer clean blue waters and feed on fish and squid.
- State Record
- 1,018.5 pounds, Linda Koerner, 1977
- Fishing Tips
- There are many methods used to troll for these pelagic fish. Lures, dead natural baits and live baits are the most common ways. Anglers troll at various speeds, dragging the bait behind the moving boat and enticing the strike while on the move. Teasers and dredges are an important aspect of attracting these fish into your spread. Catching a blue marlin is often considered a pinnacle in one’s fishing experience.
King Mackerel
- Appearance
- King mackerel have two dorsal fins. The first is often folded into the back groove. They are olive-colored on the back fading to silver on the sides, and white underneath.
- Habitat
- These subtropical fish tend to stick to depths of 40 to 150 feet. Larger-sized mackerel are often seen nearshore at mouths of lagoons and harbors, or near oil platforms.
- State Record
- 82 pounds, W. D. Lamb, 1980
- Fishing Tips
- Drifting or trolling with small, stripped baits work best. King mackerels will take spoons, jigs, and casting lures as well. When trolling, chumming can help bring the fish in. Use porgies (menhaden), squid, or shrimp for bait.
Tarpon
- Appearance
- A compressed, oblong body that’s covered with thick silvery scales. Their mouth is large and superior, with the lower jaw protruding out from the rest of their face. They have large eyes.
- Habitat
- Juvenile tarpon grow up closer to shore, swimming in salt marshes, rivers, or tidal pools. As they get older they move out into more open waters of the ocean, but can often be found in brackish or even freshwater environments as well.
- State Record
- 230 pounds, Thomas Gibson, 1993
- Fishing Tips
- Hook up some shrimp, crab, mullet, or pinfish bait. Anchor your boat, and then toss out your line, with a weight if tarpon are swimming deeper. Soft plastic baits work as well, as do big flies. Because tarpon must return to the surface for air, always keep an eye out for splashes.
Southern Flounder
- Appearance
- Flounders swim sideways, the bottom half of their body is white, while the top is olive brown with white and dark spots. Both eyes are on the top part of the body.
- Habitat
- Southern flounders have been known to swim 100 miles upriver in freshwater, but they are more commonly found in saltwater, generally inshore estuaries. Move to offshore waters to spawn. Prefer mud or sandy bottoms in shallow waters.
- State Record
- 13.06 pounds, Gary Hargis, 1998.
- Fishing Tips
- Fall is a great time to catch flounders as that’s when they move to offshore waters to spawn. For bait use porgies, crab, or shrimp. They are a popular target for gigging (spearfishing) as well, especially in October and November.
Gray Snapper (Mangrove Snapper)
- Appearance
- Gray snappers – also called mangrove snappers - have a dark brown to gray coloration, with red-orange overtones. Prominent front canine teeth. Looks very similar to a cubera snapper, but they do not grow nearly as large.
- Habitat
- Larger snappers live in offshore waters up to 200 feet deep, often found near oil platforms, reefs, rocks, and other forms of cover.
- State Record
- 18.63 pounds, Tim Champagne, 2015
- Fishing Tips
- Chumming is an effective technique for gray snapper, though be advised that it will bring around other species as well.
Red Snapper
- Appearance
- Red-orange in color, fading towards the underside. Can be distinguished from similar-looking snappers by their pointy anal fin and red eyes.
- Habitat
- Can be found in depths anywhere from 30 to over 600 feet, but most commonly in between 50 and 300 feet. Small to medium-sized snappers stick to heavily-covered bottoms, like reefs, wrecks, ledges, and oil platforms. As they grow larger, they tend to prefer more open water.
- State Record
- 50.25 pounds (also an IGFA all-tackle world record), Capt. Doc Kennedy, 1996.
- Fishing Tips
- Red snappers like to feed off the bottom, so be sure to get your bait down deep enough. Minnows, sardines, and squid work best for live bait, and chunks of bonito or amberjack help as well. Chumming is a common practice to get snappers off the bottom and closer to the surface.
Crappie
- Appearance
- Crappie, commonly known in South Louisiana by their Cajun French name “Sac-a-Lait” (or “sack of milk” in English) or in North Louisiana as “white perch,” are relatively small, typically ranging from 6 to 12 inches in length. There are two varieties—black and white crappie. Black crappie feature a more randomized, horizontal dot pattern and are silver-gray to green in coloring across their bodies, while white crappie have a vertical bar pattern and are generally silver in color with shades of brown or green along the back. Both varieties have a dorsal fin positioned closer to the tail than the head and small mouths with numerous sharp teeth, ideal for preying on smaller aquatic creatures.
- Habitat
- Crappie thrive in fresh, calm waters, such as lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and slow-moving rivers, preferring areas with submerged structures like trees, aquatic vegetation, and rocky formations. During spawning season, they often gather near shallower shores. Crappie are known to adapt to different water clarities and temperatures, though they seek warmer shallows during spring and fall, while moving to deeper, cooler waters during hot summer months.
- Fishing Tips
- Crappie tend to be more active during low-light periods such as dawn and dusk. They also have relatively soft mouths, so using light or ultralight fishing gear is recommended. Spinning reels and light monofilament or fluorocarbon lines work well. Avoid using heavy equipment to prevent tearing the fish's mouth.
Bluefin Tuna
- Appearance
- Bluefin tunas have a large, torpedo-shaped body that is nearly circular in cross-section. The fish is dark blue-black on the back and white on the lower sides and belly. On live bluefin, colorless lines alternate with rows of colorless spots on the lower sides. The second dorsal fin is reddish brown.
- Habitat
- Bluefin tuna are most commonly found in deep offshore waters.
- State Record
- 1,152 pounds, Ron Roland, 2003.
- Fishing Tips
- Yellowfin and blackfin tuna are more popular, but bluefin tuna can be caught if you find the right school moving through.
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