Kingfish are a plentiful commodity off the coast of Venice, La. So are oil rigs and platforms, which number well into the hundreds between the West Delta and Ship Shoal – some 120 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
With so many fish and so many great structures for them to hang around, captain Bill Butler of Venice is expecting a great tournament with plenty of action when the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour comes to town June 10-11.
“The key is going to be staying on the move,” Butler said. “There are probably 500 rigs between 20 and 120 miles out. It is all going to boil down to who happens to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Butler said anglers can expect to catch 30 to 60 fish per day on ribbonfish and blue runners, worked in relation to blue-water rigs in the vicinity of West Delta, Main Pass and Ship Shoal. Many of the fish will be in the 30-pound range. But the veteran fishing guide thinks it will take a substantially larger fish to make the board.
Butler’s call: a 55-pounder to win it; a 40-pounder to get a check.