Fishing and Boating

Fish and Fun in the sun: great catches from charter fishing outings.

The mystique of the pirate Jean Lafitte surrounding the creation of his own ‘Kingdom of Barataria’ is indeed legendary in New Orleans. Jean and his older brother Pierre established their ‘kingdom’ in the swamp land and bayous of this historic community which rests 24 short miles from the French Quarter.

Lafitte reportedly stashed gold and jewelry he had plundered in the vast marsh and bayous of Barataria Bay, But the known wealth of beautiful Barataria today lies beneath its waters in bountiful catches of fish, oysters and shrimp plus an occasional rig pumping oil and natural gas.

New Orleanians and tourists alike long ago discovered this land of the pirate Lafitte to be a great place to fish. And rare, indeed, do those who drop anchor in these waters return home without their legal limit of speckled trout, redfish or flounder… weather permitting, of course!

While locals generally own their own rigs and know the choice spots from which to cast, visitors can take full advantage offered by chartered services readily available. Lafitte is but a 35-minute drive from downtown New Orleans and, once you’re on board you can find yourself in fish country within minutes from the dock.

Charter captains of Jean Lafitte Fishing Charters and the guys over at Joe’s Landing are true natives of these waters... They fish from clean, comfortable 22 foot ‘Bay Boats’ and furnish all the essentials for a successful trip including ice, fuel, bait, tackle, rods and reels, and refreshments. Then, upon returning, they’ll clean your catch and bag it. Their boats are built to comfortably fish from one to four guests and arrangements can be made to have your day’s catch fried up at a nearby restaurant! Large groups of up to 50 can be accommodated Fishing has been excellent making advance reservations a necessity. Charter Captains also arrange for one-day licensing privileges.

The scenery that surrounds the town of Lafitte and the waters of Barataria Bay are often worth the trip with sightings of alligators, bald eagles, blue and white herons, pelicans, ducks, nutria and raccoons who are all native to the land. A recent (and very successful) trip by this writer also witnessed several dolphin racing our rig!

Your hotel concierge can help you find the phone numbers of the Lafitte charter captains. The ride over to the west bank of the Mississippi is an easy one from downtown. Simply take the West Bank Expressway to the Lafitte-Barataria. Exit, turn left and head south for fishing at its finest.