Hurricane Katrina - Venice, Louisiana

August 23, 2007

The Venice Inn Motel opened up in June, 2007 and is brand new! They have 45 rooms open and expect to have more rooms soon. There are pictures on our lodging page. Billy and I had friends and family in Venice over the summer and the fishing was great through the middle of July. In July the Mississippi River was high from rain and it made the fishing a little tough - we had to move out further to find clean water. Last report we had the river was dropping but that all depends on how much rain will run into the Mississippi between now and when the fall fishing begins in September and October. But Venice still has the best fishing, day after day. Hope we see you in Venice soon.

May 25, 2007

The fishing in Venice is better than ever!! Billy and I spent a week there in June to get our camp ready for the summer. I caught a 7 1/2 lb. speckled trout, Billy caught a 6 lb. trout, and we caught at least 20 trout weighing 4 lbs. or better, all in one day on topwater. We released all of them.

The Crawgator Bar & Grill located at Venice Marina is now open Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. They are serving sandwiches and poyboys - burgers, roast beef, chicken, shrimp and fish. They also serve baskets with fries - chicken, shrimp, fish and oysters. The grocery store in Port Sulpher - Fremin's - is also now open, so we have a grocery store about 30 miles north of Venice. The Fil-N-Sack in Boothville (just south of Boothville School) has fuel, including diesal, ice and a great variety of foods, fresh and canned. The guides and Venice Marina are back in full swing, and we now have a few choices for meals and groceries. So it's time to book your trip to Venice!

July 1, 2006

Billy and I are thrilled to announce that we were at Venice Marina's grand opening on July 1, 2006! The new marina office is now built and they are finishing work on the bar-n-grill that will open in the near future. The marina is back up and running - they have fuel, ice, bait and lodging. Billy and I spent two weeks in Venice and progress is being made every day. Riverside Restaurant is now open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and there is a bar-b-que place right across the street that is also open. Elzey's Marine is open every day except Sunday and is the "place to shop" at the moment since they have added some food and drink items to their store while they rebuild their convenience store next door. The fishing was absolutely great, both inshore and offshore. Check out the new photos of the marina, our photo page and the lodging page for more information.

Seasonal Species Chart       Lodging          Guides/Rates         Photos

I'm ready to book your trips to Venice, Louisiana - please contact me if you need more information.

Sue Murray

 

February 11, 2006:

On Monday, August 29, 2005, Billy and I got up at 4:30 a.m. to see where the eye of Hurricane Katrina was going to hit. We sadly watched as the hurricane's eye went in at Port Sulphur that morning. Port Sulphur is about halfway down Highway 23 on the road to Venice.

Over the coming weeks, we talked with our many friends in Louisiana and were relieved to hear they were all safe. But the devastation and loss of their homes and businesses is overwhelming. In October, 2005, Billy and I made our first trip to Venice to see if we could salvage anything from our travel trailer destroyed by the storm. Words cannot describe the scenes we saw - you cannot even imagine the destruction from Myrtle Grove to Venice.

We went back to Venice for Thanksgiving to go fishing, launching at Venice Marina. We wanted to see the damage to the marsh and how the hurricane affected the fishing. The marsh has had extensive damage and unfortunately a lot of permanent damage. However, the fishing was fabulous. We caught a fish every cast for two days, both redfish and trout. Billy again visited Venice in January and filmed for his tv show, People Who Fish. The story about Venice will air on Monday, February 13, 2006 on the Outdoor Channel at 9:30 P.M. ET

Venice is our second home and we have already replaced our travel trailer destroyed by the storm. We plan to be back in Venice as soon as possible and plan to do everything we can to help our friends rebuild their lives and businesses.

In the meantime, debris cleanup, utility restoration and infrastructure rebuilding continues along Highway 23. Electricity had not yet been restored to Venice Marina as of February 1, 2006, but they hope to have electric sometime in March. The Marina hopes to reopen in March and initially will offer launching (with a fee) and live bait. Mike and Bill Butler, owners of Venice Marina, are already hard at work rebuilding the marina with major improvements, some of which include a new marina office, lodging, cottages you can purchase, and a restaurant. Their goal is to provide a new and modern marina setting which creates a lifestyle centered around fishing, hunting and family fun.

Booking a trip and fishing in Venice right now is challenging but not impossible. There are no gas stations, grocery stores, motels or restaurants left. The marsh is totally different and debris is scattered on land and water, so being familiar with the area is essential. The road is open all the way to Venice Marina but there are still curfews and rules to travel in and out of the area. If you are interested in booking a trip to Venice and are not familiar with the area, you will want a guide who is set up to furnish lodging, meals and advice about traveling to Venice. I am staying in close contact with the guides and Venice Marina so I will have current information to share with people interested in booking a trip this year. Just last week one of the guides contacted me to let me know he would be back in operation by mid-March. He has set up a camp that will sleep up to 20 people and will offer food and lodging. They are already booking trips for April and May, 2006.

Many people have asked us, how can we help? If you have ever experienced the raw beauty of the Mouth of the Mississippi River and the unbelievable fishing, you already recognize how vital it is to support the vision and future of this area. The guides tell us that the fishing both inshore and offshore is outstanding and if you want to help, "come go fishing".

Call Murray Brothers Expeditions for more information at (936) 597-4450.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all our friends in Louisiana.

Billy and Sue Murray      February 11, 2006