A full-day offshore charter out of Venice, Louisiana runs $2,200 to $3,000 for the boat before fuel. Fuel is usually billed on top, roughly $800 to $1,800 on a tuna day depending on the boat. An inshore guide runs about $800 to $1,250 for the boat for two to four anglers. A fifth angler costs more, and several outfits add fuel and live bait on top. A full-service lodge package runs roughly $800 to $1,500 per person per day with everything included. Those are per-boat numbers on the charters, not per person, and that changes the math more than anything else on this page.
These ranges come from published rates across the established Venice operations as of October 2026. Rates move up over time, so treat this as the shape of the cost, and confirm current numbers with the operation before you book.
The offshore boats are the trips Venice is famous for: yellowfin tuna at the shelf-edge rigs, swordfish in the Mississippi Canyon, wahoo, mahi, snapper. The boats are big center consoles and catamarans in the 32-to-42-foot class, and a full day means 10 to 12 hours dock to dock, part of that the run to the rigs.
Typical capacity is 2 to 6 anglers, and the rate is for the boat. Split a $2,500 boat plus $1,500 of fuel four ways and you're at $1,000 per angler before the tip. Split it six ways and you're near $670. That's why groups dominate the offshore docks: the trip that sounds expensive at the boat rate is a reasonable one per seat.
What's included at that price on a standard Venice operation: rods, reels, tackle, terminal gear, bait, ice for the fish, fish cleaning on most boats, and a mate who works the whole day. What's usually not included is fuel. Most of the established offshore boats price the day as a base rate plus fuel at the dock price, and they quote 175 to 250 gallons. At the dock price that runs roughly $800 to $1,800, depending on the boat and the day's fuel price. Before you compare two boats, ask whether the rate you were quoted includes fuel; a $2,200-plus-fuel boat and a $3,000-fuel-included boat can cost about the same, or the plus-fuel boat can cost more on a long day.
The inshore trip is the offshore day's easygoing cousin: redfish, speckled trout, flounder, drum, and sheepshead in the delta marsh, on a 22-to-27-foot bay boat, usually 2 to 4 anglers. Days run 6 to 8 hours, the water is protected so seasickness isn't a factor, and the action is steadier: a lot of bites at fish from a few pounds up to bull reds instead of two or three big ones. Rods, reels and tackle come with the boat; ask whether live bait and fuel are extra, because at several outfits they are. For a lot of first-timers this ends up being the favorite day of the trip.
Fly fishing is its own booking, on a poling skiff with two anglers, and most conventional guides don't run it. If a redfish on fly is the goal, book a dedicated fly operation for the whole day; the fly outfits set their own rates, so ask.
The full-service lodges bundle lodging, meals, the boat, the captain, and usually fish cleaning into one per-person rate. You show up with a suitcase and get fished. It's the most expensive way to do Venice and the easiest, and for a first trip the hassle it saves is usually worth the premium. Marina lodging without the package runs $250 to $500 a night for a unit that sleeps six, more for the big houses, with the charter billed separately.
The tip. The standard tip for a captain and mate is 15 to 20 percent of the charter rate. On a $2,500 charter that's $375 to $500, split between captain and mate. Budget it in up front. The tip is for the effort, not the catch.
The license. Every angler 18 or older needs a Louisiana license, bought online at wlf.louisiana.gov before you arrive. For a nonresident fishing from a licensed charter boat for up to 3 days, the charter passenger saltwater license is $20. Fishing longer, or off a private boat at any point, takes a 5-day or annual basic-plus-saltwater license instead. Have it on you.
Getting the fish home. Vacuum-sealed overnight shipping from Venice isn't cheap if you're flying. A big checkable cooler is the cheaper play.
Fish cleaning. Often included, sometimes billed separately. Ask before you hand over the cooler.
Weather. Plan on some chance any scheduled day gets blown out, more in winter and hurricane season. Ask about the cancellation policy before you put down a deposit, and give a Venice trip a spare day when you can.
Put it together for a 3-day trip, per person, travel included, and the common setups land roughly here:
Mid-tier (marina lodging, one shared offshore day, maybe an inshore day): about $2,100 to $3,700. That's flight, rental car, room, food, a four-way split on a $2,500 offshore boat plus its fuel, tips, license, and incidentals.
Premium (full-service lodge, 2 fishing days all-inclusive): about $2,800 to $5,300.
Budget DIY (your own boat or a friend's, rental house split four ways): $960 to $1,630.
The rental car is mandatory either way; Venice is 90 miles south of the New Orleans airport at the end of the road.
A Venice offshore day costs real money, and what it buys is a legitimate shot at a 100-plus-pound yellowfin, out of a town where the fishery works year-round. Plenty of first trips produce the fish of a lifetime. Some days produce nothing, and you paid for the boat and the effort either way. If pounds in the cooler is your only measure, book somewhere easier. If the chance is the point, this is the place.
Picking the captain matters more than picking the price. Check that they post recent trips, that their rates are published, that they answer specific questions with specific answers, and that they've been running Venice for years, not months. Our full vetting checklist is in the First-Timer's Guide to Venice Fishing, the operators we've checked are on Venice Fishing Charters and Guides, and when to come is its own question with its own page.
You can compare bookable Venice trips, with published rates, at Captain Experiences. (We earn a small commission if you book through that link, at no extra cost to you. It keeps the report free.)
Before you spend charter money, spend one free Thursday morning first. The Venice Fishing Report is a weekly email on what's biting out of Venice, who's catching, and what the weekend looks like. Written by the son of a lifelong Metairie fisherman. Free, every Thursday at 6am Central.