VENICE, LA. – Captain Brian Sherman has an office that can’t be beat: More often than not, you’ll find him on the water, with a fishing pole in his hand and a kayak paddle by his side.
He started his company, “Kayak Venice” as a side business to make some extra money, but in just a few years it has evolved into a full-time job for him and his son. In 2017, they guided more than 200 trips.
On one recent blue-sky morning, he brought WGNO’s Travel Girl, Stephanie Oswald, out on the water to show her the basics of fishing from a kayak. The goal was to catch a giant bull-redfish, and go for a “Cajun Sleigh Ride,” when the fish drags you faster than you can paddle!
With gulls calling and mullet jumping, a motor boat carried Captain Brian, some fisherman, a TV crew and a couple of kayaks about two miles into Yellow Cotton Bay, where Brian and Stephanie were soon casting from kayaks.
“Kayak fishing’s made me so much better of a fisherman. It’s incredible the things you see and the things you learn being in the kayak, because it’s so quiet,” says Brian.
In just an hour, the kayakers (Captain Brian and Travel Girl Stephanie) had landed nearly a dozen big trout, while the fishermen on the boat had caught nothing.
Is Brian a fisherman who kayaks or a kayaker who fishes?
“I’d have to say I’m a kayaker who fishes,” he says. “I love being out here. I love fishing and I love paddling.”
On average, he covers about six miles over six hours. And it’s taken time to learn how to keep the fish in the kayak: When he first started kayak fishing, Brian says he lost so many trout that his son made a funny video about it.
Stephanie eventually caught the only redfish of the day, and it was a beauty!
“It was a good fight, but I won,” says Travel Girl Stephanie. (Follow her on instagram @stephanieoswaldwgno or on Twitter @TravelgirlSteph)
Aside from the joy of being so close to the water, the advantage of fishing from a kayak is that you can get into all the places the big boats can’t; you can explore the nooks and crannies of the bay.
But that can have a frightful side too: One wildlife sighting that gave our Travel Girl a scare was a 4-foot water moccasin, just inches from her kayak! Captain Brian says it was the largest one he’d ever seen.
You can bring your own kayak, or rent one from Kayak Venice — and there are several adventure options, including “Mother Ship Charters,” that include kayak rental, boat transportation, gear, drinks and lunch for 1-4 persons.
It’s a wonderful way to spend a day on the bay, and catch dinner while you’re at it!