Captain Morgan Charters is a solid owner operator pick in Venice and our sixth ranked boat, Captain David Morgan’s 38 foot offshore boat with a clean FishingBooker record and more than a decade fishing the rigs and floaters. Its strength is the simplest thing a charter can offer: the captain who owns the boat is the one who runs your trip, with a 4.6 star rating across 33 reviews behind him. It fishes the full pelagic spread, tuna to billfish to swordfish. The honest frame is that it is a smaller boat than the catamarans above it and carries a more moderate review volume than the port’s leaders.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.2 Captain Morgan Charters is a strong choice and the sixth ranked operation in Venice. The case for it is owner operator accountability plus a traceable record: 4.6 stars across 33 FishingBooker reviews is a real, readable history, and the reviews describe a captain who puts people on a mixed bag, one noting a single trip that ran from mahi to swordfish. It sits below the boats above it on two counts: at 38 feet it is a smaller hull than the 41 and 42 foot catamarans that dominate the Venice offshore fleet, which matters on a long run in a building sea, and its review volume, while solid, is moderate next to the deeper records. Book it for a tuna or billfish run where you want the owner on the bridge. For a larger catamaran at a similar price, look at Calcutta Gold.
The boat
Captain Morgan runs a 38 foot offshore boat that carries up to 6 anglers, the six pack limit. The operation does not publish a full electronics and rigging list, so we score the boat on what is confirmed, a 38 foot offshore hull capable of the extended and overnight runs it advertises, rather than on a spec sheet it does not post. At 38 feet it is at the smaller end of the Venice offshore fleet, where 41 and 42 foot catamarans are the norm, so it gives up some ride and deck room on a rough day, though it reaches the same rigs and floaters. The reviews do not flag the boat as a weak point, which is why this factor is not marked down further.
The fishing and what you target
This is a bluewater operation. Yellowfin and blackfin tuna are the year round draw on the rigs and the deepwater floaters, with mahi mahi and wahoo in season, white and blue marlin and sailfish on the troll in summer, and swordfish on the deep drop. The mixed bag is a recurring theme in the reviews, which is what you want from a captain reading the day rather than running one program. The boat carries the HMS permit that covers everyone aboard for tuna and billfish, and the recreational yellowfin limit is 3 per person at a 27 inch minimum. The extended and overnight trips are the ones that reach the best of it, since the deep tuna and billfish water is a long run from the pass.
Trips and prices
Captain Morgan sells the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only, with the listed rate starting around $2,200 for an extended full day or overnight offshore trip. As with most Venice boats, the deep tuna and billfish runs are long days, so confirm the exact trip length and the fuel arrangement when you book, since fuel is the swing cost on this coast. It books through its FishingBooker listing, which is where the reviews live and where the rate is posted, so the price is at least transparent up front. Our cost guide sets the Venice numbers in context, and a private boat works out per head only when your group fills the deck.
The crew
David Morgan owns and runs the boat, and that is the operation’s main selling point: the captain you book is the captain who meets you at the dock, with more than a decade of Venice offshore experience behind him. The reviews credit a captain who works hard to find fish and runs a good trip, reflected in the 4.6 rating. The honest qualifier is volume: 33 reviews is a solid base but a moderate one next to the hundreds behind the port’s biggest operations, so there is less history to read, and a single owner operator has no second boat to fall back on if a date is taken or the boat is down. For most anglers the owner-on-the-bridge trade is a good one.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s FishingBooker listing, which carries the reviews and the rate. The boat leaves from Venice, about two hours south of New Orleans, and the offshore trips are long days or overnights, so pack food, drinks, foul weather gear, and motion sickness medication if you need it, and confirm what fuel will add. The boat carries the HMS permit for tuna and billfish, so you do not buy your own. For a value-focused catamaran or a larger roster operation, weigh it against Calcutta Gold and Super Strike Charters.
How we scored it
Captain Morgan Charters scores 7.2, the sixth ranked operation in Venice. Captain and crew and service are its strongest factors, carried by owner operator accountability and a clean 4.6 star record, with the boat, trips, and value steady behind them. It is held below the leaders by a smaller hull than the Venice catamaran norm and a more moderate review volume. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and compare it against the rest of our Venice rankings.