Champion Charters is a long running owner operator in Venice, a capable 39 foot Yellowfin under Captain Chandler that has fished the rigs and floaters for nearly two decades and books around 350 trips a year. It posts its prices plainly, which several Venice boats will not do, and many reviewers credit a captain who works hard to put them on tuna. It ranks eighth, in the mixed tier, because the record is genuinely split: against the good trips run sharply negative reviews reporting a crew that made little effort, and the booking terms, a non-refundable deposit and an expected tip of at least 20 percent, are firm enough to factor in before you commit.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.5 Champion Charters is a mixed pick: book it with caveats, depending on the trip. The case for it is a long record, a capable boat, and transparent pricing. Nearly 20 years and 350 trips a year is real volume, the 39 foot Yellowfin is a proven offshore hull, and the rates are posted, full day, overnight, and inshore, which makes it easy to compare. The case against it is the split in the reviews. For every account of Captain Chandler grinding to find tuna, there is one reporting a disengaged crew and a trip that did not deliver, and the spread is wide enough to be a real risk rather than the odd bad day. The non-refundable deposit and the stated 20 percent tip expectation add to the caution. Book it with eyes open. For a steadier owner operator at a similar size, Captain Morgan is the alternative.
The boat
Champion runs two boats. The offshore boat is a 39 foot Yellowfin center console with triple 350 horsepower Yamaha engines, a proven Gulf hull that reaches the rigs and the floaters and fishes up to 6 anglers, the six pack limit. The inshore partner is a 24 foot Blue Wave bay boat for the marsh trips. The offshore boat is not the weak point in the reviews; it is a capable platform, and the operation’s volume keeps it working. As a center console it gives up some cabin comfort to the catamarans higher in the ranking on a long run, but it is well suited to the day tuna fishing that is its bread and butter.
The fishing and what you target
Champion fishes the Venice offshore card: yellowfin tuna the headline on the rigs and floaters, with mahi mahi, wahoo, and the occasional billfish in summer, swordfish on the deep drop, and cobia, red snapper, grouper, and tilefish on the bottom and the structure. Inshore, the Blue Wave runs the marsh for redfish, trout, and flounder. The boat carries the HMS permit that covers everyone aboard for tuna, and the recreational yellowfin limit is 3 per person at a 27 inch minimum. The offshore full day and the overnight are the trips that reach the best tuna water, and the operation’s experience on those grounds is genuine, which is what makes the service inconsistency the more frustrating part of the record.
Trips and prices
Champion sells the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only, and it posts its rates, which is a point in its favor. The offshore full day, 10 to 12 hours, is $2,350 for the boat plus fuel; the offshore overnight, 24 hours, is $4,800 plus fuel; and inshore trips run $1,100 to $1,300. Two terms belong in the real total: a $600 non-refundable deposit reserves the date, and the operation states that a tip of at least 20 percent of the trip cost is expected. Those are firmer than most, and combined with fuel they push the real cost of an offshore day well above the headline rate, so budget for it. Our cost guide breaks down how fuel and tips build the final Venice number.
The crew
This is where the record splits. Captain Chandler owns and runs the operation, and many reviewers describe a captain who works hard, knows the grounds, and put them on tuna, the basis for the operation’s long run and its repeat business. Set against that is a recurring strand of sharply negative reviews reporting a crew that made little effort to find or work the fish, and the distance between the two is wide. A Facebook recommendation rate in the low 90s across 65 reviews sits alongside one-star accounts on the open platforms, which is the signature of an operation whose quality varies trip to trip. With a single owner operator the accountability is at least clear, so read the recent reviews and talk to the captain about the plan before you book.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator, and go in clear on the terms: the $600 deposit is non-refundable, and the 20 percent tip is stated as expected, so confirm both up front. The boat leaves from Cypress Cove Marina at 235 Cypress Cove Road in 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. The boat carries the HMS permit for tuna. Given the split record, read the most recent reviews and confirm the trip plan in writing. For a steadier pick at a similar size, weigh it against Captain Morgan.
How we scored it
Champion Charters scores 6.5, a mixed pick and the eighth ranked operation in Venice. Boat, trips, and access are its steadier factors, carried by a capable 39 foot Yellowfin, a long record, and posted prices. It is held in the mixed tier by value and transparency, track record, and the captain and crew score, the product of a genuinely split review record and firm deposit and tip terms. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and weigh it against the rest of the Venice fleet.