Paradise Outfitters is a 20 year Venice institution and a strong second in our field, a fleet of catamarans and FinCats run by Captain Hunter Caballero out of Cypress Cove Marina. Two things set it apart in the port. It includes fuel in the rate, which on a Venice tuna trip is the single least predictable cost, and it runs the widest offshore menu here, from full day and overnight tuna to the Midnight Lump in winter and a real daytime swordfish program. The depth of the record and the fuel-inclusive pricing carry it near the top. The one honest gap is that it does not post its rates on the site.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 8.1 Paradise Outfitters is a strong choice and the second ranked operation in Venice, behind only Mexican Gulf Fishing Company. It earns the spot on three things: a 20 plus year track record, a fleet deep enough to take a larger party out on several boats, and a trip menu that covers the full Venice offshore calendar. Caballero is one of the better known swordfish and tuna captains on the coast, and the fuel-included pricing removes the surprise that catches people out on other boats. It sits just behind MGFC on the captain and crew factor and on the outright depth of reputation, and the missing piece on value is that you have to ask for the rate rather than read it. Book it for a fuel-inclusive offshore day, especially a swordfish or Midnight Lump trip. For the newest boats in the port, Tuna Town Fishing is the call.
The boats
Paradise runs a fleet built for the Venice run: a 42 foot catamaran and two 41 foot FinCats, the blue and the black, plus a 36 foot Yellowfin. The catamarans are the heart of it, stable, fast hulls that handle the offshore chop and the long run to the floaters, with the room for a serious day of tuna fishing. Each offshore boat carries up to 6 anglers, the six pack limit, and the fleet depth means a group of 8 or 12 can fish together across boats. The boats are well equipped for the program they run, with the tackle and the deep drop gear for swordfish, though the operation leans on the catamarans’ sea keeping and the captains’ knowledge rather than marketing a particular electronics package.
The fishing and what you target
Paradise fishes the full Venice offshore calendar, which is its strongest card. Yellowfin and blackfin tuna are the year round draw on the rigs and floaters; in winter the boats run the Midnight Lump, the underwater salt dome about 50 miles out that stacks tuna and wahoo from January through March; and in summer the targets widen to mahi mahi, blue marlin on the troll, and swordfish on the daytime deep drop, a specialty not every Venice boat runs. The boats carry 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 breadth is the point: whatever is in season, Paradise runs a trip built for it.
Trips and prices
Paradise sells the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only, and its pricing has one clear advantage and one clear drawback. The advantage is that fuel is included, marketed as no surprise costs, which on a port where fuel routinely adds several hundred dollars to over a thousand is a genuine difference. The drawback is that the rate itself is quoted at booking rather than posted, so you cannot compare it against the boats that publish a number without making an inquiry. Bait, tackle, and fish cleaning are included. For a long offshore day where fuel would otherwise be the wild card, the fuel-inclusive structure often nets out competitive with the high-end boats. Our cost guide explains how fuel changes the real cost of a Venice trip.
The crew
Hunter Caballero anchors the operation, with a reputation for swordfish and tuna that reaches well beyond Venice, and the roster behind him, Scott Leger, Renee Luminais, Drew Bateman, Christian Patin, and Geoffrey Rhode, fishes offshore full time. The reviews are deep and strongly positive, with the recurring themes being well run trips, hard working crews, and consistent results across the seasons. As with any multi boat operation, the captain you draw varies, so ask who is running your trip, but the bench here is strong enough that the answer is rarely a concern. The honest qualifier is volume rather than quality: a long record collects the occasional off day, and a handful of reviews note a slow trip, usually on a tough weather window.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site, which runs an online reservation system, and ask for the rate and what fuel inclusion covers for your trip length. The boats leave 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 accordingly: food, drinks, foul weather gear, and motion sickness medication if you need it. The crew cleans and bags your catch. The boats carry the HMS permit for tuna and billfish, so you do not buy your own. For the high-end boat with the deepest reputation, weigh it against MGFC.
How we scored it
Paradise Outfitters scores 8.1, the second ranked operation in Venice. Trips and access and captain and crew are its strongest factors, carried by the widest offshore menu in the port, a swordfish and Midnight Lump program, and a 20 year record under a well known captain. It is held below MGFC by a slightly thinner depth of top end reputation, and on value by the fact that it does not post its rates, though the fuel-inclusive pricing is a real offsetting strength. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and compare it against the rest of our Venice rankings.