VooDoo Fishing Charters is one of the larger and better known operations in Venice, with fast offshore boats, a roster of captains, and lodging that sleeps up to 12, and on its good days it delivers exactly what people come to Venice for: a captain and mate working as a tight team, a quick run to the rigs, and a box of heavy yellowfin. It ranks seventh because the record is genuinely mixed. Alongside the strong trips run a recurring set of complaints, about communication before the trip, about crews that vary with who you draw, and about deckhands who work the rods instead of handing the fight to the client, that a reader deciding where to book needs to weigh.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.8 VooDoo is a mixed pick: book it with caveats, depending on the trip. The strengths are real. The boats are fast and comfortable, the lodging makes it a genuine option for a large group, and the best reviews describe a slick operation and serious catches, including yellowfin over 130 pounds in a day. The weaknesses are just as real and recur too often to set aside: several reviewers report poor pre-trip communication, a quality of experience that swings with the crew assigned, and, most pointedly, deckhands who fight the fish themselves rather than coaching the paying angler through it, which for some defeats the purpose of the trip. It sits below the boats above it not on the fishing but on consistency and service. Book it with eyes open. For a more consistently reviewed operation at a similar tier, Super Strike is the steadier choice.
The boat
VooDoo runs a fleet of fast offshore boats, the kind built to get a group from the pass to the floaters quickly and fish them in comfort, with beanbag seating for the run. The operation markets the boats and the lodging more than a published spec sheet, so we score the boat on what is confirmed, capable fast offshore hulls fishing up to 6 anglers, rather than on lengths and models it does not post. The boats are not the weak point in the reviews; the fishing platform itself draws praise. The fleet depth and the lodging are what let the operation take large parties, which is a genuine strength for a group trip and part of why the trips and access factor holds up.
The fishing and what you target
Offshore, VooDoo fishes the Venice standards: yellowfin and blackfin tuna on the rigs and floaters, mahi mahi and wahoo in season, and blue marlin in summer, with red snapper on the rigs when that season is open. Inshore, the guides run the marsh for redfish, speckled trout, drum, and flounder, so a mixed group can split offshore and inshore days. 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. When the operation is on, the catches are among the best in the port; the variability is in the service around the fishing, not the fishing grounds.
Trips and prices
VooDoo sells the whole boat, private only, and frequently as a fish-and-stay package with lodging that sleeps up to 12. It does not post a simple rate card, which is part of the value and transparency mark against it: one recent customer reported a full offshore day for three anglers running over $3,000 once the boat, the fuel, and the tip were counted, which puts it in the high-end Venice range, but the bare rate is hard to pin down without an inquiry. Confirm the rate, the fuel arrangement, and exactly what a package includes before you book. Our cost guide explains how fuel and tips build the real Venice total, and the lodging changes the math again.
The crew
The crew is the crux of the mixed record. VooDoo runs a rotating roster, with captains named Chad, Alan, Zack, and Tuck turning up across the reviews, and the spread in those reviews is wide. The best describe a captain and mate in lockstep and a deck that hustles; the worst describe poor communication setting the trip up badly and deckhands who take over the rods, leaving the client watching rather than fighting the fish. The pattern is consistent enough to be a finding rather than noise: the experience depends heavily on which crew you draw. That is the single most important thing to manage when booking, so ask who is running your trip and make clear you want to fight your own fish.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator, and if a large group is the point, ask about the fish-and-stay lodging packages. The boats leave from Sports Marina at 327 Sports Marina Road in Venice, about two hours south of New Orleans, and the offshore trips are long days, so pack food, drinks, foul weather gear, and motion sickness medication if you need it. The boats carry the HMS permit for tuna and billfish. Given the variability in the reviews, read the most recent ones and confirm the trip details in writing. For a steadier operation, weigh it against Tuna Town Fishing and Super Strike.
How we scored it
VooDoo Fishing Charters scores 6.8, a mixed pick and the seventh ranked operation in Venice. Boat and equipment and trips and access are its strongest factors, carried by fast boats, a deep fleet, and group lodging, and the fishing itself draws real praise. It is held in the mixed tier by value and transparency, track record, and service, the product of unpublished rates and a recurring pattern of communication and crew-consistency complaints. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and weigh it against the rest of the Venice fleet.