Josh Howard

Captain Josh Howard owns Deep South Charters and is one of the top offshore captains running out of Venice, Louisiana, the yellowfin tuna capital of the Gulf. He has landed a Louisiana state record bearded brotula and a 127.8-pound greater amberjack, and he specializes in blue marlin, yellowfin, and wahoo. In his In The Spread videos, Howard teaches live chumming, chunking around oil platforms, surface lure selection for yellowfin and blackfin, and the boat positioning that turns Gulf structure into a feeding zone.

• Mangrove Snapper Fishing
• Saltwater
• Saltwater Fishing Lures
• Yellowfin Tuna Fishing

Instructor's videos

When people talk about yellowfin tuna out of Venice, Louisiana, Josh Howard is one of the first names that comes up. He owns and runs Deep South Charters, and he has spent well over a decade putting clients on the Gulf's biggest tuna out of what is regarded as one of the best offshore fishing ports in the world. Venice is where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico, and in Howard's home waters the wahoo top a hundred pounds, the yellowfin push past two hundred, and the blue marlin break a thousand.

Howard got hooked at ten years old and never let go. He came up fishing the bays and marshes around Leeville for redfish and speckled trout, but the first time he saw blue water he knew where he belonged. That obsession has produced serious results. He holds a Louisiana state record bearded brotula and has landed the state's number two all-time greater amberjack at 127.8 pounds, and his personal best yellowfin sits right at the 200-pound mark he is still chasing.

What makes Howard such a valuable teacher is that Venice tuna fishing does not work like anywhere else. Instead of hunting birds and temperature breaks in open water, the game here is built around oil platforms and the current convergences that create the green water where nutrient-rich flow meets clean Gulf water. Howard has perfected the chunking and chumming methods that turn those spots into feeding zones, using trawl boat by-catch to build a chum slick that pulls yellowfin into range and holds them there. He reads water conditions, current, and moon phase, and he knows exactly how to position on structure.

He is just as sharp on lures, from surface poppers and swimbaits for yellowfin and blackfin to the tackle that survives a big tuna fight.

In his In The Spread videos, Howard breaks down live chumming, chunking around the rigs, surface lure selection, and the gear and boat positioning that make Venice produce. If you want to catch giant yellowfin in the Gulf, he is the source.

Personal website:
https://www.deepsouthcharters.com/