Cocodrie Crew Makes Long Run to Venice, Lands Trophy Yellowfin Tuna

A nearly 200-pound yellowfin doesn't come easy, and Jerry Menard's crew knows exactly what it cost them to put one in the boat.

The Cocodrie-based crew made the long haul to Venice fishing grounds on March 18 and returned with a trophy yellowfin tuna tipping the scales at 195.8 pounds. It wasn't their first attempt at the run. The crew had made multiple trips before this one paid off, which makes the fish all the more satisfying to look at in Menard's submitted photo.

That kind of persistence is something Venice regulars understand. The run from Cocodrie isn't a casual day trip. You're committing serious time and fuel to reach the blue water that holds fish like this, and when conditions or luck don't cooperate, you go home empty and start planning the next one. Menard's crew did exactly that, and on the third or fourth try, or however many it took, they put 195.8 pounds of yellowfin in the box.

For Gulf anglers, a yellowfin over 150 pounds is legitimately trophy class. Breaking 195 puts you in a different conversation entirely. Fish like that are typically found holding around structure or bait concentrations well offshore, and Venice remains one of the most productive launch points in the Gulf for targeting big yellowfin precisely because of how quickly the bottom drops away and how close the blue water sits to the docks.

The report, submitted to Louisiana Sportsman with Menard's photo credit, adds the catch to what has been a productive stretch in Gulf of Mexico yellowfin waters this season.