Getaways: Cocodrie Charters

Throughout the country, there are a few regions that feel as if fishing is as natural as the trees that grow or the oxygen in the air. In many of these areas, fishing is a way of life and puts food on the table for hundreds of hard-working anglers and captains. One such area is the marshy coast of southern Louisiana, where dedicated men and women learn from an early age to respect the water and the provisions it yields in the form of fish, shrimp, and other stock. Off the coast of the Terrebone Bay, in Cocodrie, Louisiana, rests Cocodrie Charters, a lodge and guide service established and maintained by such seasoned and dedicated anglers, where travelling fishermen can expect to catch a limit of regional species, along with some Southern hospitality.

Cocodrie Charters consists of a private boat house on the Bayou Petit, a tributary that leads to larger lakes and eventually, the Gulf of Mexico. Above the boat house is a stretch of condos that have the capacity to hold up to twenty people. Each condo has a bathroom with a shower and tub, full living room with television, free wireless internet, and comfortable living quarters with central air. The lodge also houses a dining room and a covered patio, where guests can relax and enjoy a meal.

In the boat house there are six bay boats, used by each of the certified guides that help run the charter. Furthermore, the charter is just that—a charter—which means that it is fully equipped for fishing. There is a 1000-gallon ethanol-free fuel tank on hand, an ice machine that produces 800 pounds of ice each day and a freezer on hand that holds 3000 pounds of bagged ice, and a cleaning shed where your guide will clean the day’s catch at the end of the day.

There are five captains, including the owner of the charter, who can help guests fill the cooler with species like speckled trout and redfish. The guides run boats in and out of the marshy coast, as well as further out where the oil rigs and natural reefs offer great action.

I’ve had the privilege of fishing around Terrebone Bay in the past and I can tell you that those who know the area will catch fish, and Cocodrie Charters has established a reputation as one of the best guide services in the area. Fishing in southern Louisiana can be some of the most exciting and rewarding fishing you’ll find, and anyone heading down South any time soon will do well to look them up if they want to fill the cooler!

For more information on Cocodrie Charters, including rates and reservations, visit www.rodnreel/cocofish.comor contact the charter directly at 985-594-6200.