Used as everything from fish camp to fish house, this journey back into time is well worth the time to visit. Back when I first moved to Venice, Florida, Snook Haven is where all who try and set up a head quarters and rendezvous for ReelnFish Charters. Running clients up the river for a chance to mingle with our Florida wildlife and catch Bass to freshwater Channel Catfish. Big cats in the twenty pound plus range on light tackle to cane poles. Camping on the banks or overnight pack-ins. Moving down stream we would catch everything from Snook to Reds and if the tides are right, you can catch Bull sharks on one side of the river and Bass on the other, along with an occasional Blue crab too. Now retired to angling and writing about it I enjoy my visits back where “Tarzan” slept lazily along an out stretched branch of a giant oak draped with Spanish moss beyond the restaurant's waterfront, back deck. There one can find a canoe tucked between a fleet canoes to kayaks loosely tied to the aging dock. Here you can elect to explore the slow-moving waters by powerboat or as Snook Haven's slogan states - "You and a Canoe" – paradise to me! In the canoe, the river is yours, at eye level with the crocks, the beauty is bountiful.
Snook Haven is on the sun-dappled shores of the winding Myakka River in Venice. Think giant oaks draped with Spanish moss, graceful cabbage palms, and tea-colored waters flowing by. Two movies have been filmed there, the most famous a Tarzan flick called Revenge of the Killer Turtles. On Thursdays, the public is invited to hear the Gulf Coast Banjo Society practice from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and every Sunday the place overflows with weekend bikers and other regulars who gather round the shaded outdoor picnic tables to listen to live music.
For
overnight stays, you can bring your own RV or rent one of the fully
furnished cabins. Call first, though, as many are undergoing
renovation. Snook Haven also offers guided pontoon boat charters up
and down the Myakka River. Bring a camera; one November afternoon,
one of the largest alligators the boat captain said he’s ever seen
charged the charter and dove straight under. Even grown men shrieked.
But the boat also meanders down some spectacularly scenic stretches
of pristine county-owned lands that will never be developed.
Mike
and Donna Pachota, with their son Justin and daughter-in-law Cheri,
are the new concessionaires at Snook Haven. Pachota is planning a
smokehouse menu with a variety of smoked meats and southern-style
sides such as collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese. The
banjos will be back. Count on bluegrass jams every week under the
oaks and cabbage palms. The canoe and pontoon boat rentals are coming
back too, along with a new menu and some craft beers to sip on the
deck overlooking a scenic river bend. A new kitchen to go along with
a new smokehouse menu. Some of the first through the door like Venice
resident Terry Tingley are taking notice. "The place looks 150%
better on the inside then it ever has. The outside is still wild and
wonderful. The Duyn's
said the alligator is will soon be on display at the Snook Haven
Restaurant in Venice. Hank Duyn and Shawn Koss were in a 14-foot John
boat on the Myakka River, Monday, when they made the catch. Two
friends on a hunting trip ended up catching a 12-foot gator. Just
another new member to the unforgetable toppings of Snook Haven and
those killer tomatoes!
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