Author: Capt. Scott Goodwin

Grey triggerfish are an excellent eating fish. I think they are as good as any snapper, but even a little firmer. They do have a very tough hide, but with a few tricks and a little practice, cleaning them is as easy as any other fish. First we have to catch them. They are very aggressive eaters, responsible for many missing baits and chewed up live baits. They have a very small, narrow mouth full of sharp teeth. I use a two-hook dropper rig built with three way swivels and 50# mono and a very small, but strong hooks. Small…

Outriggers are by far one of the most important tools on the boat when trolling offshore. However, if you don’t set up your outriggers properly, the halyard lines that run up the riggers can get in the way and become a nuisance. Here are a couple of things we do to streamline our outrigger setups, make them look great and function better. First we get a local machine shop to drill out a stainless steel bolt and polish it up. This makes a very sharp-looking and weatherproof pass through for the line that holds the lower halyard pulley. To install…

Quite often a boat, especially around salty environments, develops quirks and things begin to work intermittently or stop all together.  First I check fuses if they are in the system and then I start checking connections for corrosion and making sure they are tight. If you see green on the outside, you probably found your problem, or one you’re about to have.  Its pretty simple to clean a connection, except for the fact that its in a boat, which usually means you need to stand on your head and be double-jointed. Battery leads can get corrosion on them and cleaning…

Sometimes gaffing fish is as much fun as catching them!  But its only fun once you’ve had the opportunity to practice it and feel confident it will end well.  Here are some gaffing tips to make sure the fish ends up in the box and no one is in the hospital when it does. Gaffing Tips Pick the right gaff for the job. Make sure your gaff stays sharp. Keep the boat slow ahead if you’re trolling. Coach the angler about what’s going to happen. Communicate loudly with the captain and crew Ask people to stand back and make room…

Capt. Scott Goodwin shares his method to clean cobia and most other large-bodied fish. First step is to make a cut behind the head/gills area. Cut downward until you touch the spine. Then I move to the tail and start making an incision up the back. I’m only cutting an inch deep on this pass. Cut along the back, just above the fins, until you reach your first cut by the gill. Your basically just cutting the skin at this point. Now go back to the head and do the same shallow cut along the belly side. I leave the…

There are many many different ways to rig a ballyhoo and the reasons for variation depend on your target fish, location, sea conditions and the class of tackle you will be using. Preping the ballyhoo for rigging is often the same, but after that you can take many different paths. Here I will show you how to rig a “split-billed” ballyhoo. It is a variation on the “dink” rigged ballyhoo that is often used for targeting sailfish, but it works equally well when dolphin (dorado) are around. Dink fishing is a very specific style of fishing and the entire system…

Wahoo Fishing The quiet rumble of 1050 horsepower pushing the boat along at 15 knots is enough to lull you into daydreams, but the roaring clicker of a Shimano Tiagra 130 dumping line at 15 knots will snap you back to reality in a heartbeat. I had the pleasure of joining the crew of the “Fishin A Loan” out of Ponce Inlet, Florida recently. It was a gorgeous October day. Calm seas and warm temperatures did not have the feel of normal winter wahoo conditions that one might normally endure. I was fishing with Kevin Marsh the owner of the…

Preparation and bait rigging ahead of time is one of the key elements to running a consistently successful fishing crew. You never want to waste time scurrying around the boat looking for something when the bite turns on. There are many elements of rigging that are repetitive, and figuring out ways to mass-produce things of equal lengths can save you a lot of time. For example, cutting a large supply of bait leaders for trolling or storing a stash of precut rigging floss for your circle hook ballyhoo rigs are two easy ways to keep you in the game. The…

Well its darn near a tradition and this year’s pilgrimage to the Buras Marsh Media Bash at Cajun Fishing Adventures was awesome yet again. Though the trip started like a scene from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, the broken plane, storm delays and the late night rental car trip could not stop us from joining the 3rd annual gathering of outdoor writers and innovative companies that make up this unique event. For the last three years, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing Louisiana’s incredible fishing and awesome hospitality in the capable hands of the Cajun Fishing Adventures lodge in Buras Marsh,…

Editor’s Note: “I wrote this article a few years back, but was reminded of it again after reading that the recent floodwaters of Harvey and Irma can expose all of those dealing with floodwater to these dangers.  Floodwaters are contaminated with a host of compounds, from sewage, pesticides, chemicals and Vibrio.  Anyone who is working in or exposed to floodwaters should be extremely vigilant with open cuts or exposure.  Get medical help immediatly if you see reddened areas or have any symptoms at all.  We are even getting reports of raw sewage having to be pumped out of lift stations…

Whenever I am setting up leaders and rigs using anything over 100-pound test, I generally use crimps instead of knots to secure my connections, swivels, etc. Crimps are tried and true when done properly and only require a few special tools. You’ll find several varieties of crimps on the market to choose from including double and single sleeve, aluminum and copper. All of these crimps are secured the same way, but some have specific applications. Aluminum and copper crimps are both used for mono leaders, but copper is preferred for crimping wire cable due to the corrosion of dissimilar metals.…

The “braid revolution” as I call it has pretty much taken over many fisheries and many anglers don’t even remember when it wasn’t around (showing my age). As braided lines have evolved, improved or specialized, the fact that you still need a trace leader on the end remains true, but not in everyone’s mind. Here in the clear waters of Florida, Bahamas and the Caribbean, using fluorocarbon leaders have become the normal essential. Once over the sticker price of fluoro, anglers learn that it is an essential tool for getting strikes from wary fish that have acute eyesight. The low…

Last year I got to review Cuda’s Titanium Bonded Fillet Knife along with other great tools and it turned out to be a great knife for the price point, but now I’ve had the opportunity to fillet some fish with the new Cuda Professional Knives.  They have a higher price tag, but the quality is higher to match. The Cuda Professional grade knives have a Titanium Bonded, Non-Stick USA 40A Carpenter Steel, these knives provide the ultimate level of edge retention and corrosion-resistance. Titanium Bonded is not painted or plated but an application of a unique formulation of titanium, chromium and nitride…

Having fresh line is one of the most important aspects to the sport of fishing, so any tip to help make the chore easier is a good one. Here is how I often changed line during my years of running sportfishing boats. It makes it a one-man job and works well. Here it is pictured in the cockpit of a boat, but you can rig it to do at home as well. I built a small stand with a rod holder in it for home operations. Here’s How: Take a five-gallon bucket and drill a hole near the top in…

As a central part of rigging a boat for fishing, a good first aid kit and the knowledge to use it is essential. More essential is having a kit because it does no good to know what to do and not have the medical tools to help someone. The joys of fishing are hard to enumerate and put in words, but fishing and boating is also full of the inherent possibility of injury. In other words, there are a lot of sharp, pokey things in fishing. Anglers and crews must take great care to avoid and prevent accidents because real medical help…

I’ve taken a little ribbing over the last seven years about my decision to stay covered up in the sun.  But I’m not doing it for looks or approval, but more out of a fear of skin cancer.  Now, if I have skin exposed to the harsh Florida sunshine, I feel like it’s burning a hole in me. Now I’ve not just worn any old long sleeve shirt, one has to choose something cool or heat stroke will get you long before the cancer can.  I’ve tried a variety of long sleeve technical shirts and have had varying success.  I…

If you own a boat, the odds are high that you’ve had to add, fix or replace some part of your boat wiring systems.  If you have not, you’ve not owned your boat for very long. Wiring in new components or cleaning up bad connections is not hard, other than reaching them. But like any job, the proper tools and those little tips from experience make the job go so much easier. Many times the wiring has to fit in a pipe or be pulled through an already wire-packed run.  If this is the case, it helps to keep your…

Here is a great way to throw dock lines to a piling or cleat on the dock without having to be a professional cowboy.  Often times when docking a boat, getting the first dock line to the dock can be challenging, especially if it is windy or the current is strong.  Often in these conditions, your first attempt needs to work or the boat can get in trouble. I learned this method years ago while traveling and it works great. Use dock lines that are twice the length you need to reach the dock so that you have enough length to throw it.  Grab…

The following statement is a no-brainer, but I have to say it — using a sharp non rusty fish hook is the most core element to being successful at any and all types of fishing. The surprising thing is that many hooks are pretty dull right out of the box. The first thing I do when I get some new hooks is I test them out to see how sharp they are. More often than not, I end up taking a file to the hook to sharpen it up and create the point that I want. Then I test the…

A Live Target Glass Minnow Walking Bait with Mustad Inline hooks.Anglers are catching on to the idea that a single hooks are better than a cluster of treble hooks on one’s lures for staying hooked during the fight.  Mustad, a leader in the world of fish hooks for 184 years, is one step ahead and has already perfected the super-sharp inline single hook that they named the Kaiju or Mustad #10121NP-DT. Mustad Kaiju Inline Single Hooks “The Kaiju Inline Single Hooks were introduced in 2015 and have enjoyed a steady rise in popularity and sales”, said Reid McKinstry, Mustad’s Sales Manager…

Tackle Trays Dividers – Tackle Trays Organizer  Organizing your tackle is key to being ready for all situations. The advent of plastic tackle trays has made it possible to keep different sizes of hooks or weights separated and organized. Once you figure out the layout of the different removable dividers, you can load up your tray and then label the tray so you know exactly where each type of hook or size is located. This makes it much faster to change out your gear. Unfortunately, the little plastic dividers that slide into the grooves to make the various compartments like…

Have you ever wanted to build your own custom length hook sets for your trolling lures? It is not hard, once you gather the tools for working with stainless cable and heavy crimps.  The cable creates a very durable component for the hook and offers protection and success for wahoo bites.  The cable is all hidden inside the skirt of the lure and connected to the appropriate sized mono leader in front of the lure.  For years we made double hook sets, but now for the last 15 we’ve been using single hooks and the hook up is about the…

One of the most tedious things incurred when rigging a wire leader is backing the wire off of the coil that it comes in a little bit at a time. It can take several minutes just to get the leader you need and if you’re not careful the entire spool of wire will unravel and explode like a Slinky. To save ourselves a lot of time and hassle I convert the packaging that the coil of wire leader comes in into a dispenser. Once done, you wont have to take the wire out of the plastic bag it comes in to pull…

It is a common event amongst boaters to travel to new destinations to sample fishing that you cannot do at home. Whether you are in a larger boat traveling by water or trailering your boat and keeping it in a rented slip once you arrive, you will be tying up your boat in a strange slip. It takes a little while to adjust your lines for the size of the slip or the local tidal fluctuations, but once your confident in the placement of the lines, you can mark them temporarily for the rest of your stay. In a hometown…