Author: Capt. Scott Goodwin

Capt. Scott Goodwin shares his experience as a professional boat captain. Building your own chammy mop can help you keep your boat looking new.

Boat Rigging Tips Well, I hope everyone got some new gadgets for their boats for Christmas.  I got the new Micro Anchor from Power Pole and I’ve been dying to get one for 8 months because I knew how much it would revolutionize the type of fishing that I’m doing on the flats of the Indian River here in Central Florida.  It really is a game changer, especially since I’m often by myself just before work.  The ability to silently stop the boat with the push of a button around my neck is solid gold. Installing it jumped the line…

PENN Clash Meets Crocodile Bay Resort Here is another clip from the recent Penn Clash event held at the Crocodile Bay Resort in Costa Rica. The Penn Clash is the latest in Penn’s long line of reel technology, but the Clash has taken smooth function and durability to the next level.  It is the only reel in this price range that offers durable stainless steel gears that can take the punishment of modern braided lines. I’ve used the Clash here in Florida and now I’ve spent a week putting it to the test in Costa Rica.  It has performed flawlessly and is…

Bonita Strip Baits The belly meat from a little tunny, nick named bonita, works great for making strip baits. You can troll the strips, or fish them off of the bottom. They’re super easy to make and extremely effective. Just follow the directions outlined over the course of this photo essay. Bonita Strip First, make a cut behind the gills until you get to the spine. Then fillet towards the tail, cutting just above the backbone. After that remove the fillet off of each side of the fish at its full thickness. Strip Cut out the row of bones down…

I always try to minimize the amount of holes we drill into our boat, but every now and then a hole is necessary to mount a new accessory. To prevent gelcoat and fiberglass from chipping or creating spider cracks, follow these steps. Using blue painter’s tape, mask off the general area where you will be mounting the new accessory. The tape will avoid scratches and provides a good background to make your marks for drilling. Remember, measure twice, drill once! It’s a tried-and-true philosophy that you really need to embrace when you’re about to drill into your boat. How to…

Slot Redfish While I never mind releasing redfish to catch again one day, I equally enjoy keeping a nice slot size red for dinner.  Here is a quick How To on the method I use to fillet a redfish and most other saltwater inshore fish. Sharp Knife One of the key elements of fish cleaning is to use a sharp knife.  This new fillet knife from Penn has just the right flex and a comfortable grip on the handle.  Here is how I keep them sharp between fish cutting sessions. First Cut I first make a cut behind the gill…

Penn Reels have been interwoven into the fabric of sportfishing for as long as most of us reading this can remember. Since 1933, Penn has been making reels in their Philadelphia based locations and during those 82 years, the crew at Penn has been innovating and evolving with the sport itself. Penn International In 1966, that evolution took a great leap with the release of the now famous Penn International series.  This reel gave anglers the ability to tackle even larger fish all over the globe. So it is with that longstanding tradition of quality, innovation and experience that Penn…

Louisiana’s Cajun Fishing Adventures Lodge I recently had the pleasure of attending the first annual Buras Marsh Media Bash at Cajun Fishing Adventures  lodge in Louisiana. The event was a gathering of fishing industry leaders and outdoor writers to share some great fishing and test out, first hand, some really cool new products. Cajun Fishing Adventures Lodge The lodge is very comfortable and well appointed.  Cajun Fishing Adventures caters to corporate gatherings as well as family fun. They took great care of us and the event ran very smoothly. Mustad Hooks and Tools Mustad was an integral part of the event and…

I like to be in a constant state of learning. Practice and exposure to other techniques has helped me dial in a system for cleaning a particular fish. After cleaning thousands of tuna, I found that using this technique helps you speedily get through your catch, gives good access to the “meat” and produces clean, ready-to-eat meat. This is How I Clean Tuna Fish Start by slicing down behind the head/gill area until you hit the spine. Slice towards tail along the back, only an inch or so in. Start slicing along the belly the same way you did on the dorsal side of…

I’ve spent my entire life on or around the water at every chance I could get. Now after 24 years of fishing professionally, I feel like I’ve gotten more than my share of sunshine. I’ve always been conscious of the dangers and have worn sunscreen, hats and glasses. But not until the loss of my Dad to skin cancer five years ago had I taken the plunge to wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts during Florida summers. Of course fishing in tropical places, the hot temperatures make contemplating wearing long sleeve shirts and long pants a daunting thought. I…

My first introduction to the new Penn Clash spinning reel was at the 2015 ICAST tackle convention in Orlando, Florida. The crew from Penn was proud of their latest creation and the many new features and technologies that were built into the Clash. The Clash is Penn’s answer to a lighter, smoother and more durable reel that higher-end markets are seeking. Penn has been making reels since 1932, when founder Otto Henze set out to make the world’s highest quality fishing tackle. That same drive is what pushes a modern Penn company to innovate and evolve, often ahead of the…

Coming from a career as a charter boat and private boat captain, I have had the opportunity to clean a lot of fish. Everyone who has cleaned fish before will know this common truth. Nothing is worse than a dull knife when filleting fish. In fact, I would go as far to say that cutting fish with a dull knife is more dangerous to your person, than using one that is razor sharp. Now either one will cut you, but when struggling with a dull knife, one has a tendency to be pushing harder and struggling to cut which leads to…

Reel Maintenance Fishing in salt water exposes your equipment to some of the harshest conditions possible. Salt is the enemy. If left unchecked, it will destroy your equipment. As a routine, we soap our rod and reels after each day of fishing. I say if the salt goes there, the soap goes there. After the reels have dried, we give them a light spray of lubricant and then wipe down all of the excess. One key factor to both of these steps is to fully lock up the drag during the process.  This will squeeze the drag washers together and keep…

Rigging for the Deep Drop Deep drop fishing is a unique facet to bottom fishing for grouper, snapper and much more.  It can be a day maker and will regularly have you saying, ” I’ve never seen that before, what is it?”  Some consider it boring, and like all fishing it can have slow times.  The nature of dropping your bait  800 to 2000-feet takes time to get down and even longer to come back up, but the suspense of what it might be pulling and the incredible edibility of most captures makes this a worthy option. Of course the…

G. Loomis Rods How does one describe a good fishing rod to someone with just words? The fish pictures help, but the essence of quality and the difference it makes is so ethereal that it is certainly a challenge to describe, but I will give it a go for my recent trial of the G. Loomis E6X inshore rod. Yes you can catch a fish on just about any rod you can scrounge up, but as one gets deeper into the sport or a specific fishery, the qualities of the rod come into play. The action, length and components like…

Whether you run a center console or a sport-fisher with a flying bridge, odds are there is some sort of enclosure or curtain on your boat. If you don’t take care of the material that makes up the clear windows in the curtains, often referred to isinglass, the sun and salt will make quick work of the material and hamper your view. Boat manufacturers use several types of clear plastic or vinyl for the windows of an enclosure. Some use a hard EZ2CY material while others use Strataglass or isinglass, which you can roll up. There are several other types,…

Here is a variation of my previous double hook strip with wire leader.  I use monofilament or fluorocarbon leader when I’m targeting dolphin, tuna or billfish.  The double hook also offers some protection from an unexpected fish with teeth, like wahoo and kingfish. I’m going to refer you to the previous tip to see how to make the double hook sets from the appropriate sized Mustad hooks.  Building the hook set is the same and so is the rigging.  It is very forgiving if you are new to rigging baits compared to a ballyhoo and it will last much longer…

One of the go to baits that I use when fishing inshore saltwater here in Central Florida is a Berkeley Gulp Shrimp on a lightweight jig head. Here I’m using the new Mustad Elite Football jig head that is coming out in 2016. Super sharp and strong, these jig heads have an extended hook shank, which sets the hook further back in the shrimp body and helps reduce short strikes. Gulp baits of any shape are excellent choices. They combine the fish-catching aspect of scented baits with the inherent benefit of covering more water when fishing artificial baits. Rigging the Berkley…

Mustad Elite Jig Heads I’ll be the first to tell you that I do miss fishing and running boats for a living, but I also enjoy the steady aspect of talking about fishing everyday.   One of the perks of this position is getting to see the latest advances in fishing products and sometimes getting to take them for a test drive. This is a case in point for that.  Recently the industry gathered at ICAST in Orlando, Florida to showoff the latest and greatest new products for the upcoming year and I’m not alone when I say we saw some…

Reel Seat Fishing Rod We all know that you need to lubricate your fishing reel on a regular basis to keep it running like new. However, there is one area that is usually overlooked when it comes to adding some protective reel grease or lubricant — the reel seat. Before I put a reel on a rod, I place a little bit of light grease on the reel seat to prevent corrosion in the contact points where the reel meets the reel seat on the rod. Put a dab of grease on the threaded studs of the reel clamp and…

When I catch a dolphin or dorado in the West, I get excited for more than just a great dinner. I recycle the dolphin bellies back into baits that are very durable and versatile. It only takes a few minutes to make the most of your catch. After filleting the dolphin, I flip the carcass belly up and cut down behind the pelvic fin. Then I cut back towards the tail and take out the belly triangle. Strip the guts out of the belly and set aside. (In this picture I was cutting in front of the pelvic fin to…

Simrad has long been a standard name in the marine electronics industry, but now more than ever; the Simrad brand stands for quality and innovation. With the aggressive goal to improve existing products and create totally new technologies, the Simrad team works tirelessly to deliver new products at an unbelievable pace, while maintaining quality and user friendly systems. The newest HALO Radar system is no exception and brings unprecedented capabilities to recreational boaters and fishermen. The HALO Pulse Compression Radar is the world’s first high-performance solid-state, open-array radar system using pulse compression technology that is designed for the recreational and…

Key West Bait Cure “Fishing good cured live bait is key to putting your best offering out there to fool even the wisest of predators”, said Capt. Rush Maltz of Odyssea Key West Sportfishing Charters. “The more care you give the bait, the better they will last and swim on the hook, increasing your chances of success at sailfish, tuna, dolphin, and wahoo.” While there are many ways to rig these baits, one common theme is to cure the bait for maximum presentation. What is a cured bait? Curing baits simply refers to the process of catching the bait well…

Mono Ballyhoo Rig I’ve spent some time showing some variations of rigging ballyhoo on mono leader, but I realized that while it is simple, I never showed how to build the rig. So here are the steps to building one of the simplest, yet most effective trolling rigs in fishing. The rig can be made out of various sized hardware and leader to match the quarry and the amount of pressure you will be using. You can rig them as individual leaders with hooks, or right to the wind-on leader like we do for tuna fishing. The possibilities are endless…