InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
    • Champion’s Cup
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

Then and Now: InTheBite’s 2006 Captain of the Year, Ronnie Woodruff

August 31, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

As told to Ric Burnley

After more 30 years on the water, Capt. Ronnie Woodruff still has the passion of a wide-eyed kid working the docks at Orange Beach Marina.

“My family was always into fishing. I got my first job at eleven years old, pumping fuel at the Dog River Marina. Guys would pull up in their 50-footers and I knew that was what I wanted to do. When I was 16, I started working at Orange Beach Marina and it wasn’t long before I got a job fishing on the Sales Lady with Capt. Mike Patrick. Fishing is all I ever wanted to do. I tried college but I was always dreaming of fishing. I got my captain’s license in 1992 and in 1996, Art Favre hired me to run Work of Art.”

Now Woodruff captains the 68′ Viking Liquid Apple, out of Orange Beach, Alabama, which he has been with since last year.

“The year that I won Captain of the Year was a hell of a season for us. We won a pile of money that year, but that doesn’t matter—what does is that we came together as a team. One of the first lessons I learned from Mike Patrick was that preparation is key. I always say, ‘piss poor preparation makes for piss poor performance.’”

“One of the biggest mistakes is not communicating with the crew. Sportfishing is a team sport. There is no room for individuals. It takes team effort to kill a big fish, but it all comes back to the captain’s ability to communicate. When we’re killing a fish, my owner likes to run the boat, which is cool because I get to be back in the pit again. I’m the first guy to lay the steel to a blue marlin. My favorite thing is to wire up a big blue one. I’ve always liked to catch the biggest fish. Even when I was younger I wasn’t interested in catching a hundred fish, I wanted to catch the biggest one that I could.”

“I still remember my first blue marlin. We were at Tuna Mountain, the water was green as grass and there were tunas as far as we could see. We caught a 140-pounder right off the bat. Put the lines back in, go 300 yards and hook another big fish. We never saw it until it came through the green water. That was the first marlin I ever wired. We won $38,000 and I was hooked for life after that.”

“Since I won Captain of the Year, teams have become more professional which makes the playing field more even. It used to be a bunch of rednecks getting drunk and driving around catching fish. Now the fishing is harder and the teams have to be on their game. I love to see other people catch fish, the smile on their face when they catch a big one and the look when they get wrecked.”

Even Woodruff’s son, Chase, goes out with him making the young man a fourth-generation fisherman.

“Even when I’m not fishing on my boat, I head offshore with one of my buddies. After all these years, I still love it.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: Captain, Captain of the Year, COTY

    Recent News

    Builder’s Choice Repeats as Marina Casa de Campo Open Champion

    Builder’s Choice, a 64-foot Jarrett Bay, hasn’t fished the Marina Casa de Campo Open for two years, but the team never missed a beat. The boat led the field of 14 boats from the start to win the 2023 Marina Casa de Campo Open, which concluded last wee … [Read More...]

    Mission and Purpose

    By Ken Kreisler “To be or not to be.” While this well-known Shakespearean quote is not associated with the boating experience, if we filter it through our marine sensibilities, it just might be coaxed into reading this way: Walkaround, express or con … [Read More...]

    2023 Chub Cay Classic Won by Following Seas

    Following Seas, a 58-foot Viking run by Capt. Charlie Vanderbeck, claimed top honors at the 2023 Chub Cay Classic billfish tournament. The third annual event was held March 9-11 at the Chub Cay Resort and Marina. Following Seas released a blue and … [Read More...]

    Weathering the Storm

    While nasty conditions offshore are generally unpleasant for anyone on any vessel, offshore fishing on an outboard-powered center console typically means that the captain and crew will be more exposed to the wind and seas than the crew of a larger … [Read More...]

    Massive Sargassum Weed Line Approaches Florida

    If you’ve ever headed offshore in search of dolphin under patches or lines of sargassum weed, you know the weed can be difficult to find at times. That seems to happen every time I fish a dolphin tournament at least! But all that may soon change. … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite current cover image

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    InTheBite Champion’s Cup

    InTheBite Champions Cup Logo

    New for 2022, the Champion’s Cup is an optional paid entry with a winner-takes-all prize format for teams who want to up the stakes in each division utilizing our longstanding tournament scoring formula.

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    COTY / ITB Cup Logo

    News

    • Builder’s Choice Repeats as Marina Casa de Campo Open Champion

      Builder’s Choice Repeats as Marina Casa de Campo Open Champion

      Builder’s Choice, a 64-foot Jarrett Bay, hasn’t fished the Marina Casa de Campo Open for two years, but the team never missed a beat. The boat led the field of 14 boats from the start to win the 2023 Marina Casa de Campo Open, which concluded last weekend in the Dominican Republic. With Capt. Brent Gaskill at the helm, the... [Read More...]

    • 2023 Chub Cay Classic Won by Following Seas

      2023 Chub Cay Classic Won by Following Seas

      Following Seas, a 58-foot Viking run by Capt. Charlie Vanderbeck, claimed top honors at the 2023 Chub Cay Classic billfish tournament. The third annual event was held March 9-11 at the Chub Cay Resort and Marina. Following Seas released a blue and white marlin to earn 700 points to top the field. Under the all-billfish release format, blue marlin scored... [Read More...]

    • Massive Sargassum Weed Line Approaches Florida

      Massive Sargassum Weed Line Approaches Florida

      If you’ve ever headed offshore in search of dolphin under patches or lines of sargassum weed, you know the weed can be difficult to find at times. That seems to happen every time I fish a dolphin tournament at least! But all that may soon change. Sargassum, an algae that’s commonly mislabeled as a “weed,” is headed toward the U.S.... [Read More...]

    • InTheBite Hires Industry Veteran John Brownlee as Editor-in-Chief

      InTheBite Hires Industry Veteran John Brownlee as Editor-in-Chief

      Dale Wills, Founder and President of InTheBite, has announced the hiring of marine industry veteran, John Brownlee, as ITB’s new Editor-in-Chief. “Under Brownlee’s leadership in editorial and digital media, his intelligent perspectives and vast industry knowledge will move the brand forward with his long list of proven skill sets,” Wills said. “It’s only fitting as we move past our 20th... [Read More...]

    • Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

      Proposed 10-Knot Restrictions

      It’s Not Over! The Viking Yacht Company and the marine industry’s grassroots campaign to stop the advancement of a proposed 10-knot restriction along the Eastern Seaboard continues into 2023. And now, thanks to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), we have a tool at our disposal that makes it super easy to make your voice heard. In one click, send a pre-written letter... [Read More...]

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2023 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.