From ESPN to Caymus Cats and Guatemala Billfish: Byron Velvick and George Gozdz Fishtails Podcast by Livingston Lures
There’s something special about watching two old friends pick up right where they left off, especially when those friends have collectively spent decades in front of fishing cameras and behind the wheel of boats. That’s exactly what happened when Byron Velvick welcomed Captain George Gozdz onto the latest episode of Fishtails. What was supposed to be a quick catch-up turned into nearly two hours of laughter, war stories, and the kind of unscripted gold that only happens when the mics are hot and the history runs deep.
It all started fifteen years ago in Stuart, Florida. Berkley hooked the two up when Byron was hosting ESPN’s Going Coastal. A young, hospital-still-on-the-payroll George Gozdz showed up and promptly blew everyone away. One planned episode turned into three because, as Byron put it, “George was so dialed.” Night snook under bridges, tarpon explosions, cast-netting pilchards like a wizard, producers scrambling to keep film in the cameras; it was television magic. Those early shows together laid the foundation for a friendship that’s lasted ever since.
Fast-forward to today and George is in his eighth season of Unfathomed, the adventure-travel saltwater series that anchors on Outdoor Channel Saturday mornings before migrating to World Fishing Network for the second half of the year. The show’s formula is simple and brilliant: drop George and a small crew somewhere cool, turn the cameras on, and let the destination tell the story. No rigid scripts, just real travel, real food, and real fishing, whether that’s sailfish in Guatemala, stripers off New Jersey, or (once upon a time) flipping wood at Choke Canyon with Byron.
Speaking of cool, George gave viewers a peek inside his air-conditioned Florida “boat barn,” aka the ultimate man cave. Proudly parked in the middle sat his brand-new Caymus 281 center-console wearing twin Mercury Verado 300s. He also dropped heavy hints about an upcoming Caymus model that sounds suspiciously perfect for the Texas shallow-water crowd. Knowing George and Caymus owner Earl Bentz share a long history (Byron made the original introduction back in the Triton days), whatever’s cooking is bound to turn heads.
The conversation took a fun detour into the celebrity realm. Turns out when you’re one of the most recognizable saltwater hosts on television, famous people want to fish with you. Michael Jordan before he owned an 80-foot Viking? Check (George called in “sick” to the ER that day). Janet Jackson and her fishing-obsessed son? Multiple trips. NASCAR legend Richard Childress, PGA pros, the list goes on. Byron countered with his own Janet Jackson story: when he was ten years old in Vegas, his performing cousins opened for the Jackson 5, and little Janet and little Byron spent the entire day playing together under the tour buses. Fifty years later George is taking adult Janet fishing. The world is tiny and wonderful.
Then came the horror stories a segment Byron calls “Best Worst Hook Story.” George winced through a fresh one: last cast of the day, a jack crevalle eats a Yo-Zuri topwater, and one treble buries to the bend in the knuckle of his thumb while the fish is still flopping on the other hook. He drove home, had his nurse girlfriend hand him lidocaine, pushed the hook through the joint, cut the barb, and yanked it out. Byron raised the stakes with a nightmare from their Hilton Head shoot years ago, a surf guide side-armed a giant 12/0 shark rig straight into an ESPN cameraman’s temple. Byron performed the old heavy-braid string-yank trick on the beach and popped it out before the poor Norwegian even knew what happened.
Guatemala stole the show as George’s undisputed favorite destination. He now hosts several groups a year at Pacific Fins Resort, removing every bit of hassle for travelers. Direct flights into Guatemala City, a quick hopper flight to a grass strip, a panga ride to the lodge, and you’re sipping a drink by mid-afternoon. Three full days of offshore billfish insanity followed by a culture day in historic Antigua, all for right around $4,000 plus airfare. The numbers George casually throws out sound made up: boats raising 60-100 sailfish a day, blue marlin crashing squid chains, days when 30-40 pound mahi are literally a nuisance fish you try to avoid so you can get back to the billfish bite. He still has a few spots open for his April trip if anyone wants to see it for themselves.
The episode closed the only way it could, with a story so gruesome it deserves its own warning label. George mentioned in passing that he’s missing the tip of one finger thanks to I-10. While rushing to a Louisiana shoot he tried to quick-change a trailer tire using nothing but a 4×4 block. The spare wouldn’t quite clear the lugs, so he had the cameraman back the trailer up just a hair for extra height. The block slipped, the tire dropped, and suddenly George was staring at bone. He still finished the 13-day production (after surgery), but let the record show George Gozdz and Interstate 10 are no longer on speaking terms.
By the end, both hosts were laughing about old times, planning new ones, and reminding everyone why they got into this business in the first place. Byron promised to crash a Guatemala trip or at least meet George and Earl Bentz on the new mystery Caymus somewhere between San Antonio and the Gulf. George thanked Byron for the early opportunities that launched his career. And viewers walked away reminded that the best fishing shows aren’t really about the fish at all; they’re about the people, the places, and the stories that stick with you forever.
If you missed it, go binge the full episode on Fishtails (and hit that subscribe button; Trico Fishing is giving away two $800 rod/reel combos to random subscribers on Black Friday and Christmas). Because when Byron and George get together, the fishing is great, but the conversation is even better.
Tight lines and safe travels (and maybe stay off I-10).
