Godwin Hangs It Up

February 11, 2025

Godwin Hangs It Up

Phillip Gentry

 

After 25 years of working for the now world-famous Duck Commander brand of duck calls, John Godwin has decided to retire.

It may come as a surprise to some of the millions of fans who followed the 11 seasons of Duck Dynasty, the reality television series that aired on A&E from 2012 to 2017, that yes, working in the call room, as well as packaging, shipping, and an assortment of other manufacturing duties, was actually a job for Godwin, one of which he looks back on as a dream come true.

“I was good friends with Alan, Phil Robertson’s oldest son, and we hunted together quite a bit,” said Godwin. “During the filming of the Duckmen 6 video, I was hunting and shooting video with them a lot and even helped out packaging duck calls and Phil came to me and said I might as well come to work with them. That was back in 2000. It was one of the biggest decisions we’d ever faced because I had been working a printing press for 21 years at the local paper mill and leaving was without a doubt a leap of faith. Paula and I prayer over that decision a long time.”

  B’n’M’s New Godwin’s Crappie Cast features everything a forward-facing sonar angler wants in a crappie fishing rod.

Back in those days, the video business was much larger than the duck call business and one of the precursors to the Duck Dynasty TV series was a show on The Outdoor Channel called Benelli Presents Duck Commander. The show ran for 3 years and racked up nearly every outdoor programming award there was. It wasn’t long before A&E came calling with the idea for Duck Dynasty and the rest is history.

Following the end of the TV series, Godwin remained with Duck Commander and recently decided, at the age of 62, to retire from the job to pursue the next chapter in his life, being a full-time crappie fishing guide.

“I love to duck hunt and I love to bow hunt whitetail deer, but there’s something special about crappie fishing that I really enjoy and I enjoy showing other people how to catch crappie,” said Godwin.

After joining the B’n’M pro-staff roster in 2014, Godwin has been a stellar ambassador for the sport as well as a genuinely likeable representative for some of the biggest names in the crappie fishing industry.

“B’n’M was a great company to partner with for me,” he said. “I was already using their products and I love what the company stands for and it’s easy to promote products that you use and believe in.”

Soon after Godwin joined the ranks, B’n’M released it’s highly successful line of Duck Commander series rods, which includes the Duck Commander DOUBLE TOUCH Crappie rod, the Duck Commander ULTRALITE crappie rod, and the Duck Commander CRAPPIE TROLLING rod.

Godwin plans to fill his retirement days with guiding on Louisiana’s premier crappie fishing lakes.

THE Duck Commander series of rods gained a lot of publicity and popularity with crappie anglers right out of the gate. Not only can Godwin build duck calls, but he can catch crappie with the best of them.

New for 2025 is another new release rod designed by John Godwin specifically for use with forward-facing sonar. The 7.5ft/1pc spinning combo features a high-modulus graphite blank features a stiff backbone with a fast tip to help cast those light lures a long way.  The silicon carbide guides allow for smooth line flow and more accurate casting.

“There were a few things I wanted to see in a forward-facing sonar rod and B’n’M has put them all in this new rod,” said Godwin. “It’s a one-piece rod with a split cork handle and a sensitive tip, which means you’re going to be able to feel everything going on at the end of your line. You can just about feel them looking at the bait.”

Book your fishing trip with B’n’M pro-staffer John Godwin today.

Godwin’s Crappie Cast and Crappie Cast Combo feature enough backbone to boat flip any crappie. The BM2000 reel that comes with the combo is complete with 4+1BB and 5.2:1 gear ratio for smooth line flow when casting and plenty of drag to get the big ones in.

Godwin’s Crappie Cast even comes in one of his favorite color schemes- Black/Gold in honor of Louisiana’s own pro football team the New Orleans Saints.

“I’m very happy and very proud of this rod and would be more than happy to spend a day on the lake showing somebody how to use it,” said Godwin.

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   To book a guided crappie fishing trip with John Godwin, visit his website at godwinguides.com

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Be sure to check back in to our website at bnmpoles.com as John Godwin gives readers a full update on fishing Louisiana’s Lake D’Arbonne and how to put his new rod to work.

Wherever fishing takes you, B’n’M has been there.

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