Jameson Reeder Jr. and Sr.: Facing Fear and Finding Freedom After a Shark Attack
Shark-attack survivor Jameson Reeder Jr. returns at 14 with his dad to talk facing fear, finding freedom through faith, the recovered GoPro footage, and the state of shark populations. Listen to Ep. 1014.
Taylor Somerville: Breathwork, Cold Plunge, and the Science of Stress
Breath coach Taylor Somerville on corporate breathwork, cold plunge temps, breath-hold tables for stress, and a practical sleep foundation. Listen to EP 1013.
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Dustin Nichols: Caffeine Overdose, BMX Comeback at 54, and the State of Kayak Fishing
Five years after his first appearance, kayak fishing tournament angler Dustin Nichols returns with the story of a 192 BPM caffeine scare at 51, a BMX comeback at 54, and his unfiltered take on forward-facing sonar.
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Jamie Howard: Chasing Silver, Running the Coast, and the Cameras Off Podcast
Jamie Howard is the filmmaker behind Chasing Silver, Running the Coast, Location X, and Black Salmon. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about his new Cameras Off podcast and Tarpon Diaries series, the four-year build of Running the Coast, the famous aerial tarpon shot in Chasing Silver, and what he saw happen to the striped bass fishery.
Calder Allen | 13-Pound Bass on Fly & What's Wild Anymore | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 1010
Calder Allen is an Austin-based singer-songwriter who dropped out of the University of Montana as a freshman to pursue music full time, has released three albums — his latest dropped on March 27, 2026 — and has toured with Cody Jinks and Red Clay Strays, sung with Miranda Lambert and Ryan Bingham, and played Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits. In this conversation, Calder reveals how he caught a 13-and-a-half-pound bass on fly at night under a green light in Lake Austin, why he routes his tours around fishing destinations across the country, and the philosophical question that haunts him: what is wild anymore? He discusses the tension between stocking practices and conservation, shares stories from his 18-show acoustic tour through Spain and Italy, and explains why he was almost a fly fishing guide under JT Van Zandt before choosing music.
Kyle Gemas: Dall Sheep, Mountain Goats, and the Mental Toughness Behind 85 Backcountry Miles
Kyle Gemas is a Texas outdoorsman who completed an Alaska mountain goat hunt in the Wrangell Mountains and a Dall sheep hunt covering 85 miles in the Brooks Range. He joins Tom Rowland to share his foot-care and nutrition systems, the mental game of backcountry hunting, and how lessons from 15-plus tarpon tournaments translated to the mountains as he pursues the North American sheep Grand Slam.
George Poveromo: 45 Years in Saltwater Fishing TV and the Seminar That Tied In Alice Cooper
George Poveromo has hosted George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing on NBC Sports for over 45 years. He joins Tom Rowland to share how he went from the printing business and the Marine Corps to one of fishing media's most enduring careers, the story behind his National Seminar Series, the Alice Cooper connection, and what it takes to stay relevant for five decades.
Monte Burke | Pete Carroll, Steve Huff & The Obsession That Separates the Truly Great | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 1006
Monte Burke returns to the TRP five years after Lords of the Fly. Yesterday's conversation covers the new Pete Carroll USC book, the Steve Huff stories, and what separates the truly great.
Mike Loughran - Building Fish Like Mike Into a Viral Fishing Brand
Mike Loughran, the angler behind Fish Like Mike, joins me to talk about building a viral fishing brand from a GoPro taped to a hockey stick, balancing it with a full-time teaching and coaching career, and the content lessons that changed everything.
Dan Dillon & Joe Solano: The Science Behind Aquaphobix Boat Coating
Dan Dillon, owner of Aquaphobix, and Joe Solano, president of Ecofinish, return to answer the most frequently asked questions about the thermally fused plastic-polymer coating that replaces traditional bottom paint, covering the science, the application process, the years of pool testing behind it, and how it stacks up against competitors.
Michael Holland: 896K Followers in 8 Months Teaching MINDBODY Energy Movement
Michael Holland grew from 8,000 to 896,000 Instagram followers in eight months teaching MINDBODY Energy Movement, his modernization of qigong combining breath work and Soviet plyometric influences. He joins Tom Rowland to explain the viral hook behind his growth, why he refuses to charge anyone a dollar, and the app he is building to help millions.
Sam Root: Building a Fishing Photography Following
Sam Root, known as Apollo Beach Sam, is a fishing photographer and content creator who built a following of more than a million people documenting the fishing lifestyle in Florida. He joins me to talk about the years of grinding before his first viral tarpon video, the gear he shoots with, how he balances fishing and filming, and the multiple ways he makes a living from it.
Tom Rowland | 1000 Episodes: The Best Moments | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 1000
Tom Rowland marks the one thousandth episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast by personally curating his favorite moments from across the entire run of the show.
Chris James: A Healthy Alternative and the Science of Fasting
Chris James is the creator of the wellness brand A Healthy Alternative, who developed his fasting protocols while curing a decade-long undiagnosed infection. He joins me to share how he helped his brother lose 100 pounds in 90 days, what happens in the body during extended fasting, why he drinks distilled water, and how he tracks everything like a scientist.
Joe Simonds: Inside the Salt Strong Acquisition
Joe Simonds, CEO and co-founder of Salt Strong, joins me to tell the inside story of selling the company to a family office, why he and his brother Luke walked away from apparel, the five criteria they set before they would ever sell, and what it means for members.
Dan Dillon | Revolutionary Boat Hull Protection That's Ending Bottom Paint | Ep. 996 | Tom Rowland Podcast
Dan Dillon is the founder of Aquaphobix, the heat-applied pneumatic thermal plastic hull coating behind the viral Qualified Captain video of a man blowtorching a Yellowfin. In this conversation, Dillon explains how a swimming pool product with a 30-year industrial track record became a non-toxic alternative to copper bottom paint, why the coating bonds to fiberglass at over 800 psi and survives 60 mph testing with no delamination, and where the money in the annual bottom paint cycle really goes — roughly 70 percent of the cost is stripping and sanding labor, not paint. From the 102-year-old aquifer-fed Venetian Pool in Coral Gables to a meeting with Royal Caribbean's chief maritime inspector, Dillon makes the case that boat owners have been accepting a toxic, expensive status quo for no good reason.
Taylor Shropshire | Building FishCast & Podcasting for Conservation | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 998
Taylor Shropshire is the founder and host of FishCast, a podcast dedicated to marine conservation and fishing.
Capt. Scott Moore: Hurricane Recovery and Community on Anna Maria
Capt. Scott Moore is a longtime Anna Maria, Florida fishing guide who lived through roughly four feet of water over Anna Maria Island during the hurricane, with several feet flooding his own home. He joins me to talk about the recovery, the community response that carried the island, and the decades he has spent guiding and fighting for Florida's Gulf Coast.
EP 994 | Carey Chen | Legendary Marine Artist
Carey Chen is a legendary marine artist known worldwide for his vivid, lifelike paintings of gamefish and ocean life.
EP 993 | Shane Reynolds | Color Earth
Shane Reynolds is the founder of Color Earth and an Emmy-nominated cinematographer who has worked in 65 countries for Discovery Channel, Nat Geo Wild, and Travel Channel.
Jordan Thomas - How a Double Amputee Turned Tragedy Into Purpose
Jordan Thomas lost both legs at 16 in a diving accident, then decided from his hospital bed to become a force for good. He joins me to share how the Jordan Thomas Foundation has given more than 200 children prosthetics from age 18 months to 18 years, and why it became his life's purpose.
Conway Bowman | Catching Mako Sharks on Fly! | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 991
Conway Bowman is a fly fishing guide and mako shark specialist who has pioneered techniques for catching one of the ocean's most dangerous predators on fly tackle.
EP 990 | Jimmy Armel | Knot Lucky Veteran Fishing
Knot Lucky Veteran Fishing is a veteran-owned nonprofit founded by Jimmy Armel that takes active duty service members and veterans offshore fishing for free.
Wesley Brough | Surf Casting Monster Roosterfish in Cabo | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 988
Wesley Brough ,who goes by @Cabosurfcaster is a passionate surf fisherman and guide based in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He is known for targeting monster roosterfish, jack crevalle, and other trophy species from the beach.
Jameson Reeder | Surviving a Shark Attack in the Florida Keys | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 987
Jameson Reeder is a shark attack survivor who was bitten while snorkeling in waist-deep water at a sandbar in the Florida Keys.
Jonathan Gluck | How Fly Fishing Helped Him Beat Cancer for 20+ Years | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 986
Jonathan Gluck is the author of 'An Exercise in Uncertainty,' a memoir chronicling his 20+ year battle with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer he was diagnosed with at age 38.
Jake Hutcheson | Fishing, Entrepreneurship & Iconic Hair
Jake Hutcheson is a passionate angler and entrepreneur who has built a thriving business through tournament bass fishing, custom rod building, and social media content creation.
Harley Van Hyning | Gnarly Harley | Ep. 983
Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese art form from the 1800s where artists paint directly onto fish and press canvas onto them to capture perfect anatomical impressions.
Lea Anne Powell | 13+ World Records & Fishing From a Kayak to Offshore Giants | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 982
Lea Anne Powell started fishing at age 7-8 at a stock trout pond in New Jersey with her cousin Ashley.
Captain Tony Young | Running 100 Miles and Managing a Charter Business | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 981
Captain Tony Young is a charter fishing captain and ultramarathon runner who has found a way to balance running 100-mile races with managing a successful fishing guide business in the Florida Keys.
Enrique Zapata — How He Completed 7,100 Pull-Ups
Enrique Zapata is a Guinness World Record holder who completed 7,100 pull-ups in 12 hours.
Ryan Johnston | RJ's Fly Trips | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 977
Ryan Johnston is a fly fishing guide with 22 years of experience and the founder and executive director of Cast Hope, guiding across Northern California, Idaho's South Fork of the Snake, and now Montana near Kalispell and Glacier National Park. In this episode, Ryan reveals what two decades of professional guiding has taught him about client management, the evolution of fly fishing gear and techniques, and how he built a nonprofit that uses fishing to serve others. You'll hear about the unexpected challenges of running a guide business, the specific ways fly fishing has changed over two decades, and the moment that inspired Cast Hope. If you've ever wondered what it really takes to make it as a professional guide or how to turn your passion into purpose, this conversation is packed with hard-won insights.
EP 974: Steve Kantner - The Land Captain
Steve Kantner, known as "The Land Captain," is a legendary fishing guide and outdoor writer from South Florida who built a 30-year guiding career without ever owning a boat—working entirely from shore, piers, and a canoe.
Eye Splice vs. Bimini Twist: Which Is Stronger?
Re-spooling fly reels with 70lb Cortland hollow-core backing, I tested a spliced eye loop against a Bimini twist. The eye splice maxed the scale past 53 pounds; the Bimini broke at 39. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
How to Pack for a Trip to the Seychelles
I packed for a bucket-list fishing trip to the Seychelles under a brutal 33-pound bag limit for the bush flight to Providence Atoll. Here's how I cut gear down and still made room for the flies that mattered. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
EP 974: Rich Hernandez - Record-Breaking Conquest
Rich Hernandez is an MIT graduate, aerospace engineer, Yale MBA holder, and extreme fitness content creator who transformed his life through David Goggins' philosophy of doing hard things daily.
Chris Wittman | How Big Sugar Controls Florida's Water | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 972
Chris Wittman is the co-founder of Captains For Clean Water, a nonprofit organization advocating for clean water and Everglades restoration in Florida. In this conversation with Tom Rowland, Chris explains the current state of Everglades restoration, the political challenges that threaten progress, and how the Sugar Industry uses misinformation campaigns to divide fishing communities. He reveals how Big Sugar spent over a million dollars in political contributions in just one quarter, why bass fishermen and saltwater anglers are being pitted against each other, and what could change everything if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tackles the farm bill subsidy system. This is part two of an essential conversation about how anglers can unite to protect Florida's waters and what the future holds under a new political landscape.
Chris Wittman | How Two Fishing Guides Started a Movement | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 971
Chris Wittman is the co-founder of Captains for Clean Water, a nonprofit organization fighting for clean water and Everglades restoration in Florida. Before dedicating his life to this mission, Chris was a full-time fishing guide in Southwest Florida, living his dream job on a 17-foot skiff. In this conversation, Chris reveals how he and Captain Daniel Andrews walked away from their careers as fishing guides to spearhead what became the largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the world. You'll hear about the moment they realized adaptation wasn't enough anymore, the first time a policymaker told them their voices didn't matter, and why a shallow water reservoir became a deepwater reservoir instead. This is the story of how two fishing guides created a movement that changed Florida's political landscape.
Jonathan Neyman: Year-Round Trout on the South Holston and Watauga in East Tennessee
Jonathan Neyman, owner of The Fly Box in far East Tennessee, joins Tom Rowland to talk trout on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers. Jonathan explains why these tailwaters are so cold and fishable year-round, how the dam that draws water from 250 feet deep keeps the river in the 50s, and how a kid who grew up chasing salmon and steelhead on Northern California's Eel River ended up building a fly shop and community hub in Bristol, Tennessee.
Golden Boat Lifts | Hurricane-Resistant Systems for Saltwater & Marine | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 980
Bill Golden from Golden Boat Lifts joins Tom Rowland to discuss how his Ocala, Florida-based company manufactures hurricane-resistant boat lifts specifically engineered for saltwater and marina environments.
The Strongest Way to Connect Wire to Fluorocarbon
I tested two ways to join solid wire to fluorocarbon: a haywire twist to a swivel with a uni knot, and an Albright tied straight to the wire. The swivel route won at 74% vs 55%. Strongest vs fastest. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
Chris Fischer - How OCEARCH Tracks Great White Sharks
Chris Fischer, founder of OCEARCH, joins me to explain how his team catches, tags, and releases great white sharks, the nursery discoveries that rewrote the science, and how OCEARCH's tracking data is changing ocean conservation policy.
Will an Instagram Knot Beat the Non-Slip Mono Loop?
I tested a viral Instagram knot, a double-overhand twist on the non-slip mono loop, with over a million views. It broke at just 74%, weaker than the original. The extra turn took strength away. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
Rosie K. Moore: Sharks, Pythons, and Wild Florida Fieldwork
Rosie K. Moore is a scientist, author, and social-media personality who studies some of the world's most dangerous animals, including sharks, venomous snakes, invasive pythons, and American crocodiles. She joins me to talk about her Everglades fieldwork, why she chose crocodilians over sharks, and how she uses social media to change how people see misunderstood predators.
The Uni Knot vs. the San Diego Jam
It's a West Coast versus East Coast battle: the uni knot against the San Diego jam. On 20lb Daiwa J-Braid fluoro, the uni edged it out 20.24 to 20.08 pounds. Both are excellent. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
Mark Smith | Wildlife Photography Ethics & the Exposure Pyramid | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 964
Mark Smith is a renowned wildlife photographer who went professional in 2017 after years as a ghost writer and musician. Before picking up a camera full-time, Smith wrote bestselling books on treasure hunting that funded his transition into photography—a journey that took him from Florida to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in an RV with his family. In this conversation, Mark reveals the exact moment high in the Colorado mountains when the technical aspects of photography suddenly clicked for him, shares why he believes the popular "exposure triangle" teaching method is fundamentally flawed, and explains his controversial approach to documenting nature without interference—even when a ghost crab runs off with a baby sea turtle. He also opens up about photographing Dalmatian pelicans in Greece, community cats in Thailand, and why bald eagles feeding in Canadian ocean rapids remain the most challenging subject he's ever shot.
