Al Perkinson: Building Bajio Sunglasses With Purpose and American Manufacturing
Al Perkinson, founder and CEO of Bajio Sunglasses, joins Tom Rowland to talk about building a purpose-driven eyewear company in New Smyrna Beach, Florida that manufactures lenses and assembles sunglasses in the United States, and the path from a North Carolina creek to banking to the fishing industry.
The Slim Beauty Knot: Origins, Strengths, and Purpose
The Slim Beauty was a worldwide viral knot before the internet. I share how my friend Simon Becker and I created it to eliminate the bimini from tarpon leaders, how it got its name, and put it to the test for braid to fluorocarbon. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
10K Push-Up Challenge 2023 Comes to a Close
I close out the 2023 10,000 push-up challenge and celebrate everyone who finished — including my 84-year-old dad in 21 days and Greg McHale’s record ten days — plus how to claim your certificate. A Physical Friday episode.
John Nores: Battling Drug Cartels in America's National Forests
Retired game warden John Nores returns to the Tom Rowland Podcast to discuss his book Hidden War, the second edition, and how he went from a traditional fish-and-game warden to leading special-operations teams against drug cartel marijuana grows poisoning America's national forests.
Strong Knots vs Fast Knots: When to Choose Each
Why know so many knots? Because some are far stronger and some are far faster, and the right choice depends on the situation. I explain my hierarchy of knots and how I trade strength for speed when the fish are biting and the lines are broken. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
Improve Your Fitness With Breathing Exercises
I explain how breathing exercises improve my fitness — why the Wim Hof method gives me the relaxation and clarity I never got from sitting meditation, and how it dropped my benchmark workout times. A Physical Friday workout.
Greg McHale: A 430-Mile Solo Race Through the Yukon at Minus 50
Greg McHale of Greg McHale's Wild Yukon joins Tom Rowland to talk about one of the hardest solo races on earth, the 430-mile Yukon Arctic Ultra at minus 50 degrees, and the journey from Ontario farm-country hockey to building a hunting TV show in one of the most challenging environments in the world.
How to Practice Spearfishing Before Your Trip
Spearfishing rewards practice the same way bow hunting does. My friend Captain Tony Young of Forever Young Charters explains how to rig a target in your pool, practice free-dive shots, and judge underwater range before your trip. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
10K Push-Ups: Wrist and Shoulder Care
I share the wrist and shoulder care I run every day during the 10,000 push-up challenge — varying push-ups, stretching the wrists both ways, three daily shoulder stretches, plus protein, water, and electrolytes. A Physical Friday workout.
EP 730 - Catching 60-70 Peacock Bass in One Week
Ryan Izqueirdo shares his Amazon peacock bass fishing experience in the upper Rio Negro, including gear, techniques, and conservation insights.
Fluorocarbon Leader Stress Test: Does It Lose Strength After One Fish?
Odyssey Offshore went viral claiming fluorocarbon loses big strength after you stress it near its breaking point once. I tested 12 pound fluorocarbon by pulling it near max, letting it relax, and pulling again. Mine never weakened. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
What Florida’s Water Crisis Has to Do With 10,000 Push-Ups
I explain the connection between the 10,000 push-up challenge and Florida’s water crisis: both look impossible until you break them into small sets, stay consistent, and work together. Plus how awareness leads to education and action with Captains for Clean Water. A Physical Friday episode.
Mike Genoun: Building Florida Sport Fishing TV From Jersey Party Boats
Captain Mike Genoun, founder of Florida Sport Fishing TV, joins Tom Rowland to trace his path from New Jersey party and charter boats to a humbling reset in South Florida, and how he built a long-running media brand around the fishing he had to learn all over again.
Does the Tag End Direction of a Blood Knot Change Its Strength?
On Knot Wars I test whether a blood knot tied with the tag ends going out the same way is weaker than one tied the proper way with the tags opposite. The improperly tied knot won this round. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
How I Manage 10,000 Push-Ups in One Month
I break down how I manage 10,000 push-ups in the month of February — the daily and hourly math, how I front-load and stack reps around meals, how to scale the movement, and how to track every rep. A Physical Friday workout.
John Savage: Lost in the Stream and the Story of Two Fishermen Lost at Sea
Captain John Savage, author of Lost in the Stream: The Miraculous Story of Two Fishermen Lost at Sea, joins Tom Rowland to share how he went from a kid terrified by Jaws to a Virginia Beach mate, and the harrowing survival story that became a book now changing readers' lives.
Safely Beginning Spearfishing with Tony Young
Tony Young joins me to explain how to safely begin spearfishing and freediving, from a level one course to running, nasal breathing, and CO2 tables. A How 2 Tuesday.
Register for the 10,000 Push-Up Challenge
On this special Physical Friday, I open registration for the annual 10,000 push-up challenge starting February 1. Do 10,000 push-ups any way you want — solo, as a team, or fast. Motivation gets you started; discipline carries you to the finish.
Jason Coffrin: A Lifetime of Fishing Adventures and Chasing Dreams
Jason Coffrin, the angler and adventurer behind Mr. Trigger Sport Fishing, joins Tom Rowland to tell stories from a wild fishing life: world records, surviving on the water in Costa Rica and Panama, running the Moab 240, and why he has always chased the dream with a story at the end instead of the dollar.
The Importance of Awareness with Mike Genoun
Captain Mike Genoun returns to explain why awareness, seeing the water in three dimensions and picturing the structure below, makes you a better angler. A How 2 Tuesday.
Getting Started With the 10,000 Push-Up Challenge with Kevin Burns
On this Physical Friday, Kevin Burns — who has done 10,000 push-ups every month since 2021 — shares how to get started: begin on an incline, use bars to spare your wrists, break reps into small sets, and write down every set.
Taylor Sharp & John Zimmerman: Casting for Hope and Fly Fishing as Healing
Taylor Sharp and John Zimmerman of Casting for Hope join Tom Rowland to share how a high school fly fishing tournament started in memory of Taylor's mother grew into a nonprofit that has raised more than a million dollars for women and families facing gynecological cancer.
The Importance of Fundamentals with Mike Genoun
Captain Mike Genoun joins me to break down the fundamentals most anglers skip, from fighting big fish to learning your tackle's breaking point and weakest link. A How 2 Tuesday.
UHP Orlando Seminar: Stretching to Prolong Your Outdoor Career
On this Physical Friday, I share how Joe Hippensteel's Ultimate Human Performance stretching system helped me overcome chronic knee, hip, and shoulder pain, and announce the three-day UHP seminar in Orlando, January 27-29, that I am attending.
Ben Jones (GT Buster): Chasing Giant Trevally in Remote Australia
Australian angler and content creator Ben Jones, known online as GT Buster, joins Tom Rowland to talk about chasing giant trevally on topwater along Cape York and the Great Barrier Reef, surviving remote crocodile camps and tropical storms, and building one of fishing's most-watched feeds.
How Much Does a Wind Knot Decrease the Strength of Your Line?
I measure exactly how much a single wind knot weakens your line, cutting a 12 pound leader from 13.58 to 9.14 pounds, and why you should always retie. A How 2 Tuesday.
Starting the Year Right in the Kitchen
On this Physical Friday, I share how tracking my food helped me lose 20 pounds and keep it off. I cover macros, the Carbon Diet Coach app, easy ways to log meals, and why picturing your intake like a fuel tank or bank account makes it click.
Clint Campbell | The Mental Game of Deer Hunting | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 711
Clint Campbell is a professional deer hunter and host of the "Truth from the Stand" podcast, bringing decades of experience in the whitetail woods to this conversation with Tom Rowland.
How Many Turns Makes the Strongest Spider Hitch?
I test the spider hitch at 5, 10, and 15 turns on 12 pound J-Fluoro to find how many turns makes it strongest, and share a lubrication tip. A How 2 Tuesday.
Setting and Maintaining a New Year's Resolution
On the last Physical Friday of the year, I break down how to set and actually keep a New Year's resolution: write the goal down, attach a real why, and put an intelligent plan behind your discipline so your hard work points at the target.
Jeff Liskay: Great Lakes Fly Fishing for Steelhead and Smallmouth
Great Lakes fly fishing guide Jeff Liskay joins Tom Rowland to break down steelhead and smallmouth on Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, why the Great Lakes fish like inland oceans, and the patterns he has learned over 40-plus years on the most fertile lake of them all.
How Many Turns Makes the Best Bimini Twist?
I test the Bimini twist at 10, 15, 20, and 25 turns on 12 pound J-Fluoro to settle how many turns makes the strongest knot. A How 2 Tuesday knot test.
Keys to Increasing Baseline Dopamine with Zach Fagerberg
The final part of the dopamine series on Physical Friday with Zach Fagerberg. We cover cold water immersion that can raise baseline dopamine up to 250%, avoiding screens from 10pm to 4am, and keeping rewards intermittent — and how it all ties to fishing.
EP705
Captain Blair Wiggins, known as the Mogan Man, is a legendary Florida fishing personality and conservation champion who hosted Addictive Fishing for 25+ years and now produces Blair Wiggins Outdoors.
Fishing the Tamiami Trail with David Graham
I sit down with David Graham to break down fishing the Tamiami Trail on foot, where to find tarpon, snook, and peacock bass, and the simple shiner setup that works. A How 2 Tuesday.
Using Dopamine to Your Advantage with Zach Fagerberg
Part two of the dopamine series on Physical Friday with Zach Fagerberg. We cover how stacking music, pre-workout, and substances on workouts led to apathy, and how removing them lets your baseline recover and teaches your brain to reward friction.
Sam Carpenter: Work the System and Escaping the 100-Hour Week
Sam Carpenter, author of Work the System, joins Tom Rowland to explain how the crisis of running a telephone answering service on 100-hour weeks led him to see business as a set of mechanical systems, and how documenting those processes gave him his life back.
Knot Wars: Non-Slip Mono Loop vs. Perfection Loop vs. Figure 8 Loop
I pull the non-slip mono loop, perfection loop, and double figure 8 on heavy 40 and 50 pound leader for tarpon shock tippet and explain how to choose. A How 2 Tuesday.
Understanding Dopamine for Peak Performance with Zach Fagerberg
Part one of a dopamine series on Physical Friday with wellness coach Zach Fagerberg. We cover baseline vs. peaks, why every high is followed by a crash that creates craving, and how social media, casinos, and processed food drain your drive.
Mick Guthrie: Building CAST Fishing Co. From an Online Magazine to a Global Brand
Mick Guthrie, founder of Australia's CAST Fishing Co., joins Tom Rowland to talk about walking away from a 15-year civil construction career, building a fishing brand that began as an online magazine, world-class remote fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and breaking into the American bass market.
Knot Wars: Perfection Loop vs. Non-Slip Mono Loop
I pull the perfection loop against the non-slip mono loop in 15 and 20 pound J-Fluoro after a listener question, and I was wrong about the winner. A How 2 Tuesday.
EP698
Jameson Reeder is a shark attack survivor who was bitten while snorkeling in waist-deep water at a sandbar in the Florida Keys.
Tom Rowland | Liver King EXPOSED? PEDs, Raw Liver, and Fitness Lies | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 697
The Liver King controversy centered on revelations that the influencer was using performance-enhancing drugs while claiming his extreme physique came solely from eating raw liver and organ meats.
Larry Csonka | NFL Hall of Famer on Championships & Life After Football | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 696
Larry Csonka is an NFL Hall of Fame fullback from the undefeated Miami Dolphins, a 20-year outdoor TV host of North to Alaska, and now an author tying his football and outdoor lives together.
Knot Wars: Double Figure 8 vs. The Improved Homer Rhode
I pull the double figure 8 against the improved Homer Rhode loop knot on 12 pound J-Fluoro after a viewer question, and the result surprised me. A How 2 Tuesday knot test.
Travel Workouts: Two No-Excuses Routines for the Road
I share my two favorite travel workouts on this Physical Friday: a three-mile run paired with 300 push-ups, and a 100-rep, full-body circuit you split with a partner. Both need almost no equipment so you can stay consistent on the road.
David Moss | Fisheries Conservation & What Anglers Can Do | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 693
David Moss is the Florida fisheries project manager for The Nature Conservancy, leading the Deck to Depth descending-device project that helps anglers release snapper and grouper alive.
How Many Turns Makes the Strongest Non-Slip Mono Loop? Knot Wars
I close out the loop-knot testing by finding the strongest number of turns on a non-slip mono loop, my favorite light-tippet loop knot. In 12-pound Daiwa J-Fluoro the sweet spot was three turns, with results of 10.63, 10.11, 9.02, 9.42, and 9.75 pounds for two through six. A How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
Tom Rowland | Physical Friday: Preparing for the 10,000 Push-Up Challenge | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 691
On this Physical Friday I show you how to prepare for the 10,000 Push-Up Challenge — 333 push-ups a day for a month. Start today, 100 to 120 days out, ramp your numbers slowly, and condition your muscles, tendons, and ligaments so February 1 you’re ready instead of hurt.