Episode 288 of the Tom Rowland Podcast is my conversation with Burton Young, the founder of Barracuda Tackle, a company that makes truly excellent cast nets. We recorded this one as an Instagram Live with questions coming in from the audience, so it is a little different and a lot of fun. Burton breaks down how to throw a cast net the easy way, walks through how he built Barracuda Tackle, and explains the work the company did to help fishing guides who could not work during the COVID lockdown.
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Burton Young is the founder of Barracuda Tackle, a company best known for making high-quality cast nets. He is passionate about teaching anglers the right way to throw a net and has built a reputation in the fishing community both for his products and for stepping up to support fishing guides during difficult times.
Barracuda Tackle is the company Burton Young founded that makes amazing cast nets. Beyond selling nets, Burton has put real effort into education, including instructional content like the Bait University videos, and into giving back to the fishing community, especially the guide community, when it needed help.
Burton's key point is that you let the net do the work rather than muscling it. The load is the simple part, what matters is the backswing and the arc of the throw, which is what makes the net open on its own. He teaches a triple load and credits multigenerational mullet fisherman Will Osborne of Cortez, who throws nets back to back all day, with developing a throw that does not exhaust you. Anyone muscling a net, Burton says, will never get it fully open.
Burton credits Will Osborne, a multigenerational mullet fishing man and fishing guide out of Cortez, Florida, with the efficient throw he teaches. Osborne has fished mullet his whole life, loading the boat net after net, and developed a throwing technique that does not wear you out, the same technique featured in Barracuda Tackle's Bait University videos.
During the COVID lockdown, many guides could not work because customers could not reach them or had canceled. Burton explains that Barracuda Tackle took it upon itself to raise money and distribute those funds throughout the guide community, an effort Tom highlights as much appreciated by the people who needed it.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 288 with Burton Young is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. The video version, recorded as an Instagram Live, is embedded at the top of this page.
You guys asked for it, so I am trying to deliver, more video content and more audience interaction. We recorded this one as an Instagram Live and took questions from people watching in real time. Burton Young makes amazing cast nets with Barracuda Tackle, and he has a cool story about getting the company started. On top of that, he was doing something genuinely good for the guide community at a time when a lot of people needed it. I wanted to get him on to talk about all of it. Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page to hear the whole conversation.
Burton is adamant: you let the net do the work. The load is easy. It is all in the backswing and the arc, which is what makes the net open on its own. He teaches a triple load that makes it so much easier, and he points anyone struggling to the Bait University videos. Listen to him break down the throw.
Burton credits Will Osborne, a multigenerational mullet fisherman and guide out of Cortez, with the throw he teaches. Osborne loads boats with mullet net after net, all day, so he had to develop a technique that does not gas you. Hear why that throw is the one Burton teaches everyone.
Burton has a cool origin story for the company, and we get into how Barracuda Tackle became known for its nets. Press play in the YouTube player above to hear how he built it.
During the lockdown, guides were stuck, customers could not reach them or had canceled. Barracuda Tackle took it upon itself to raise money and push those funds out to the guide community. It is the kind of thing worth talking about, and I wanted Burton to walk through it. Listen to that section of the episode.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
I love that this episode is both practical and generous. You will come away actually knowing how to throw a cast net better, and you will also hear about a company choosing to take care of the people in its community when times got hard.
Burton built something good and then used it to do something good. That is the kind of guest I want on this show. Listen to the whole conversation.
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Burton Young is the founder of Barracuda Tackle, a company recognized for its high-quality cast nets. A passionate teacher of net-throwing technique, he promotes an efficient triple-load throw learned from multigenerational mullet fisherman Will Osborne and featured in Barracuda Tackle's Bait University videos. Burton is also known for giving back to the fishing community, leading an effort to raise and distribute funds to fishing guides during the COVID lockdown.
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