Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 406 is a conversation with Florida flats guide CA Richardson, host of the TV show Flats Class and Flats Class University. He catches me up on the guiding life: a nearly year-round schedule on Florida's Nature Coast around Crystal River and the Suwannee, spring tarpon trips farther south, a long summer run chasing redfish in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish, and the every-day-is-a-tournament mindset behind his fishing and his teaching.
▶ Watch on YouTube · 🎧 Listen now
CA Richardson is a Florida flats fishing guide and the host of the television show Flats Class, as well as the educator behind Flats Class University. One of the most popular guests Tom has had on the show, he is known for both his deep fishing knowledge and his eagerness to teach it to others.
CA guides heavily on Florida's Nature Coast, running backcountry trips from Hernando Beach up to the Lower Suwannee Refuge in the cooler months and fishing hard around Crystal River in October and November. In spring he travels farther south for tarpon, and in summer he heads to Louisiana.
On the Nature Coast, CA targets speckled trout, redfish, snook, and the occasional cobia and tripletail around crab pots, plus inshore grouper with younger local guides. In spring he chases tarpon, and his Louisiana season is built around redfish. His motto, as he puts it, has long been have rod, will travel.
After the July 4th holiday, CA loads up the truck and heads to Plaquemines Parish, spending about six weeks near Venice, Louisiana fishing with Ryan Lambert at the Cajun Fishing Adventures Lodge. It is a central part of his year and a long redfish run he looks forward to before the late-summer break.
Flats Class University is CA Richardson's educational platform, an extension of his original Flats Class television show. Through it he shares the techniques and knowledge he has built over decades of guiding, teaching anglers how to be more effective on the flats and in the backcountry.
CA treats every guide day like a tournament and credits an all-in philosophy for his success. He recalls deciding years ago to follow the fish no matter the cost in fuel, motors, or miles rather than being tied to one marina, a commitment that produced standout days, including memorable shows with big trout and snook.
CA is one of the most popular guests we have ever had, and for good reason: he knows an enormous amount and he genuinely loves handing it to other people. Between Flats Class, Flats Class University, and a guiding schedule that runs nearly the whole year across multiple states, he is living the version of the fishing life a lot of listeners dream about. I wanted to catch up and find out what he has been doing since the last time. Press play in the YouTube player above.
CA walks through his calendar, and it is relentless: backcountry trips on the Nature Coast in the cool months from Hernando Beach to the Lower Suwannee, spring tarpon farther south, a long summer in Louisiana, and Crystal River guiding in the fall. Even in his slow season he is on the water four or five days a week. It is a clear picture of what full-time guiding really demands. Listen to him lay out the year in the episode.
After the July 4th holiday, CA loads the truck and drives to Plaquemines Parish, spending about six weeks near Venice with Ryan Lambert at the Cajun Fishing Adventures Lodge chasing redfish. He explains why that run is worth uprooting for and how it fits into the rhythm of his season. For anyone curious about the Louisiana marsh, this is a window into it from a guide who returns every year. Hear it in the player above.
CA breaks down his home water around Crystal River and the Suwannee: speckled trout, redfish, snook, the occasional cobia and tripletail around crab pots, and inshore grouper in six to twelve feet of water with younger local guides. He describes the gag grouper bite as feeling like you got electrocuted. It is a great snapshot of an underrated stretch of Florida. Listen to him describe it in the episode.
CA credits a decision he made years ago: rather than be a guide stuck in one marina at the mercy of one bite, he chose to follow the fish no matter the cost in fuel, motors, and miles. That first all-in year produced standout days and shows, and he applies the same every-day-is-a-tournament mindset to guiding now. It is a philosophy that translates well beyond fishing. Press play to hear how it reshaped his work.
▶ Watch on YouTube · 🎧 Listen now
The thread through everything CA said is commitment, to the travel, to the craft, and to teaching it forward. The have-rod-will-travel motto is not a slogan for him; it is how he built the whole career.
Whether you fish the flats or just admire people who go all-in on what they love, this catch-up is worth your time. Listen to the whole thing.
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.
CA Richardson is a Florida flats fishing guide and the host of the television show Flats Class and the educator behind Flats Class University. He guides nearly year-round on Florida's Nature Coast around Crystal River and the Suwannee, travels south for spring tarpon, and spends roughly six weeks each summer chasing redfish in Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish with Cajun Fishing Adventures. Known for an all-in, every-day-is-a-tournament approach, he has built a long career teaching anglers through his shows and his university.
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