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.

The 13-Pound Bass That Changes How You Think About Urban Fishing

When Tom spotted a six-pound bass in downtown Austin's town lake during a walk with his daughter, he thought he'd found something special. But Calder's response reveals just how different the Austin bass scene really is. He explains the rite of passage that every Austin angler experiences, the unwritten rule about double-digit bass, and why he believes there's at least a 17-pound fish swimming somewhere in Lake Austin or the Colorado River system. The night he hooked that 13-and-a-half-pounder under a green light wasn't luck — it was the result of knowing exactly where the biggest bass in Central Texas live and how to target them on fly. The full story of catching giant bass in downtown Austin starts at the beginning of the episode.

From Almost Guiding Under JT Van Zandt to Touring with Country Legends

Before Calder dropped out of the University of Montana and released three albums, his entire life was pointed toward becoming a fly fishing guide. He was close with JT Van Zandt and was going to guide under him — a conversation he describes as one of the hardest he's ever had when he chose music instead. But the fishing never left. Now he tours with Cody Jinks, Red Clay Strays, and has shared stages with Miranda Lambert and Ryan Bingham at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits, all while routing his tours around fishing destinations. His next record is built entirely around the fly fishing world and the outdoors. Calder explains the moment he chose music over guiding and how he still fishes everywhere he tours.

What's Wild Anymore? The Question That Won't Let Him Go

Calder constantly wrestles with a philosophical question that affects how he thinks about every river he fishes and every song he writes: what is actually wild? When his audio engineer catches a rainbow trout in Colorado and experiences it as the most pure, wild moment possible, Calder sees something different — a stocked fish that grew up in a hatchery. He talks about the failed experiment of overfishing that led to stocking, the adipose fins cut off California steelhead, the dams that changed everything, and whether wild even exists anymore when we've reintroduced different wolves to Yellowstone and changed native trout streams. There's a song coming from this tension called Running Steel, and the central question haunts everything he does. The deep dive into what wild means and where that line is starts midway through the conversation.

The Spain and Italy Tour That Changed His Perspective on American Public Lands

When Calder and his producer Charlie Sexton did an 18-show acoustic tour through Spain and Italy in 23 days, he spent every spare moment researching fly fishing opportunities. What he discovered was eye-opening: the permits, tourist visas, and regulations required to fish in Europe are incredibly limiting. While he appreciates the conservation mindset behind it, the experience gave him a completely new appreciation for American public lands. He came back realizing you could fish Idaho's green public lands for a lifetime and never cover it all, and that our ability to just wake up in a new state, get a fishing license, and go fish anywhere is something most countries don't have. The audiences in Europe listened differently too — respectful, attentive rooms of 40 to 100 people who appreciate artists in a way that felt distinct. Calder describes the European tour and what it taught him about American fishing access.

Final Thoughts from Tom

This conversation with Calder reminded me why I love doing this podcast. Here's a guy who had every opportunity to become a fly fishing guide under JT Van Zandt, and he chose music instead — but he never stopped fishing. He just figured out how to do both at the highest level.