Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 545 is my conversation with Capt. Jeff Malone, a full-time charter captain who runs two boats year-round and spends his days teaching anglers how to actually fight a big fish. Most of landing tarpon and other heavy fish comes down to technique people never learn. We break down drag control, the lift-and-reel cadence, palming the spool, and preventing tip wraps, the fundamentals that decide whether the fish ends up at the boat or gone.
Capt. Jeff Malone is a full-time charter captain who runs two boats year-round. He is known for teaching anglers the proper techniques for fighting big fish, including drag control and rod work, and for getting clients onto and connected with challenging species like tarpon.
Capt. Jeff Malone teaches a lift-and-reel cadence: you pull the rod up to gain line, then reel down as you drop the tip, repeating the cycle. Combined with correct drag control and good rod angles, this technique lets you apply steady pressure and tire the fish without breaking off.
Drag control is central to Malone's approach. Setting and managing the drag correctly, and knowing when to add or back off pressure during the fight, is what keeps you connected to powerful fish and prevents the sudden surges that cause break-offs.
Palming the spool means applying pressure with your hand against the reel's spool to add drag during the fight, beyond what the drag setting provides. Capt. Jeff Malone uses it as a way to control big fish in key moments, but it has to be done carefully to avoid breaking the line.
Tip wraps happen when the line wraps around the rod tip and can cause an instant break-off. Malone teaches rod positioning and angle awareness during the fight to keep the line clear of the tip, especially during the close-quarters battle near the boat.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 545 with Capt. Jeff Malone is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I wanted Jeff on because fighting big fish is where most anglers lose them, and almost nobody teaches the technique well. Jeff runs two boats year-round and watches people make the same mistakes every day, so he has the fundamentals down to a science. Drag, rod angle, palming the spool, tip wraps, these are the details that separate landing a tarpon from a heartbreaking break-off. I wanted listeners to learn it from someone who teaches it constantly.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Jeff breaks down pulling up to gain line and reeling down as you drop the tip, the rhythm that tires a fish without breaking it off. It sounds simple and most people get it wrong. Hear it in the episode.
Drag control is the heart of Jeff's method. He explains how to set it, when to add pressure, and when to back off so a big fish does not break you. Watch the YouTube player above.
Palming the spool adds pressure in key moments, but done wrong it costs you the fish. Jeff explains how and when he uses it. Listen to that section.
A tip wrap can break you off instantly at the worst possible moment. Jeff teaches the rod positioning that keeps your line clear, especially boatside. Hear it in the full episode.
The day after talking with Jeff, what stuck with me was how many fish are lost to fundamentals people never learned. The fight is a skill, and most anglers treat it like luck.
Jeff makes it teachable. Drag, cadence, palming the spool, tip wraps, these are things you can practice and improve. If you want to stop losing big fish, this conversation is a clinic.
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.
Capt. Jeff Malone is a full-time charter captain who runs two boats year-round. He has built a reputation for teaching anglers the proper techniques for fighting big fish, including drag control, the lift-and-reel cadence, palming the spool, and preventing tip wraps. His instruction focuses on the fundamentals that determine whether anglers land powerful species like tarpon or lose them, making him a go-to resource for clients who want to improve their fish-fighting skills.
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