Project SeaSafe is a hands-on marine conservation week presented by Star brite, running April 17–26 in Grant, Florida, anchored at the Old Fish House Bar and Grill. Built around one idea — if you love the water, you need to take care of it — the week combines mangrove planting, shoreline cleanups and fishing tournaments with access to Star brite pros like Blair Wiggins and Shaw Grigsby, plus Indian River Lagoon veteran guide Bouncer Smith. Tom sat down with Bouncer at the event to talk about why conservation, not just catching fish, is the point.
Press play above to watch the full conversation, or scroll down for the audio player.
Project SeaSafe is taking place April 17th through the 26th in Grant, Florida, anchored at the Old Fish House Bar and Grill. The event includes mangrove planting, shoreline cleanups, fishing tournaments, and opportunities to learn from Star brite pros.
Project SeaSafe is built around one core idea: if you love the water, you need to take care of it. It's a working week designed to bring together anglers, pros, and outdoor enthusiasts to actively protect and restore waterways through hands-on conservation work.
Star brite pros including Blair Wiggins, Shaw Grigsby, and Bouncer Smith will be in attendance, along with other top anglers and conservation experts. It's an opportunity to learn from legends in the fishing industry while contributing to meaningful conservation efforts.
Yes. Tom Rowland emphasizes throughout this episode that bringing your kids to conservation events like Project SeaSafe is important. It lets them see you leading by example and teaches them to value and protect the waterways that make fishing possible.
Project SeaSafe includes hands-on conservation activities like mangrove planting and shoreline cleanup, as well as fishing tournaments and opportunities to get on the water, plus educational sessions with Star brite pros.
Bouncer Smith has been on this podcast a number of times, and every conversation with him is worth having again, because the guy has spent a lifetime in this industry and has the stories to prove it. This time I wanted to talk to him about something different than fish counts — the week of conservation work he was in the middle of at Project SeaSafe. Bouncer built his whole career on the Indian River Lagoon, so hearing him talk about protecting it instead of just fishing it felt like the right way to catch up with him.
Tom opens this conversation with a simple philosophy: if you love the water, you need to take care of it. Bouncer embodies that mindset — he's not just a legendary angler, he's someone who treats conservation as part of the job, not an extra. The Indian River Lagoon snook fishing he built his reputation on is under real pressure, and that's the backdrop for the whole conversation. Worth hearing him explain it in his own words.
Project SeaSafe isn't something you watch from the dock. Running April 17–26 out of the Old Fish House Bar and Grill in Grant, Florida, it puts people to work — mangrove planting, shoreline cleanups, fishing tournaments — alongside pros like Blair Wiggins and Shaw Grigsby. Bouncer talks about what makes this event different from a typical tournament weekend, and why he thinks bringing your kids matters more than people realize.
Tom and Bouncer both come back to the same point: when your kids watch you take care of the water instead of just fishing it, that lesson sticks in a way no conversation at home ever could. Project SeaSafe gives families a hands-on way to do that together. Press play to hear why that stuck with both of them.
This one reminded me why we do what we do. It's easy to get caught up in the next fish, the next trip, the next technique, but if we don't take care of the water none of that matters. Bouncer has been on this podcast multiple times, and every conversation with him is valuable, but this one hits different because it's not about what we take from the water, it's about what we give back.
If you're anywhere near Grant, Florida between April 17th and 26th, get down there. Bring your kids. This episode is short, but the message is not.
Bouncer Smith · Blair Wiggins · Shaw Grigsby · Tom Rowland · Project SeaSafe · Star brite
Bouncer Smith is a legend in the fishing industry who has appeared on the Tom Rowland Podcast multiple times, sharing decades of knowledge and stories. A passionate conservationist and master angler known for his expertise in snook fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, Bouncer is deeply involved with Project SeaSafe, dedicating his life to both catching fish and making sure future generations can do the same.
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