Tom Rowland | Mastering the Pump and Wind Technique for Giant Fish | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 948

Tom Rowland is a professional fishing guide in the Florida Keys who specializes in teaching anglers how to catch large fish on light tackle. In this episode, Tom shares the essential pump and wind technique that separates experienced saltwater anglers from beginners—a method that every fishing guide in the Keys teaches but few customers master before their trip. Using a live demonstration with a nurse shark at Bahia Honda, Tom reveals why trying to use your reel like a winch will either break your line or drive your guide insane, how to properly set your drag for big fish, and the exact hand placement and rhythm that lets you land trophy fish on light tackle.

Why Your Fishing Guide Goes Insane When You Reel Against the Drag

Tom opens this episode by identifying the single most frustrating behavior he witnesses as a professional guide: anglers who hook a big fish and immediately start cranking the reel like it's a winch. This instinct comes naturally—you want to get the fish to the boat, so you reel as hard as you can. But when you're using light tackle designed to catch large tarpon, sharks, or offshore species, that approach creates an impossible physics problem. If you set the drag tight enough to actually winch the fish in, any surge or run will snap your line instantly. Tom explains that the entire philosophy of light tackle fishing requires a different approach—one that uses the rod's flex and precise drag settings combined with strategic hand pressure. The technique he's about to demonstrate changed the way he teaches customers and dramatically increased their success rate on trophy fish. Tom's explanation of why the reel isn't a winch starts at 1:23.

The Live Demonstration: Setting the Hook with Circle Hooks

With a rod in hand and a fish taking his bait, Tom walks through the critical first moments of the fight. He's fishing at Bahia Honda when something picks up his offering and starts moving. Rather than immediately setting the hook with a hard jerk—the technique many anglers learned in freshwater—Tom demonstrates the proper circle hook technique for saltwater. He opens the bail, watches the fish take line as it picks up the bait, then closes the bail and simply reels down tight. The circle hook design does the work, rotating into the corner of the fish's mouth as tension builds. Tom emphasizes that this isn't a tarpon—he can tell from the way it's fighting—but it's large enough to illustrate every principle of the pump and wind method. What happens next is where most anglers go wrong, and Tom narrates his every move to prevent those mistakes. The moment Tom sets the hook and begins the fight starts at 2:15.

The Exact Mechanics: Palm the Spool, Pump Up, Reel Down

Once the fish is hooked, Tom breaks down the mechanical sequence that makes the pump and wind technique work. First, he drops the rod tip and palms the spool with his hand—adding just a little extra tension beyond what the drag provides. Then he pumps the rod up while maintaining that hand pressure on the spool. This is the critical detail: you're not reeling during the upward pump. Your hand stays on the spool, adding controlled pressure as the rod loads. Only when Tom drops the rod back down does he reel rapidly, recovering all the line he gained during the pump. He repeats this sequence continuously: drop and palm, pump up with hand on spool, reel fast as you go down. Tom stresses the importance of never reeling against the drag—if you feel resistance while turning the handle, you're doing it wrong. The drag should be set so you can freely reel when the rod is dropping, but the fish can take line when it surges. Tom's detailed breakdown of hand placement and the pump-reel sequence starts at 3:10.

When to Release Pressure: Reading the Fish's Surge

The most dangerous moment in any light tackle fight is when the fish decides to make a hard run. Tom emphasizes a rule that must become instinctive: if you feel the fish take off, immediately take your hand off the reel and let it finish its run. This is where anglers lose fish—they panic during a surge and clamp down on the spool or try to stop the run with drag pressure that's too heavy. Tom's fighting a nurse shark in this demonstration, and even though nurse sharks aren't prized gamefish, they pull hard and test your tackle. Throughout the fight, Tom maintains his narration, coaching viewers through each decision point. The fish makes several surges, and each time Tom releases pressure, lets the fish finish its run, then resumes the pump and wind cadence. This rhythmic approach—pressure, release, pressure, release—is what allows light tackle to handle fish that outweigh the breaking strength of your line by hundreds of pounds. Tom's explanation of when to release the spool during a fish's surge starts at 4:45.

Final Thoughts from Tom

I recorded this episode because pump and wind is the single most important technique I teach as a professional guide, and it's the one thing that separates successful light tackle anglers from those who lose fish after fish. Every season, I watch customers instinctively reach for the reel handle and start cranking when they hook something big, and every season I have to stop them and walk them through this exact process.

The nurse shark I caught during this demonstration wasn't the target species—we were fishing for tarpon at Bahia Honda—but it turned out to be the perfect teaching opportunity. The fight was long enough and strong enough to illustrate every principle: the circle hook set, the palm-and-pump rhythm, the critical moment when you have to release pressure during a surge, and the patience required to work a big fish back to the boat on light tackle.

If you're planning a trip to the Keys, Louisiana, Texas, or anywhere you might hook something that outweighs your tackle, listen to this episode before you go. Your guide will thank you, and you'll dramatically increase your odds of landing the biggest fish of your life.