Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 916 is my conversation with Major Thornton, known on social media as majorgator95. Major is a tournament redfish angler with a big footprint online, and what makes this one interesting is that we come at it from two different generations. We get into what gets people started in fishing and what keeps them interested, how a self-described introvert came out of his shell on camera, using fishing to climb out of a hard stretch, and our shared concerns about social media and our kids.
Listen now: Megaphone · YouTube.
Major Thornton, known online as majorgator95, is a tournament redfish angler and fishing content creator. Originally from the Belle Glade area around Lake Okeechobee, he grew up bass fishing the canals and dirt roads near the lake before later moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. He has competed in professional redfish tournaments and built a large social media following sharing his fishing.
Major describes himself as an introvert with social skills, quiet in day-to-day life but able to express himself creatively. He explains that creating content became his way of coming out of his shell, comparing it to how comedians and other creative people open up through their craft rather than in everyday conversation.
After moving from Gainesville to Charlotte and losing his grandfather, Major went through a depressed stretch, struggling in a new area where the fishing was unfamiliar and harder. He explains that pushing through trips without catching anything and slowly learning new water brought the joy back to fishing and helped him through that period.
Coming from different generations, Major and Tom share concerns about where social media is going and how it affects fishing and their children's mental health. The conversation weighs the creative upside of platforms against the real downsides, from an angler's perspective on both sides of the age gap.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 916 with Major Thornton is available on Megaphone, Spotify, YouTube, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I wanted Major on because his footprint on social media is real, but the person behind it is a quiet, thoughtful guy, and that contrast is exactly what I wanted to dig into. We are from different generations, and that gives this conversation an honest tension about where social media is headed for anglers and for our kids. Major has also used fishing to get through some genuinely hard times, and I thought a lot of people would see themselves in that.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Major says he is a man of few words day to day, but creating content is how he comes out of his shell. He explains how he discovered that fishing on camera let him show a different side of himself. Hear it in the episode.
After a move and the loss of his grandfather, Major hit a low point, and the unfamiliar fishing up north made it worse before it got better. He talks about how grinding through it brought the joy back. Listen to that section of the conversation.
Major and I come from different ages and different experiences, but we land on a lot of the same concerns about social media, fishing, and our kids' mental health. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Major grew up fishing the dirt roads and canals that feed the lake, chasing bass that had never seen a lure. He describes spots most people never travel to reach. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · YouTube.
What I appreciate about Major is how openly he talks about the hard parts, the move, the loss, the stretch where fishing stopped being fun. He found his way back to it, and he uses his platform to share that.
The social media conversation across our age gap is one I keep thinking about. Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 916 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Major Thornton · majorgator95 · Lake Okeechobee · Belle Glade, Florida · Charlotte, North Carolina · redfish tournaments · Tom Rowland (host)
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.
Major Thornton, known on social media as majorgator95, is a tournament redfish angler and fishing content creator. He grew up bass fishing the canals and backwaters around Lake Okeechobee near Belle Glade, Florida, before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. A self-described introvert who found his voice through creating content, he has competed in professional redfish tournaments and built a large following sharing his fishing and his honest perspective on the sport.
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