Jared Zissu | Building FlyLords Media Empire & The Lefty Kreh Film | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 412

Jared Zissu is the founder of FlyLords, one of the most influential fly fishing media platforms in the world, which he started as a simple Instagram account during his freshman year at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. What began as a way to avoid annoying his personal friends with daily fish pictures grew into a major media company producing films, written articles, and brand partnerships across the fly fishing industry. In this conversation, Zissu reveals how he convinced Flip Pallot to sit down for what became the film "Time" — a tribute to Lefty Kreh that had one moment so emotional Flip's wife had to stop the interview. He also opens up about the wild west days of Instagram, the controversial topic of spot burning that lit up their comment section, and why their editor who's never picked up a fly rod might be their secret weapon.

From Instagram Account to Media Empire

Most college freshmen start Instagram accounts that fade into obscurity. Zissu started one that became a business. Fishing the Elk River tailwater thirty minutes from campus, he was going out every single day and taking photos — but he didn't want to flood his personal feed. The solution was FlyLords, launched right as Instagram was exploding. What happened next wasn't just luck, though timing certainly helped. In those early days, Zissu explains, the algorithm worked completely differently: your posts went to 100% of your followers, and beyond that, new profiles were discovering you constantly. They were one of the first fly fishing accounts on the platform, and that positioning paid off immediately. But staying relevant required evolution. Hear how FlyLords transitioned from sharing content to creating it at 10:30.

The Film That Made Flip Pallot Cry

When the American Museum of Fly Fishing approached FlyLords about a partnership, they had one request: make something that could get into the Fly Fishing Film Tour. Zissu knew they needed something powerful, and he pitched telling a story about Lefty Kreh through Flip Pallot. Getting Flip on board required the right approach — Zissu made it clear the ask was from the museum, not just from FlyLords. That first phone call changed everything. Flip talked about time in a way that stopped the 27-year-old Zissu in his tracks. Later, during the actual interview at Flip's house, there was a question about Lefty that created thirty seconds of awkward silence. Flip started to tear up. His wife had to step in and call for a break. The story of how they captured that raw emotion starts at 1:37.

The Spot Burning Controversy That Lit Up Their Comments

FlyLords published an article about how not to spot burn, and the internet had opinions. Lots of them. Some commenters argued that keeping fishing spots secret was elitist — that all spots belong to mother nature and should be shared freely. Others defended the concept of intellectual property, the idea that if you put in years to learn a fishery, those spots are yours. Zissu brings up David Mangum from the film "120 Days," who has a skull buoy marking one of his tarpon spots and calls these places his intellectual property because he spent years finding them. The conversation gets into the difference between fragile spots that can't handle pressure and more robust fisheries. It touches on the evolution of fishing culture from gatekeeping to Orvis's push for inclusion. And it reveals something Zissu learned after moving to Colorado and creating a four-part series on local tailwaters. The full discussion on protecting spots versus growing the sport starts at 40:00.

Why COVID Forced a Complete Content Pivot

When COVID hit, FlyLords had trips planned to Sweden, Iceland, Argentina, The Seychelles, Christmas Island — destinations that drive the kind of content fly fishing audiences crave. All of it got canceled. Accounts they were counting on for the year froze or disappeared. Zissu remembers those first couple months just thinking, "What do we do?" The answer was to start from scratch and get creative. They launched "Staying Afloat," an Instagram Live series interviewing anglers, guides, and fly shops about how they were surviving and how people could support them. No travel required, just existing photos and real conversations. As restrictions eased, they pivoted hard to US-based content, focusing on Colorado tailwaters after just moving there. But this shift did something unexpected — it changed FlyLords' entire mission. Hear what Jared learned about protecting your backyard at 35:00.

The Wild West Days of Instagram Nobody Talks About

There was a time when Instagram worked completely differently. Zissu calls it the "wild west days" — a period when new accounts could scale impossibly fast, when your posts reached 100% of your followers and went beyond that to new audiences discovering you organically. FlyLords caught that wave perfectly. They were one of the first fly fishing accounts on the platform, and photographers were thrilled to have their content shared because FlyLords would send them back 5,000 new followers. Today? Share someone's content and you get an invoice. The evolution forced FlyLords to transition from a curation platform to a creation company, which Zissu says was crucial for long-term survival. But there's an interesting twist in their creative process: their main editor has never picked up a fly rod in his life. Why that might be their biggest advantage gets explained at 24:08.

Final Thoughts from Tom

This conversation with Jared really opened my eyes to what's happening in fly fishing media right now. The "Time" film he created about Lefty and Flip — man, that hit me. Lefty had such an enormous impact on my fishing career, and to see that legacy honored in a seven-minute film that somehow doesn't feel rushed or incomplete, that's impressive work. The spot burning discussion is something I think about constantly, and Jared articulated both sides of it better than most people twice his age could.

What stands out is how FlyLords is thinking about the responsibility that comes with a big platform. They're not just chasing engagement — they're actively teaching etiquette, promoting conservation, and trying to grow the sport the right way. That's not easy when you're also running a business and dealing with the Internet's opinions on everything you post.

The parts about Instagram's evolution and how they've had to adapt their whole model are fascinating if you're interested in content and media at all. And hearing Jared talk about how Flip's perspective on time changed his team's thinking — that's the kind of moment that sticks with you. This one's worth your time.