Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 110 is my conversation with Lawrence Gunther, North America's only totally blind competitive angler. Lawrence lost his sight in three separate phases starting at age eight, yet he has fished more than 100 tournaments with over 20 top-10 finishes, founded the conservation charity Blue Fish Canada, and built a career as an outdoor writer and filmmaker. We talk about fishing entirely by feel, why a good rod is really a souped-up white cane, and how he earns and keeps sponsors.
Listen now: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
Lawrence Gunther is North America's only totally blind competitive angler, an outdoor writer, podcaster, blogger, and filmmaker based in Canada. He lost his vision in three separate phases beginning at age eight and going fully blind in his forties. He has fished more than 100 tournaments with over 20 top-10 finishes and founded the conservation charity Blue Fish Canada.
Lawrence fishes by feel, specializing in vertical presentations like jigging and drop-shotting where the bite comes straight up the line to his hands. He describes a good fishing rod as nothing more than a souped-up white cane with a reel strapped to one end, a sensing tool that tells his hand what is happening below the boat. In tournaments he fishes from a Ranger 620 and works with partners.
Blue Fish Canada is the conservation charity Lawrence Gunther founded. Through it, and through his documentary and speaking work, he encourages anglers to become stewards of their own fishing holes and waters, sharing the love and knowledge of those worlds so that fishing and the resource remain healthy for the future.
Lawrence explains that early on, sponsors wanted to hand him a few baubles as a charity gesture. He turned every small donation into a full pro-staff report documenting all the media attention and outreach he generated for the brand, which converted those donations into real contracts. He has signed with Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Shimano, Lowrance, Navionics, and Eagle Claw by consistently delivering more value than he receives.
Beyond fishing, Lawrence has competed in triathlons, won a sailing regatta, and taken on whitewater canoeing and kayaking, alpine and cross-country skiing, scuba diving, and backwoods camping. He wrestled in high school, a sport he notes blind athletes excel at because they are hard to fake out.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 110 with Lawrence Gunther is available on Megaphone, Spotify, YouTube, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I came across Lawrence by listening to another podcast, the FishNerd show, and I was immediately fascinated by his story. Here is a man who has gone blind three separate times in his life and still finishes in the top 10 against fully sighted anglers. What got me was that being blind is not who he is. He is an infectiously positive go-getter and goal-setter, and the lessons he has learned about feel, focus, and getting brands real value are lessons every angler can use. I wanted listeners to hear it from him.
Press play in the player above to hear the whole story in his own words.
Lawrence does almost everything by feel, and he says good anglers already fish the way he does without realizing it. They feel the bite, they read the rod like a sensing tool, and they know when slack line beats a tight line. He won a pier competition against 500 anglers simply by staying on the windward side so his bait tumbled naturally. Hear him break down feel-based fishing in the episode.
One of my favorite moments is when Lawrence calls a good fishing rod a souped-up white cane, a tool whose real job 99 percent of the time is feeding information to your hand. It reframes how you think about every rod you own. Listen to that section of the conversation.
Lawrence explains exactly how he stopped being a feel-good charity case and became a brand asset, turning small donations into six-month reports and full contracts with Ranger, Evinrude, Shimano, Lowrance, Navionics, and Eagle Claw. If you have ever wondered what sponsorship really takes, press play in the YouTube player above.
Lawrence founded Blue Fish Canada to get people, especially young people, connected to the water and acting as stewards of their own fishing holes. He frames his filming and speaking as a way to inspire that connection. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
What stays with me about Lawrence is how completely he has refused to let blindness define what he can do. He fishes by feel better than most people who can see, and he has built a career and a charity around sharing that with others.
If you have ever caught yourself making excuses, this is the conversation to listen to. Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 110 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Lawrence Gunther · Blue Fish Canada · FishNerd Podcast · Ranger Boats · Evinrude · Shimano · Lowrance · Navionics · Eagle Claw · 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.
Lawrence Gunther is North America's only totally blind competitive angler and the founder of the conservation charity Blue Fish Canada. An outdoor writer, podcaster, blogger, and filmmaker based in Canada, he lost his sight in three phases starting at age eight and going fully blind in his forties. He has fished more than 100 tournaments with over 20 top-10 finishes, specializing in vertical, feel-based presentations, and holds sponsorship contracts with leading fishing and marine brands. He has also competed in triathlons, sailing regattas, and whitewater paddling, and is a recognized leader in Canadian fisheries conservation.
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