Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 777 is my conversation with Paul Bourcq about turning a lifelong fly fishing passion into a real career. Paul started on the New River in North Carolina, half-afraid he was destined to be a fly-fishing beach bum with no future. We talk about building a guiding business on that river, the single question that changed his direction, and how chasing the thing he loved since childhood ultimately opened the door to an opportunity in Costa Rica.
Listen now: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
Paul Bourcq is a fly fisherman and outdoor professional who began his career guiding on the New River in North Carolina. He turned a childhood passion for fly fishing into a profession, eventually finding an opportunity in Costa Rica, and he has gone on to work in the outdoor media space.
Paul started his fly fishing business on the New River in North Carolina. He spent his early days there developing as a fly fisherman and building a guiding operation while figuring out whether he could make a real career of it.
Paul was worried he would end up as a fly-fishing beach bum, pursuing the sport he loved but without a stable future. That fear of not being able to turn his passion into a livelihood was a real tension in his early years on the New River.
Paul describes a question that changed everything and opened the door to a Costa Rica opportunity. Pursuing his passion seriously and putting himself in the right position led to a chance to take his fishing career to another level abroad.
Paul's love of fly fishing goes back to childhood. He turned that lifelong passion into a professional pursuit, which is part of what makes his story resonate for anyone hoping to build a career around something they have loved since they were young.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 777 with Paul Bourcq 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 Paul on because his story is the one a lot of us quietly wonder about: can you actually make a living doing the thing you love, or are you just kidding yourself? Paul lived that tension on the New River, genuinely worried he would end up a fly-fishing beach bum. The way he worked through it, and the question that redirected him toward Costa Rica, is a story worth hearing for anyone trying to turn passion into a career.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Paul is honest about the fear that shadowed his early years, that loving fly fishing might not be enough to build a life on. Hear how he wrestled with it in the episode.
Paul describes the work of starting and growing a guiding operation on North Carolina's New River. Listen to that section of the conversation.
There was a single question that redirected Paul's path and opened the door to bigger things. He explains what it was and why it mattered. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Paul connects his lifelong love of fly fishing to the career it eventually became, including the Costa Rica opportunity. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · Spotify · YouTube.
What I appreciate about Paul's story is how relatable the fear is. Almost everyone who loves something wonders whether they can build a real life around it. Paul did, but not without doubt and not without work.
The question that changed his direction is the kind of turning point you only recognize later. This conversation is for anyone standing where Paul stood on that river.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 777 on Megaphone or Spotify.
Paul Bourcq · New River (North Carolina) · Costa Rica · 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.
Paul Bourcq is a fly fisherman and outdoor professional who began his career guiding on the New River in North Carolina. He turned a childhood passion for fly fishing into a profession, working through the fear of not being able to make a living at it, and an opportunity eventually took his fishing career to Costa Rica. He has since built a career in the outdoor media space.
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