Getting in shape for flats fishing means building the leg strength and balance to stand all day on a rocking boat, the step-up strength to get on and off the casting deck, and the isometric arm endurance to fight a fish for thirty or forty minutes. A listener emailed asking what he could do before his annual flats trip, and the answer starts with one observation: most people sit all day, and a flats trip asks you to stand all day. In this Physical Friday I lay out the exact training plan, rucking, step ups, bosu work, and rod-hold isometrics, plus the on-trip habits that keep you fishing well into day three.
Watch or listen now: press play above and follow along.
Focus on leg strength first, because flats fishing means standing all day on a rocking boat and most people sit all day. Walk more, then walk with a weighted backpack, what we call rucking. Add box or bench step ups, squats, or the stair master so getting up on the casting deck stays easy, and finish with balance work and isometric holds that mimic fighting a fish.
Because the single thing you always do on a flats trip is stand up all day in a rocking boat, and almost nobody is conditioned for that. If you work up to walking three miles with a weighted backpack before your trip, your legs and lower back will be far stronger, and you will be much better at staying on that deck, keeping your balance, and holding your concentration through the whole day.
Rucking is simply walking with a weighted backpack. Load a pack with books, bricks, whatever you have, and walk. It builds the leg and lower back strength that standing on a skiff demands, it requires zero equipment beyond the pack, and it scales easily: walk farther, then add weight, then wear the pack while doing step ups.
A bosu ball is the best tool I know for this. Put two bosu balls together and stand on them, and you have a pretty good simulation of a rocking boat. Combine that with the leg strength work and you will get up on the deck, stay on the deck, and keep your balance throughout the day instead of fatiguing by mid-morning.
Practice isometric holds. Using a resistance band or a cable machine, get into the position of pulling against a fishing rod and simply hold it, because that is exactly what a twenty, thirty, or forty minute fight asks of you. If you never train that position, your arm gives out and you want to pass the rod off, and a lot of times there is nobody to pass it to.
Take care of yourself like the trip matters, because you waited all year for it. Have a reasonable dinner, get to bed earlier instead of drinking until two in the morning, and drink a lot of water on the boat. Most people get dehydrated and start going downhill after two or three days, so hydration is the single most important on-trip habit.
I have been going through a lot of emails lately, and some sit right on the line between How 2 Tuesday and Physical Friday. This one asked what to do to be in better shape for an annual flats trip, and it is a better question than it sounds, because it might seem silly to train for a fishing trip until you realize the trip is physical. I unpack the whole answer in the episode, so press play above.
Look at your regular day and ask whether you stand up all day long. Unless you have a standing desk, the answer is no, and a flats trip asks for exactly that, on a deck that never stops moving. Then it asks you to step up onto that deck over and over, and to hold a bent rod against a strong fish. I break each demand down in the episode. Press play above.
You are not trying to win a triathlon. You are trying to make the most of a trip you waited all year for, and the gap between doing nothing and walking three miles with a weighted pack is enormous. I cover the progression, from plain walking to rucking to weighted step ups on an 18 inch platform or a cooler or your stairs at home, in the episode. Listen for the details.
It usually is not fitness, it is the nights and the water bottle. Everybody wants to have a good time on a trip, and that is fine, but staying up late drinking shows up on the deck the next morning, and dehydration quietly stacks up until it takes you down after two or three days. I share the simple on-trip routine I recommend in the episode, so press play above.
Casting drills matter, and we have covered plenty of them, but it does not matter how good a caster you are if you cannot stand on the deck all day. A little preliminary training, legs first, then balance, then the rod hold, changes the entire trip.
If you have a flats trip on the calendar, start the rucking now and let me know if this helped: podcast@saltwaterexperience.com. Catch some fish, have a good time, and press play above for the full plan.
flats fishing · rucking · weighted backpack walking · box step ups · bosu ball balance training · isometric holds · casting deck · hydration · stair master · squats · Physical Friday
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's Physical Friday series I share the workouts, recovery methods, and fitness habits that keep me ready for guiding, fishing, hunting, and everything else outdoors, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.