Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 158 is my conversation with Rufus Wakeman, a lifelong angler born and raised in Palm Beach, Florida, who started fishing at age five on a charter boat with his grandfather. What began as a childhood passion became a 30-year career on the water. Rufus reveals why 80 percent of the sailfish he catches come from FADs, tells the story of getting lost in the Guatemalan jungle navigating by stars, and explains how he found sailfish fishing in a landlocked country.
Listen now: Megaphone · Spotify.
Rufus Wakeman is a lifelong angler from Palm Beach, Florida, who started fishing at age five with his grandfather. He has fished nearly every day for 30 years, catching thousands of sailfish and developing deep expertise in billfish, FADs, and fly fishing for sailfish across destinations including Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Bolivia.
FADs, or Fish Aggregating Devices, are floating structures with a buoy on top and netting or lines hanging below that create cover in open ocean. Baitfish gather there, which draws predators. Rufus says about 80 percent of the sailfish he catches come from around FADs.
Roughly 80 percent. Rufus says that figure comes from three decades of pattern recognition, and the key to a productive FAD is reading bird activity and baitfish presence rather than just finding one on a map.
Rufus has fished extensively across the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Bolivia. He grew up in Palm Beach, a place steeped in billfish culture and tournaments, and even found aggressive sailfish-style fishing in landlocked Bolivia's Amazon rivers.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 158 with Rufus Wakeman is available on Megaphone, Spotify, and the Tom Rowland Podcast feed across Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
This conversation reminded me why I love doing this podcast. Rufus turned a childhood charter trip into a lifetime on the water, and he did it with intention and consistency. When he talks about his first sailfish at twelve, you can hear that the memory is as vivid today as it was then. That is what real passion sounds like, and I wanted listeners to hear from someone who has lived fishing as a way of life for three decades.
Press play in the player above to hear it.
Rufus remembers the exact moment fishing grabbed him, on a charter boat out of Lauderdale with his grandfather. He explains how that one trip shaped everything that followed. Hear it in the episode.
Rufus says 80 percent of his sailfish come from FADs, and the difference between a good one and a dead one is reading the birds and the bait. He breaks down the 80 percent rule. Listen to that section of the conversation.
Rufus has chased fish all over the world, including aggressive fishing in landlocked Bolivia. He explains how that even works. Listen to the full story.
One trip stands out, when Rufus and a buddy got lost trying to reach camp and had to navigate by stars and landmarks. He tells the whole story. Worth hearing in full.
Listen to the full conversation: Megaphone · Spotify.
What struck me most was Rufus's perspective on adventure. Getting lost in Guatemala was not a disaster to him, it was part of the experience. That mindset of seeing fishing as more than the catch is something every angler can learn from.
Whether you are into billfish or just want to hear from someone who has lived fishing for 30 years, this one is worth your time. Listen on Megaphone or Spotify.
Rufus Wakeman · Palm Beach, Florida · Guatemala · Costa Rica · Bolivia · FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) · 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.
Rufus Wakeman is a lifelong angler born and raised in Palm Beach, Florida, who started fishing at age five when his grandfather took him on a charter boat. What began as a childhood passion became a career and lifestyle, with Rufus fishing nearly every day for three decades. He is deeply experienced in billfish fishing, FADs, and fly fishing for sailfish, having traveled to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Bolivia, and beyond. With thousands of sailfish to his credit, he brings rare firsthand insight into the world of offshore billfish angling.
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