Episode 101 of the Tom Rowland Podcast is my dockside conversation with Capt. Bouncer Smith, a genuinely legendary South Florida sport fishing captain with more than fifty years guiding out of Miami Beach. Bouncer has been on the show before and is one of my favorite guests because he is such a storyteller, and after fifty-plus years he has a lot of them. We recorded at his dock at six in the morning, harbor sounds and all, to talk about a life on the water and the art of giving back to the next generation of anglers.
Watch on YouTube · Listen now · Apple Podcasts · Spotify
Capt. Bouncer Smith is a legendary South Florida sport fishing captain who has spent more than fifty years chartering out of Miami Beach. He has fished all over the world and guided in the Keys, and he is regarded as one of the most respected and accomplished charter captains in the region. He is also a beloved repeat guest on the Tom Rowland Podcast and a gifted storyteller.
The episode centers on Bouncer's lifelong habit of giving back to the fishing community, especially young people. He shares stories of taking kids fishing, surprising a young angler named Kara with her own rod and reel, and dressing up as Santa Claus at a Christmas party. For Bouncer, making a kid's life better through fishing is one of the greatest thrills of his career.
Bouncer recounts tracking down and buying a specific rod and reel for a young girl named Kara, then surprising her with it at the dock alongside a friend who chipped in. He had her feed dozens of ballyhoo to the tarpon at his dock, watched her go from intimidated to brave, and then handed over the rod and reel. He describes both that moment and helping another young girl as enormous thrills.
Tom calls Bouncer one of his favorite guests because he is a natural storyteller with fifty-plus years of material. After their last episode, the two kept talking for another thirty or forty minutes off-mic, and Tom regretted not recording it, which is why he went back to capture more of Bouncer's stories.
Because their schedules were so tight, Tom met Bouncer at his dock at six in the morning, so the episode carries the authentic sounds of a fishing morning, cruise ship horns, tugboats, and the boat being prepped. His mate AB Raymond gets the boat ready, and the morning's charter is none other than Marty Arostegui, one of the most prolific world-record holders in fishing.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 101 with Bouncer Smith is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
Bouncer is one of my favorite guests because he tells stories, and with more than fifty years of charter fishing he has a lot of them. Last time we recorded, we kept talking for another thirty or forty minutes after we stopped, and I was kicking myself for not capturing it. So I went back to Bouncer, and because our schedules were so tight, I met him at his dock at six in the morning. You can hear the harbor, the cruise ship horns, his mate AB getting the boat ready, and his customer that morning, Marty Arostegui, a man who holds as many world records as just about anyone, arriving to fish. It does not get more authentic than that.
Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page to hear the whole conversation.
When I say legendary, I mean Bouncer embodies it. Fifty-plus years out of Miami Beach, fishing all over the world, guiding in the Keys. He has seen the fishery and the business change in ways most of us can only read about. Listen to him put that experience into stories only he can tell.
The heart of this episode is Bouncer's joy in giving back. He tells the story of buying young Kara a rod and reel, surprising her at the dock, and watching her go from intimidated to brave while feeding tarpon. Making those kids' lives better, he says, is such a thrill. Hear those stories in the episode.
This recording is a snapshot of a real fishing morning. AB Raymond preps the boat. Marty Arostegui, a legendary world-record angler, arrives for his charter. A legendary captain, a legendary mate, a legendary angler, and the two of us getting to sit in the middle of it. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Even after everything, Bouncer is looking forward, planning to take more kids fishing and keep doing the work he loves. His enthusiasm for the next trip and the next young angler is contagious. Listen to that section of the episode.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
Bouncer Smith has nothing left to prove as a captain, and yet what lights him up most is putting a kid on a fish or handing a young angler her first rod and reel.
That is the art of giving back, and after fifty years on the water it is what he chooses to spend his time on. There is a lesson in that for all of us. Listen to the whole conversation.
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.
Capt. Bouncer Smith is a legendary South Florida sport fishing captain with more than fifty years guiding out of Miami Beach. He has fished around the world, guided in the Florida Keys, and earned a reputation as one of the most respected captains and storytellers in the sport. Beyond his own accomplishments, Bouncer is known for his generosity, taking kids fishing, gifting young anglers their first gear, and giving back to the community that has been his life.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.