Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 31 is my conversation with CA Richardson, the professional angler who has hosted the television show Flats Class for more than ten years. CA is one of the best teachers in our sport, and he has expanded his reach by partnering with Salt Strong to put his inshore and flats knowledge into online courses. He and I go way back to the early days of professional redfish tournaments — we fished against each other in the ESPN Redfish Cup and the IFA Redfish Tour — so this one is a reunion as much as an interview.
▶ Watch on YouTube · 🎧 Listen now
CA Richardson is a professional angler and the longtime host of the television show Flats Class, which he has hosted for over a decade. He is widely regarded as one of the best fishing teachers in the inshore and flats space, and he has partnered with Salt Strong to deliver online courses to anglers who want to improve. He is known for a generous, instructional style and a loyal fan base.
Flats Class is the television show CA Richardson has hosted for more than ten years, focused on inshore and flats fishing technique. The show is built around teaching — breaking down how to find and catch redfish, trout, snook, and other inshore species — rather than just showing the catch. It airs on outdoor networks including Waypoint TV.
Tom and CA first became acquainted through the early days of professional redfish tournaments. They fished against one another in circuits like the ESPN Redfish Cup and the IFA Redfish Tour. In the episode they look back on what those tournaments did for both of their careers, from the paths they took afterward to the sponsorships that followed.
CA has collaborated with Salt Strong to offer online courses covering a range of inshore fishing subjects. The partnership lets him scale his teaching beyond television to anglers who want structured, on-demand instruction on technique, locations, and strategy for catching inshore species.
We discuss the aftermath of the professional redfish tournament era, how those years shaped the careers and sponsorships of the anglers who came up in them, what it takes to teach fishing well, and the role family and genuine passion play in sustaining a long career on camera and on the water.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 31 with CA Richardson is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
CA and I came up in the same world. Before either of us had a television show, we were grinding the professional redfish tournament circuits — the ESPN Redfish Cup, the IFA Redfish Tour — fishing against each other for checks. Those years shaped both of us, and watching where CA took it afterward has been one of the quiet pleasures of staying in this industry. He turned into one of the best teachers in fishing, period.
CA is one of the good guys, and his loyal fan base is proof of his dedication and his real desire to help other anglers. Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page to hear the conversation.
CA and I both came out of the professional redfish tournament era, and in this episode we trace what that did for our careers — the paths it opened, the sponsorships it created, and the relationships that outlasted the tournaments themselves. If you only know CA from Flats Class, the competitive roots behind the teacher are worth hearing. Listen to that part of the episode.
Plenty of people can catch fish. Very few can teach someone else to do it. CA has spent over a decade figuring out how to break the sport down so it actually transfers, and that skill is why his Salt Strong courses landed. He talks about how he thinks about instruction. Press play to hear it.
Television careers in the outdoors are short for most people. CA has kept Flats Class going for over ten years. We get into what sustains that — the role of family, of staying genuinely passionate, and of not losing the love of the thing when it becomes the job. Listen to how he keeps it fresh.
CA has one of the most devoted followings in inshore fishing, and it is not an accident. He genuinely wants his viewers to catch more fish, and that comes through in everything he makes. We talk about that connection and what he owes the people who watch. Hear it in his own words in the episode.
Listen to the full conversation: ▶ Watch on YouTube · 🎧 Listen now
What I keep coming back to with CA is how completely he turned a competitive fishing career into a teaching one. The tournament days gave both of us a foundation, but CA built something durable on top of his — a show, a course library, and a fan base that trusts him because he has spent years earning it.
He is one of the genuinely good people in this sport, and that is rarer than it should be. Press play and spend an hour with one of fishing's best teachers.
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.
CA Richardson is a professional angler and the longtime host of the television show Flats Class, which he has hosted for more than a decade. Widely regarded as one of the finest teachers in inshore and flats fishing, CA has expanded his influence by partnering with Salt Strong to offer online courses for anglers. He came up through the professional redfish tournament circuits, including the ESPN Redfish Cup and IFA Redfish Tour, and has built a loyal following on the strength of his instruction, his work ethic, and his genuine desire to help fellow anglers.
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