Nick Davis: Fly Tying for Snook & Tarpon at 239 Flies
Nick Davis is the owner of 239 Flies, a Southwest Florida fly tying shop specializing in innovative saltwater patterns for snook and tarpon. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about designing flies that fool tough fish, the craft and business of fly tying, and what it takes to build a brand around saltwater patterns.
Dr. Lisa Bravo: The BRAVO Effect Parenting Framework
Dr. Lisa Bravo is a psychologist and the creator of The BRAVO Effect, a parenting framework built around Behavior, Relationships, Attitudes, Values, and Opportunities. She joins Tom Rowland to break down the framework, how parents can apply it, and how a clear, values-driven approach helps raise resilient, capable kids.
Michael Waddell: Building the Bone Collector Hunting Empire
Michael Waddell is the founder of Bone Collector, the hunting brand and TV franchise he started in 2010 with a few friends to create quality hunting content that shows what hunting is really about. He joins Tom Rowland to tell the story of building Bone Collector into an empire, staying authentic as the brand grew, and the work behind the camera.
Derek York: A Tiger Shark Tracked 800 Miles to New Orleans
Derek York is a shark researcher whose team tagged a female tiger shark in South Texas that later showed up roughly 800 miles away near New Orleans. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about tiger shark behavior in the Gulf of Mexico, how satellite tagging works, and what these long-distance movements reveal about one of the ocean's apex predators.
Dustin Nichols: Why Kayaks Are Better Than Boats
Dustin Nichols is the host of the Chasing the Tide segment on the Paddle N Fin podcast and the communications director for the Kayak Saltwater Series. He joins Tom Rowland to make the case for why kayaks can be better than boats for many anglers, covering access, cost, stealth, and the unique experience of fishing from a kayak.
Dr. Hillary Lampers: Wild Game Nutrition and Hunt Harvest Health
Dr. Hillary Lampers is a naturopathic doctor and the founder of Hunt Harvest Health, combining 14 years of clinical practice with a passion for hunting and wild game nutrition. She joins Tom Rowland to explain why wild game is some of the healthiest food available, how hunting connects people to their food, and how to think about nutrition from the field to the plate.
Luke Dunkin: Pro Bass Fisherman, Songwriter & Podcast Host
Luke Dunkin is a professional bass fisherman, a songwriter who held a publishing deal out of Muscle Shoals, a podcast host whose show grew fast on YouTube, and a commentator for the National Professional Fishing League. He joins Tom Rowland to walk through how he balances tournament fishing, music, and broadcasting, and what each pursuit has taught him about the others.
Art Hill: Digital Marketing Secrets for the Outdoor Industry
Art Hill is the founder of Rogue Marine Advisors and host of the Maritime Moment podcast on the Waypoint Collective, with deep expertise in digital marketing tailored to outdoor brands and fishing guides. He joins Tom Rowland to break down how anglers, guides, and outdoor businesses can use digital marketing to grow an audience and build a real brand.
Blake Riddle & Dylan Harrell: Commercial Diving in Nuclear Plants & Offshore Rigs
Blake Riddle and Dylan Harrell are commercial underwater divers and co-hosts of the Breakdown The Dive podcast. They join Tom Rowland to explain what it is really like to work underwater in nuclear power plants and on offshore oil rigs, the path into commercial diving, and how they built a community around an industry most people never see.
Graham Tayloe: NWTF Grand Slam World-Record Turkey Hunter
Graham Tayloe is an avid outdoorsman, expert turkey hunter, and land manager from Alabama who set the National Wild Turkey Federation Grand Slam world record by harvesting all four subspecies of wild turkey in record time. He joins Tom Rowland to break down the logistics, scouting, and discipline behind the record, and what it takes to manage land for wild turkey.
Clay Guida: UFC Hall of Fame Fighter and Avid Fisherman
Clay Guida is a UFC Hall of Fame inductee and professional mixed martial artist who grew up fishing the fresh waters of Illinois with his father and uncles. He joins Tom Rowland to explain how fishing became his meditative escape from the pressure of professional fighting, the parallels between landing a permit and preparing for a cage match, his epic fight with BJ Penn, and why conservation matters to him.
Capt. Deb Deyo: From Healthcare to Florida Keys Charter Captain
Capt. Deb Deyo left a healthcare career in North Carolina with $300 in her pocket, drove to the Florida Keys, and started scrubbing toilets at a marina in Islamorada. Today she owns and operates Blue Water Girl Charters in Key Largo. She joins Tom Rowland to share the real story behind her reinvention, the tough early years, and what it is like being a female charter captain in a male-dominated industry.
Mike Dunlap: A 300-Mile Stand-Up Paddleboard Challenge in 96 Hours
Mike Dunlap is the founder of Barefoot Adventures and one of only five people to ever complete the Everglades Challenge on a stand-up paddleboard, a 300-mile expedition race from Fort De Soto near St. Petersburg down the Florida coast through the Everglades to Key Largo. He joins Tom Rowland to describe finishing in 96 hours on two hours of total sleep and the mental preparation that kept him going.
Ed Emory: Five-Time One Fly Champion on Native Cutthroat and the South Fork
Ed Emory is a legendary fly fishing guide based in Jackson, Wyoming who has won the Jackson Hole One Fly competition a record five times. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about guiding 140-plus days a year on the South Fork of the Snake River, his custom fly patterns like the cutthroat candy, the tension between native cutthroat restoration and recreational fishing, and the Idaho Fish and Game electroshocking debate.
Joe Hippensteel: Navy SEAL Stretching Routines and Ultimate Human Performance
Joe Hippensteel is the founder of Ultimate Human Performance and the mobility expert named in David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me. He joins Tom Rowland to explain the 24-movement stretching system Navy SEALs have used to stay out of surgery, the two-minute hold, the concept of muscle lock, and four stretches anyone can start today.
Bill Watters: Marine Manufacturing and Black Angus Cattle
Bill Watters is a representative of SymTech Industries, one of the largest deckhouse and marine component builders in the world, and he also runs a 200-head Black Angus seed-stock cattle operation. He joins Tom Rowland to explain nearly 40 years of blow-molded composite marine manufacturing, the technology behind Reflex Marine Decking, and how he balances two very different businesses.
Dr. Lorian Schweikert: Deep-Water Ocean Exploration and Bioluminescence
Dr. Lorian Schweikert is a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington specializing in marine biology, fish vision, and bioluminescence. She joins Tom Rowland to describe descending 3,000 feet in a submersible in the Gulf of Mexico, how creatures create and see light in total darkness, and her involvement in the search for the elusive giant squid.
Roland Martin: Bass Fishing Legend and Million-Dollar Tournament Winner
Roland Martin is a bass fishing legend who has won over one million dollars in BASS tournaments and is considered one of the true pioneers of competitive bass fishing. He joins Tom Rowland to share how losing his parents led him to Santee Cooper, what really happened during his most famous tournament wins, and how his long-running television show helped transform bass fishing into a professional sport.
Tom Rowland Q&A: Fishing Knots, Career Advice, and Life on the Water
In this Q&A episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, host Tom Rowland answers listener questions while driving through Florida. He covers his favorite fishing knot, the introverted side that surprises fans, advice for starting an outdoor career, his fitness routine, balancing public and private life, and why the Florida Keys remain his favorite place to fish.
Ben Crawford: Hiking 2,189 Miles of the Appalachian Trail With His Family of 8
Ben Crawford is the best-selling author of "2,000 Miles Together" who in 2018 hiked the entire 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail with his family of eight, including children ages 2 to 16. The five-month, nine-day journey took them from Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. But what made this contractor from a regular working family decide to take his entire family—including a toddler—on one of the most challenging thru-hikes in America? And how did they handle diapers on the trail, meltdowns in the mountains, and near-hypothermia nights with kids who probably weren't prepared for what was ahead? This conversation reveals the hard truths about family adventure, the moment they almost quit, and why the worst days became their best memories.
Jared Raskob and Greg Dini: Balancing Guiding and Fatherhood in the Florida Keys
Jared Raskob is a Florida Keys fishing guide and host of Silver Kings on Waypoint TV, and Greg Dini is a Florida Keys guide and father of three. They join Tom Rowland to talk honestly about balancing demanding guide careers with raising young families, the mental stress of self-employment, and the environmental changes reshaping the Keys fishery.
Jared Zissu: Building the Flylords Media Empire and the Lefty Kreh Film
Jared Zissu is the founder of Flylords, one of the biggest names in fly fishing media. In this episode he tells me how a freshman fly fishing the Elk River near the University of the South turned an Instagram account into a media empire, how Flylords works to bring people into the sport responsibly around issues like spot burning and etiquette, and how he made a film centered on the legendary Lefty Kreh featuring Flip Pallot, Blaine Chocklett, and Bob Clouser.
Capt. Peter Deeks: 100,000 Miles, Following the Fish, and Filming With Bill Dance
Capt. Peter Deeks is a versatile Florida fishing guide based on Merritt Island who is known for following the fish across a huge operational area, from Palm Beach to Daytona. In this episode he tells me how going all-in and putting around 100,000 miles on his truck transformed his guiding, how he came to film fishing shows with Bill Dance and teach through Salt Strong, and how he also runs a hunting outfitter offering alligator hunts.
CA Richardson: Flats Class, the Guiding Life, and TV
CA Richardson is a Florida flats guide and the host of the TV show Flats Class and Flats Class University. In this episode he catches me up on the guiding life: a near year-round schedule on Florida's Nature Coast around Crystal River and the Suwannee, spring tarpon trips farther south, a long summer run chasing redfish in Louisiana with Cajun Fishing Adventures, and how he treats every guide day like a tournament while teaching what he knows through Flats Class.