Tom Rowland Podcast

Shane Reynolds is an award-winning producer, explorer, and storyteller who’s worked on Discovery Channel, Nat Geo, and Travel Channel shows in more than 65 countries. You might know him as Color Earth on Instagram, where his camera drops reveal the hidden world under piers, bridges, and reefs. In this conversation, we dive into: How a simple 360 camera drop turned into viral content. The wildest b...

At 16, Jordan Thomas lost both legs in a Keys boating accident—and turned it into purpose. He launched the Jordan Thomas Foundation to help kids get the prosthetics and community they need through age 18, and he’s now a top adaptive golfer competing at the US Adaptive Open in Pinehurst. We get into mindset and trauma, why running blades aren’t covered, real talk on water safety, community beats ha...

Conway Bowman is a legendary San Diego fly-fishing guide and pioneer of sight-fishing mako sharks from a 24’ bay boat. He’s a former wetlands manager who grew up in San Diego, spent summers in Idaho, and built a career around putting anglers eye-to-eye with apex predators—and sending them home safely. In this conversation, we talk about why makos have gotten so big, the exact conditions he looks f...

Captain Jimmy Armel is an Army Ranger veteran, founder of Knot Lucky Veteran Fishing, and a man on a mission to heal others through the ocean. After 11 years in the military—including brutal combat deployments—Jimmy faced the battles of PTSD, brain injuries, and addiction. Through fishing, plant medicine, and service, he found a path back to purpose. In this conversation, we go deep on combat, tra...

Captain Blair Wiggins — known to many as the Mogan Man from Addictive Fishing — has spent decades shaping saltwater fishing on Florida’s Space Coast. Today, he’s leading the charge on one of the most ambitious conservation projects in the state: planting over 96 million clams to restore the Indian River Lagoon. In this conversation, Blair and I go deep on fishing history, the birth of Addictive Fi...

Wesley Brough — better known as Cabo Surf Caster — has been fishing the beaches of Baja for over 25 years. From trophy roosterfish to monster Pacific cubera snapper and mahi right from the sand, Wesley has dialed in one of the most unique surf fisheries in the world. In this conversation, we talk about Baja’s seasons, species behavior, lure tactics, guiding in Cabo, and what makes land-based fishi...

Jameson Reeder Jr. is a shark attack survivor, amputee, surfer, and one of the most courageous young men I’ve ever spoken with. At just 10 years old, Jameson was attacked by a 9-foot bull shark while snorkeling in the Florida Keys. What followed was a miraculous chain of events involving strangers, a nurse who swam through shark-infested waters, a faster boat, and a powerful spiritual encounter th...

Jonathan Gluck is an award-winning writer and editor who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at age 38 and given just 18 months to live. Over 21 years later, he joins Tom to share how fishing helped him survive, how mindset plays into healing, and why he wrote An Exercise in Uncertainty. This episode covers purpose, parenting, diagnosis, remission, resilience, and how to live when you don't know h...

How Jake Hutchison Built a Career in Fishing and Social Media In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, I sit down with social media expert and fishing enthusiast Jake Hutcheson. Jake shares his unique journey from fishing in bass tournaments as a middle schooler to building custom rods and managing social media for Mudhole, a fishing rod company. Discover how growing out his hair became the bes...

Over the last year, we got a little carried away trying to organize the podcast into its own channels and destinations. The idea was to make things easier, but I realize now—it just created more confusion. That’s on us. And I really appreciate your patience. So here’s what we’re doing to fix it: ✅ Every single episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast is now back where it belongs (Saltwater Experience Y...

I have followed Mark Quartiano who is better known as Mark The Shark for a couple of years. To say that Mark is controversial is an understatement. Mark seems to relish the role as the bad boy of Sportfishing and referred to himself as the Darth Vader of Sportfishing. This was interesting to me because he also seems to have a lot of kind of contrary opinions and actions to being the badboy. For ex...

This week on the podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Andy Strelcheck, NOAA's Southeast Regional Fisheries Administrator. We talked about everything from fisheries regulations to data collection methods.  Andy provided a ton of insight into how NOAA works with state agencies like the FWC, the challenges of managing both commercial and recreational fisheries, and even delved into the comple...

In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, I sit down with Captain David Cohen to discuss the intricacies of tarpon fishing in Miami.  David shares his experiences over seven years of full-time guiding, providing insights on how fishing has evolved and the techniques he's found most effective. From the importance of using the right hook and leader lengths to the invaluable role of a trolling moto...

In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, I sit down with Harley Van Henning, better known as Gnarley Harley, to delve into his unique journey into the world of fish printing.  Harley shares how his mother's formal art training influenced his creative path and how his love for the ocean and surfing shaped his artistic focus.  We discuss the intricate process of fish printing, the challenges of w...

In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, I sit down with international angler Leanne Powell, who recently set a world record for bass fishing. Leanne shares her intriguing journey into fishing, which began at a young age and became a serious pursuit after significant personal losses in 2015.  We discuss her life between the U.S. and the Middle East, her experiences with tournament fishing, and...

In this episode, I sit down with Captain Tony Young from Forever Young Charter Company, who recently completed the grueling Keys 100 race. We dive into Tony's inspiration to run a 100-mile race, his training regimen, and how he balances his demanding life as one of the top charter captains in the Florida Keys.  Tony shares the profound experiences and challenges he faced during the race and how ul...

In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, I sit down with Enrique Zapata, a record-holder for multiple pull-up endurance challenges. Enrique opens up about his journey from battling serious health issues, including obesity, hypertension, and panic attacks, to transforming his life by breaking pull-up records.  He shares the physical and mental struggles he faced along the way, the inspiration he...

Bill Golden, the founder of Golden Boat Lifts, shares his journey from moving to Florida in 1980 to building a global empire in the boat lift industry.  Bill discusses his innovative approach to manufacturing, his commitment to quality and customer service, and how he turned his initial experience with a welding machine into a successful business.  Highlights include his insights on industry chall...

I sit down with Ryan Johnston, a fly fishing guide with 22 years of experience and the founder of Cast Hope. In this episode, Ryan shares his journey of guiding across Northern California, Idaho, and Montana while discussing the evolution of his career and the impact of the 'A River Runs through it' movie on the fly fishing industry.  We explore Ryan's inspiring work with Cast Hope, a nonprofit or...

I sit down with Steve Kantner, famously known as the 'Land Captain'. Steve shares everything from his 30-year career as a fishing guide in South Florida to incredible stories of close encounters with wildlife, including an attack by a Florida panther. From discussing the introduction and impact of exotic fish species to recounting memorable adventures on the Tamiami Trail, Steve's tales are both r...

In this episode, I sit down with Emanuel Williams, an avid jet ski fisherman and social media creator, to discuss his unique journey in the fishing world.  Emanuel shares how his passion for fishing developed from childhood outings with his dad in Florida to adventurous deep-sea escapades on a SeaDoo.  We dive into his incredible experiences, including catching giant fish like swordfish and cobias...

In this episode, I prepare for an exciting fly fishing trip by respooling my reels with 70-pound hollow core line by Cortland.  I'll show you how to make the connection between the fly line and the backing using an eye splice and compare its strength against a Bimini twist.  We go through the step-by-step process to create an eye splice, then test its strength, reaching 53.7 pounds. Next, I demons...

In this episode, I sit down with Rich Hernandez, founder of 'Do Hard Things 365' and an extraordinary athlete known for his mind-boggling physical feats.  We talk about his journey from an engineering and business career to influencing and inspiring others through extreme challenges like 3,000 consecutive pushups, a four-hour plank, and running the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim.  Rich shares how...

I'm embarking on an unforgettable trip to the Seychelles and facing the challenge of packing all my essentials into a combined weight of 44 pounds.  With a strict limit of 33 pounds for my flight from Mahe to Providence, I meticulously weigh and reweigh my gear, deciding what stays and what goes. Join me as I strategically pack my fishing rods, GoPro, and other must-haves, while making tough decis...

Thanks to Burnewiin for sponsoring #AnglersUnite! Check out there awesome selection of products here https://bit.ly/3B6CX1 Captain Chris Whitman, co-founder of Captains for Clean Water, returns to the show today. We dive deep into the ongoing efforts for Everglades restoration and the significant role anglers play in this movement.  We discuss the origins of Captains for Clean Water, the intricate...