Tom Rowland Podcast

Jill Christopherson and Sean Trindell are the team behind FWC’s Catch a Florida Memory, the saltwater angler recognition program that rewards anglers for the fish they catch in Florida waters. There are 75 saltwater species on Florida’s life list, and in 10 years nobody has caught all of them. That’s the challenge Jill and Sean brought on the show. You don’t have to finish the list to get something out of it, though. Your first 10 fish earn you a T-shirt and a certificate, and a photo from years ago still counts, as long as you’re in it, the species is clear and the fish came from Florida waters. Before we recorded, I took them fishing in the Keys. Inshore, we went after the new Southern Inshore Slam: a snook, a redfish and a trout in 24 hours. The trout and redfish came easy. The snook did not. Between floating grass and dirty water, we fished for hours, and Sean lost a good one at the boat before he finally landed his first snook and finished the slam. The next day we went offshore with Jill. She caught her first cobia, and Sean landed a big blackfin tuna that I netted for him. That’s what I like about this program. It gives you something to chase. Maybe you’ve caught two kinds of snapper and you need one more for a slam. That changes your plan for the day and the mood on the boat, and it’s a great way to get kids learning fish ID. In this episode: How the Life List, Reel Big Fish and nine Grand Slam categories work Why catch-and-release counts, and when you need a measurement The quarterly Secret Fish riddles, plus one we try to solve on air The first Veterans Challenge, where the military branches compete for points More than 4,500 anglers and about 40,000 catches, all reviewed by hand Start your list at https://catchafloridamemory.com Questions or brand partnerships: [email protected] We’ve completely redone the Tom Rowland Podcast website. Take a look and email me what you think at [email protected]. #TomRowlandPodcast #CatchAFloridaMemory #FloridaFishing #SaltwaterFishing #FWC

Bill Oyster of Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods and Capt. Rhett Morris join me for a story about craftsmanship, business, and one very hard-earned permit. Bill builds fly rods out of bamboo, a technology most anglers left behind decades ago. He had a four-year waiting list, but he was working until 3 AM seven days a week and realized he’d never make a middle-class income building rods. So he started teaching people to build their own. Today Oyster Bamboo runs 240 students a year through its classes, and the waitlist stretches two years out. Bill shares how one phone call from a determined wife led to his first student and why other rod makers warned him that teaching would put them all out of business. He also talks about building rods for President Carter and a royal wedding gift. Rhett walked into Bill’s shop by accident in Blue Ridge, Georgia, and ended up building a 10-weight bamboo rod he named “The Permit.” He tells the story of the three years it took to land a permit on that rod and why it meant more than any fish he’s caught. Learn more and get on the class waitlist at oysterbamboo.com

One company owned by Canada’s Cooke Inc. is catching about 70% of all the Atlantic menhaden that can legally be harvested. The fish we love to chase depend on that bait to survive: striped bass, tarpon, redfish, cobia, king mackerel, and bluefin tuna all rely on menhaden, and so do ospreys and whales. I sat down with Chris Macaluso and Jaclyn Lunaas of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) to find out how this works. They explain how Virginia ended up with 75% of the coast-wide quota, and how a leasing loophole lets a foreign-owned company fish under an American flag. We also cover the Louisiana bycatch study, which estimated that 140 to 160 million additional fish are killed in a single Gulf season, including about 30,000 redfish and 250,000 speckled trout. We get into the science too. Regulators found that the Atlantic menhaden population had been overestimated by about 40%. The science called for a cut of more than 50%, but the commission took only a 20% cut for 2026. In the Gulf, Louisiana and Mississippi have no catch limits at all. Most importantly, Chris and Jaclyn explain what you can do about it, even if you never catch a striped bass in your life. Learn more and sign the petition: trcp.org/foragefishrecovery Chapters 00:00 One company is catching most of the menhaden 01:04 Meet Chris Macaluso & Jaclyn Lunaas of TRCP 05:20 Why menhaden are “the most important fish in the sea” 06:54 The reduction industry: fish meal, fish oil & pet food 09:22 Migration and the predators that follow menhaden 11:26 Pogey boats, spotter planes & the Gulf bycatch study 16:01 Warning signs in the Chesapeake Bay 20:18 Striped bass as the yardstick 22:01 The most efficient fishery there is 25:34 The ask: lower the quota and reallocate it 27:55 The 40% overestimate and the 2026 quota cut 29:59 How Virginia got 75% of the quota 33:30 Why other states banned reduction boats 37:31 The foreign-ownership loophole 40:20 The Gulf’s “Wild Wild West”: no catch limits 45:20 Ecology vs. economics and king mackerel 49:51 How do you count a bait fish? 54:58 Tarpon, redfish & the all-you-can-eat buffet 58:32 What anglers can do to help 1:02:06 Lessons from Captains for Clean Water 1:06:15 How to get involved #menhaden #stripedbass #fishingconservation #tarpon #redfish #TomRowlandPodcast

Full Article on Tomrowlandpodcast.com Episode Description - Most people drift their way into worse health, weaker relationships, and a life they don’t recognize. Dane Sanders says the answer isn’t another burst of motivation—it’s an operating system for becoming stronger in the middle of real life. Tom Rowland sits down with Dane, founder of Men and Women of Discomfort (MWOD), for a conversation about why voluntary discomfort matters, how drift quietly erodes your gains, and why the hardest parts of life are often the ones that change you most. If you’ve ever started strong on a challenge, a fitness plan, or a personal reset—only to watch it fade—this episode will hit close to home. Visit The Website: https://www.mwod.io/ You’ll discover: Why Dane says MWOD is more than a challenge—and how it differs from programs built around a finish line The difference between the drift and the storm, and why both are inevitable How MWOD uses daily check-ins, weekly challenges, and a 12-week cadence to build momentum The CREDO framework: commit, release, embrace, define, and own it Why discomfort doesn’t have to be physical to be transformational How a challenge called Ghostbusters helped people pursue forgiveness, reconnection, and meaningful conversations Dane also shares how MWOD began with his friend Tim Kruger. Tim’s battle with cancer brought home a powerful idea: practice voluntary discomfort before involuntary discomfort chooses you. That became a turning point—transforming a fitness experiment into a lasting philosophy about faith, purpose, and becoming the kind of person who can handle what comes next. This conversation goes far beyond workouts. It’s about identity, belonging, resilience, and the small choices that shape your future—whether in your health, relationships, work, faith, or the conversations you’ve been avoiding. Dane Sanders is the founder of Men and Women of Discomfort, a community built around deliberate discomfort, accountability, and sustainable growth. The goal: to become strong and awake for love’s sake. If you’re tired of starting over and ready to build something that lasts, this conversation is for you. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Men and Women of Discomfort challenge 02:21 What is the challenge and how does it differ from a traditional challenge 04:18 Discomfort as an operating system for life 09:17 The storms and drift of being human 11:45 The concept of anti-fragility and resilience 16:44 The story of Tim and the discovery of the challenge's purpose 21:28 How the program is structured and what participants do 24:53 The Ghostbusters challenge and calling out personal ghosts 27:47 Stacking wins and momentum in discomfort 32:24 The evolution of the challenge into an operating system 37:42 Most difficult challenge and lessons learned 38:07 The concept of Masogi and high-risk, high-reward challenges 39:32 Personal stories of endurance and discomfort 43:49 Uncovering hidden discomforts in daily life 49:35 The power of small daily improvements 54:34 The CREDO process: Commit, Release, Embrace, Own 01:03:17 Final thoughts on discomfort and transformation

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