Tom Rowland Podcast

Fish Like Mike — is a former PE teacher and varsity hockey coach from Buffalo, New York who built a massive audience by doing what he genuinely loves: getting outside, learning the woods, and telling the story like a buddy would. He started fishing in high school with a cheap kayak and a GoPro duct-taped to a hockey stick… and years later, he made the big call to step away from a “safe” career to go all-in on content, travel, and the freedom to fish on a Tuesday when nobody’s around.

In this conversation, we get into the real stuff: the grind of teaching + coaching + building content on weekends, the moment he knew it was time to rip the band-aid off, why Instagram views don’t pay like people think, and why those “little creeks” in New York might be one of the most underrated fisheries in the country.

Some of the moments I found most meaningful in this conversation were:


How he built his entire audience with almost no “fancy” gear — just consistency, curiosity, and telling the truth on camera.


The mindset shift from “posting videos” to “building a business” — and why reputation matters more than follower count.


The possum video lesson: when your face is on camera and you teach like a friend, people stick around.


Great Lakes tributaries that can give you a 5-pound smallmouth and a 30-inch “steelhead” in the same day.


Leaving teaching wasn’t about money — it was about freedom, time, and not waiting until retirement to live the life.

📘 Free Resources:
🎁 Saltwater Knot Guide → https://bit.ly/3UnAeIP
🎙️ Tom Rowland Podcast → https://bit.ly/3O4lgn0

📺 Subscribe for More Unfiltered Conversations
→ https://www.youtube.com/saltwaterexperience?sub_confirmation=1

📱 Follow the Show:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/saltwater_experience/
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@saltwaterexperience
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/tvswe

#FishLikeMike #Fishing #GreatLakesFishing #Steelhead #SmallmouthBass #TomRowlandPodcast

As saltwater anglers, we've all dealt with the ugly reality of bottom paint. You spend six figures on a beautiful boat, only to have someone slap what looks like an "ugly wig" on the hull. Then you're paying divers constantly to scrape it clean, dealing with toxic chemicals leaching into our fishing waters, and repeating this expensive, environmentally damaging cycle every single year.

But what if I told you there's a game-changing technology that could eliminate bottom paint forever while actually protecting our marine environment? That's exactly what Dan Dillon from Aquaphobix has developed, and it's unlike anything I've seen in 30+ years of saltwater fishing.

All of my other socials can be found here :

https://linktr.ee/TomRowlandPodcast

The Tom Rowland Podcast is presented by Star brite!

Clean and protect with Star brite, a leading manufacturer of appearance, maintenance, and performance chemicals and accessories, serving the marine, RV, automotive, powersports, hardware, and home care industries for over 50 years. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and with its manufacturing plant in Montgomery, AL, the company produces "Made In The USA" products, including its flagship ethanol fuel treatment, Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment.

https://bit.ly/48tNW0y

Sam Root is a content creator in the fishing industry and a key part of the team at Pure Fishing — one of the biggest fishing companies on the planet. We go way back (forums, early DSLR days, the first years of Saltwater Experience), and in this conversation we get into what’s actually changed in fishing media… and what hasn’t.

We talk about the death of gatekeeping, why attention spans are getting weird (3 seconds or 3 hours), why polished “commercial-looking” videos often underperform, how AI is already changing photo/video work, and the wild travel stories that remind you fishing is fishing — whether you’re in the Everglades or 30 hours from the nearest runway.

Some of the moments I found most meaningful in this conversation were:


The gatekeeping is gone — and that’s a blessing and a whole new kind of grind.


High-end production can actually hurt performance because people can smell an ad in half a second.


New product hype sells… until it doesn’t — credibility is what carries the long game.


AI is powerful, but the “soulless” stuff gets blocked fast (and I’m with him on that).


The Everglades might be the best “short trip” fishing on earth — but the sharks have changed the whole release game.

00:00 Introduction + “Apollo Beach Sam”
02:05 How we first met (forums, early show days)
06:10 Gatekeeping is dead — and what replaced it
10:35 3 seconds vs 3 hours (attention span whiplash)
14:10 How Sam ended up at Pure Fishing (and what he does)
18:15 What actually sells product now (and why “polished” can flop)
23:40 YouTube/shorts vs longform — and how channels get confused
28:55 Travel fishing: Indonesia, Seychelles, Amazon, Argentina
37:40 The “sketchy mothership” story (28 hours back in a storm)
41:30 Weirdest food: sea turtle eggs + coconut crabs
46:10 AI in fishing content (Nano Banana + photo fixes)
52:15 Sharks in the Everglades/Keys — what’s happening?
58:05 Rapid fire: best, worst, strangest, bucket list
01:02:10 Where to find Sam + closing

🔗 Visit Sam Root’s Website – [custom link]
🔗 Connect With Sam Root:
Instagram → @scssam (search “Sam Root / ROOT”)

📘 Free Resources:
🎁 Saltwater Knot Guide → https://bit.ly/3UnAeIP
🎙️ Tom Rowland Podcast → https://bit.ly/3O4lgn0
📺 Subscribe for More Unfiltered Conversations → https://www.youtube.com/saltwaterexperience?sub_confirmation=1

📱 Follow the Show:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/saltwater_experience/
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@saltwaterexperience
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/tvswe

#SamRoot #PureFishing #FishingContent #SocialMediaMarketing #SaltwaterExperience #EvergladesFishing #GT #FlyFishing #AIEditing

When I started the Tom Rowland Podcast, I never imagined we’d hit this milestone… and definitely not with a lineup like this.

To celebrate 1,000 episodes, we put together a best-of conversation reel featuring some of the most impactful guests to ever sit down with me:


Bill Dance – The legend himself. We talk about joy, longevity, and why fishing is still fun after a lifetime on the water.


Michael Chandler – UFC superstar. Discipline, doubt, and what it really means to bet on yourself when the lights are brightest.


Monte Burke – Author of Lords of the Fly. The obsession, history, and culture behind chasing truly giant fish.


Michael Waddell – “Bone Collector.” Family, faith, hunting culture, and how to stay grounded when the cameras turn on.


Chris Fischer – Founder of OCEARCH. Great white sharks, conservation, and why wild places still matter.

These aren’t just highlight clips. They’re the moments that stuck with me long after we stopped recording – the stories, one-liners, and mindset shifts that changed how I think about fishing, work, family, and life.


The real Bill Dance behind the bloopers and the TV fame


How Michael Chandler turns fear into fuel before he walks into the Octagon


Why Monte Burke thinks certain anglers cross the line from “interested” to “obsessed”


Michael Waddell’s take on raising kids, building a brand, and still loving the hunt


How Chris Fischer and OCEARCH are using science and storytelling to protect the ocean

If you’ve listened since the early days: thank you. If you’re new here: this is a great place to start.

🎣 Subscribe for more conversations about fishing, adventure, mindset, and becoming harder to kill in every area of life.
👍 Drop a comment and tell me: Which guest has impacted you the most over 1000 episodes?

In this 1000th episode, you’ll hear:

Chris James is a self-taught holistic wellness coach and the creator of A Healthy Alternative, a fasting-based wellness community that’s helped thousands of people lose 100+ pounds, reverse disease symptoms, and feel at home in their body again. A Healthy Alternative+1

In this conversation, we get into how Chris helped his brother lose 100 pounds in just 90 days without loose skin, how his own mysterious infection disappeared when nothing else worked, and why strategic fasting and hydration might be the most underrated tools for getting truly healthy — not just “less sick.”

Some of the moments I found most meaningful in this conversation were:


When Chris broke down how his brother went from 420 pounds to losing 100 pounds in 90 days — and what they learned about autophagy, plateaus, and that “shrink week” in a long fast.


His story of battling a 10-year infection doctors couldn’t diagnose, trying every pill and test, and finally seeing it disappear when he changed his diet and started water fasting.


The way he explains distilled water, hydration, and cellular water — and why so many of us are drinking water but still walking around dehydrated and tired. A Healthy Alternative


How extended fasts triggered intense cravings, emotional memories, and even childhood foods — and what that taught him about the emotional side of eating and detox.


His vision for wellness centers with fasting support, testing, and gardens—places where normal people can actually succeed with fasting instead of trying to white-knuckle it alone.

If you’ve ever wondered:


“Is fasting just starving myself?”


“Can you really lose 100+ pounds without loose skin?”


“What about electrolytes, distilled water, and training while fasted?”


“How do I use fasting if I’m not obese but want less inflammation and better performance?”

…this episode is going to give you a ton to think about and some very practical starting points.

📘 Free Resources:

🎁 Saltwater Knot Guide → https://bit.ly/3UnAeIP
🎙️ Tom Rowland Podcast → https://bit.ly/3O4lgn0

📺 Subscribe for More Unfiltered Conversations →https://www.youtube.com/saltwaterexperience?sub_confirmation=1

📱 Follow the Show:
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/saltwater_experience/
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@saltwaterexperience
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/tvswe

#Fasting #ChrisJames #AHealthyAlternative #WeightLossJourney #NoLooseSkin #Autophagy #Inflammation #HealthTransformation #SaltwaterLegends