Kyle Gemas | Mountain Hunting, Dall Sheep & Mental Toughness | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 1007

Texas outdoorsman Kyle Gemas shares raw lessons from his Alaska mountain hunts—from crawling through claustrophobic alders in the Wrangells to covering 85 miles over 10 days in the Brooks Range for Dall sheep. Kyle breaks down his Leukotape foot care system, how 15+ tarpon tournaments prepared him for backcountry suffering, and why he's pursuing the North American Grand Slam of wild sheep. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro: From Arapaima to Mountain Hunting 01:24 - Getting Hardcore Into Mountain Hunting 04:01 - Why Start With Mountain Goats vs Sheep 06:32 - The Seven Day Wrangell Mountains Meat Grinder 08:51 - Flying Into McCarthy, Alaska via Piper Super Cub 11:02 - Water and Food Strategy for Backcountry Hunts 14:52 - Crawling Through Claustrophobic Alders 19:38 - Mental Limitations vs Physical Limitations 22:43 - Guide Ben and Packer Spencer 25:45 - The Goat Float: Glassing From a Raft 27:30 - Northern Lights and a Day Six Ram 32:36 - Mountain Goats: Easy to Find, Hard to Kill 41:18 - 15+ Tarpon Tournaments and Competition Lessons 46:46 - Tripling Training Time for the Dall Sheep Hunt 48:57 - 85 Miles Over 10 Days in the Brooks Range 51:53 - Leukotape Foot Care Strategy 56:59 - Learning From Guide Blake: Barefoot Glassing and Constant Snacking 01:00:26 - The First Few Days Reset My Suck-O-Meter 01:04:34 - Pursuing the North American Grand Slam of Sheep 01:06:05 - Mental Clarity and Leading by Example 01:09:44 - From Mountain Alders to Islamorada Tarpon 💰 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS ✅ Star brite - Premium marine care products - https://bit.ly/4o80cws ✅ Danco - Marine accessories and solutions - https://bit.ly/tomrowlandpodcast2 ✅ 1st Phorm - Performance supplements and nutrition - https://bit.ly/4liX1Rz ✅ MTN OPS - Backcountry performance nutrition - https://bit.ly/40niijr ✅ GORUCK - Military-grade rucksacks and training gear - https://bit.ly/3NsHVwj ✅ Free Knot Guide - Essential fishing knots - https://bit.ly/3UnAeIP 🎧 LISTEN ON ▶️ YouTube: https://bit.ly/44OXmoz ▶️ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4bqZip9 ▶️ iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/3N9j4O9 ▶️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4drkga6 🎯 CONNECT WITH KYLE GEMAS Kyle Gemas is a Texas-based outdoorsman, fly fisherman, and mountain hunter pursuing the North American Grand Slam of wild sheep. 🎯 CONNECT WITH TOM ROWLAND 🌐 Website: https://www.tomrowlandpodcast.com 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomrowland 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltstrong 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/tom_rowland 📩 SUBSCRIBE for weekly episodes on fishing, hunting, and the mindset that connects extreme outdoor pursuits. #MountainHunting #DallSheep #BackcountryHunting #TarponFishing #AlaskaHunting #BrooksRange #WildSheepFoundation #MountainGoat #FlyFishing #TomRowlandPodcast

Monty Burke writes about the best of the best — college football coaches, saltwater fly fishing legends, and the obsessed individuals who reach the top of whatever they pursue. In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, Monty breaks down what Pete Carroll got right at USC that he couldn't pull off in the NFL, why Steve Huff at 80 years old is still one of the most fascinating people in fly fishing, and what the relationship between a great guide and an elite angler has in common with a great coach and his players. They also get into AI and why Monty thinks the removal of friction — of doing hard things — is one of the worst things that could happen to a generation trying to find purpose. Honest, wide-ranging, and the kind of conversation you'll still be thinking about the next time you're on the water.

George Poveromo — host of "George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing" (26 seasons), Saltwater Sportsman columnist since 1983, and founder of the longest-running fishing seminar series in the country (39 years) — joins Tom for a conversation about building a career in the fishing industry from the ground up. George shares the story of how buying a Mako instead of an Aqua Sport changed the trajectory of his entire life, the three-piece suit that landed him the Saltwater Sportsman gig, Mark Sosin's career advice that still holds up 40 years later, getting speared in the rear end by a sailfish, the shark population crisis in South Florida, and why AI-powered fishing forecasts are already here. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Introduction 1:30 - George's First Industry Job: The Miami Billfish Tournament 3:30 - First Story Sold to Outdoor Life for $300 4:10 - Joining Saltwater Sportsman in 1983 5:00 - Mark Sosin as Mentor 6:50 - The Embarrassing Boat Show Seminars That Started It All 7:55 - Launching George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing (Year 26) 8:30 - The One Mako Trip That Changed Everything 10:55 - Pivotal Career Moments 12:30 - The Three-Piece Suit Interview at Saltwater Sportsman 15:40 - Mark Sosin's Advice: Never Take a Staff Position 17:00 - Building the Seminar Series Business Model 19:30 - How Technology Changed Seminar Attendance 22:00 - Peak Seminar Years and Tying Alice Cooper 24:00 - Stage Fright vs. Food Court Seminars 28:30 - COVID Pivot: Televised Seminar Series Hitting 1M+ Viewers 31:00 - 2026 Plans: TV This Year, 40th Anniversary Tour Next Year 33:45 - Studio vs. On-the-Water Production 35:00 - Finding Cameramen Who Don't Get Seasick 36:30 - The Sailfish That Speared George in the Rear 42:30 - Tom's Mutton Snapper Bacteria Scare 48:30 - FADs, Technology, and Modern Offshore Fishing 51:15 - Electronics Evolution: From LORAN to Bathymetric Charts 52:30 - Generational Shifts in Fish Populations 56:50 - The Shark Population Crisis in South Florida 1:04:00 - Conservation, Access, and the SHARK Act 1:08:00 - AI in Fishing: Ross Fish and Ocean Forecasting with Simrad 1:11:00 - Can AI Replace Fishing TV Hosts? --- 🔥 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS ⭐ STAR BRITE - Title Sponsor of the Tom Rowland Podcast The best marine cleaning and maintenance products on the market. 👉 https://bit.ly/4o80cws 🔪 DANCO - Premium Fishing Tools 👉 https://bit.ly/tomrowlandpodcast2 💪 1ST PHORM - Premium Supplements 👉 https://bit.ly/4liX1Rz 🏔️ MTN OPS - Use code TOMFREESHIP 👉 https://bit.ly/40niijr 🎒 GORUCK - Use code VEST20 👉 https://bit.ly/3NsHVwj 🪢 FREE KNOT GUIDE 👉 https://bit.ly/3UnAeIP --- 🎧 LISTEN ON: 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tom-rowland-podcast/id1317802830 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0LMwExvuYKzGQOCbghndXh 🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomRowlandPodcast 🎙️ iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-tom-rowland-podcast-136412962/ 👤 CONNECT WITH GEORGE: Instagram @georgepoveromo 👤 CONNECT WITH TOM: @tomrowlandoutdoors #TomRowlandPodcast #GeorgePoveromo #SaltwaterFishing #Fishing #FishingTV #Sharks #OffshoreFishing #SaltwaterSportsman #Conservation #OutdoorLifestyle

Mike Holland is the creator of the MINDBODY Energy Movement — a daily practice that blends movement, breathwork, and mindset into a simple system you can do anywhere, with zero equipment. In just 8 months, Mike went from posting on a personal account to building an audience of nearly 900,000 people, all around one mission: help people take control of their health and live life on their own terms. In this conversation, we talk about why movement is medicine, why breath is the bridge between mind and body, and how discipline compounds the same way money does — one small decision at a time. We also get into what Mike’s doing with ManyChat, why he wasn’t charging anyone while it was blowing up, and how he’s building an app to turn this into a real community. Some of the moments I found most meaningful in this conversation were: The simplest reframe that changes everything: you don’t have to do it — you get to do it. Why breathwork can unlock performance (and how it keeps you calm even when your heart rate is high). Movement + rhythm = clarity — the way your brain settles when your body gets in sync. “What you consume is what you become.” Not just food — information, people, and energy. The real goal isn’t followers. It’s a million people taking ownership of their health. 📘 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 #MindBodyEnergyMovement #Breathwork #Discipline #Mindset #MovementIsMedicine #TomRowlandPodcast #SaltwaterExperience

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

What happens when you give an oceanographer a pile of ROFFS® fishing reports, decades of ocean data, and access to Simrad® electronics? You get FishCast® — an AI-powered offshore fishing forecast that can highlight high-probability zones days before you ever leave the dock. In this conversation, Dr. Taylor Shropshire from Fathom Science and I break down how FishCast works on Simrad MFDs, how 3-day, 3-hour forecasts help you plan offshore trips, and why AI should be a tool that makes fishing more fun rather than a shortcut that replaces hard-earned experience. We also talk about ocean models, hurricane prediction, safety, and what better forecasting might mean for anyone who lives and fishes on the coast. If you liked this episode, share it with a friend, rate the show, and stay tuned for more unfiltered conversations.