Bouncer Smith | Legendary Miami Guide and Author | Ep. 1009
From Tom Rowland Podcast by Tom Rowland
April 15, 2026 · 1h 15m
About this episode
Bouncer Smith shares his legendary experiences in fishing and conservation, discussing significant changes in the sport over the decades.
Bouncer Smith is one of the true legends of South Florida fishing — a charter captain, author, conservationist, and storyteller with over six decades on the water. He's written five books, guided thousands of anglers, and pioneered techniques that changed the way we rig lures and release fish. And now, in retirement, he's catching some of the best fish of his life. In this conversation, we get into Bouncer's recent adventures — from bass fishing in the headwaters to landing two 100-pound tarpon in one afternoon on 80-pound braid in Biscayne Bay. We talk about the five biggest changes in fishing over the last 60 years, from depth finders to forward-facing sonar, from monofilament to braid, from J hooks to circle hooks. We get into his genius circle-hook-in-front-of-the-lure rigging method, solunar tables and how to use them, and Project CSafe — the massive conservation and fishing event happening April 17–26 in Grant, Florida, presented by Star Brite. Some of the moments I found most meaningful in this conversation were: Bouncer landing two tarpon over 100 pounds in retirement — and admitting he thought those days were behind him His breakdown of the five biggest changes in…
People in this episode
Host: Tom Rowland
Guest: Bouncer Smith
Topics covered
- fishing
- conservation
- storytelling
- angler techniques
- tarpon fishing
- fishing technology
Keywords
- Bouncer Smith
- fishing techniques
- tarpon
- circle hooks
- solunar tables
- Project CSafe
- South Florida fishing
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Star Brite
Places: Biscayne Bay, Grant, Florida
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