Michael Fowlkes | Executive Producer of "The History of Sportfishing" | Ep. 958

Tom Rowland Podcast

Waypoint TV

Wilderness, Sports, Health & Fitness

5 • 899 Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2025

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Michael Fowlkes joins the show to talk about his latest project: a 12-part documentary series called “The History of Sportfishing”. Michael shares behind-the-scenes stories about key figures like Bill Dance, Bill Shedd, and Lefty Kreh, and discusses the origins and development of sport fishing techniques and tackle, conservation efforts, and the vital importance of introducing the next generation to the sport. The discussion also covers the transformation of Michael's project from a movie into a series, his extensive collection of angling artifacts, and the evolution of fishing boats and technology. Essential viewing for any angling enthusiast! 00:00 Introduction and Gratitude 00:07 The Evolution of the Fishing Project 04:06 Personal Fishing Stories 05:25 Historical Fishing Achievements 10:50 Unexpected Discoveries in Fishing History 13:42 Fishing Conservation Efforts 20:46 West Coast vs. East Coast Fishing 29:46 The Evolution of Sport Fishing Boats 39:14 The Evolution of Fishing Reels 40:02 Mentorship and Influential Figures in Fishing 41:16 Fishing Techniques and Regional Differences 42:12 The Role of IGFA and Historical Tournaments 43:22 The Spread and Popularity of Bass Fishing 47:08 Technological Advancements in Fishing 55:57 Conservation and the Future of Fishing 01:02:42 The Importance of Introducing Youth to Fishing 01:11:59 Collecting Fishing Memorabilia 01:14:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 🚀 Special Thanks to Our Sponsor: Star brite https://bit.ly/TomRowlandPodcast 👋 Stay Connected with Tom Rowland: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tomrowlandpodcast Website & Show Notes https://bit.ly/3O4lgn0 Text: +1 (305) 930-7346 Email: [email protected] 🔗 Explore More: All Socials and Links https://linktr.ee/TomRowlandPodcast 🎥 Discover More of Tom’s Shows: Saltwater Experience https://bit.ly/4by096g Into the Blue Fishing https://bit.ly/48VZYju Life on the Water https://bit.ly/3Pp9rbs 💬 Let’s Keep in Touch! Text: +1 (305) 930-7346 Email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Michael Folks, and I'm the executive producer of the history of sport fishing, and this is a Tom Rowland podcast.
0:05.7	Michael, how you doing, man?
0:07.0	Good, sir. Thank you so much, Tom, for having me on. I really appreciate it.
0:10.4	Well, I've enjoyed talking with you as we've gone through, as you've gone through the production of your movie, which turned out from a movie to a 12-part series now
0:22.5	yes sir and uh my goodness looking in the back of right behind you you have collected an
0:30.1	amazing amount of angling artifacts what what how did all that come from well Well, before we get started, first of all, I want to thank you for, and I'm sure all your fans know this about you already.
0:46.0	But I just want to point out to them what an incredible individual you are.
0:51.4	I did an interview with Bill Dance about two and a half, three years ago.
0:55.3	And during the interview, Bill said, I should suggest that I get in touch with you.
0:59.0	And he said, I've done a great interview with Tom, blah, blah, blah. And so I called you
1:03.2	out of the blue. You didn't know me from Adam, a complete stranger. You took my call. You
1:08.4	listened to the idea. And without hesitation, you said, what can I do to help?
1:12.8	What can we do to contribute to this project? Anything we have, you've got, you're welcome to use it.
1:18.6	And I just want to point out that that's the kind of man you are, that you didn't think about the money or how much it could or could not make.
1:25.0	You just said, what can I do to help? And you've dedicated
1:28.0	pretty much your entire adult life to helping this industry, to helping the sport and people
1:33.4	that love the outdoors engage on a personal level. And you educate, you entertain. And I just want to
1:39.3	say thank you so much for taking the call of a complete stranger and helping to transform this little project
1:46.2	into what it is today because without you and people like you, the IGFA and Trout Unlimited,
1:52.7	the Bonefish Tarpin and Trust, American Museum of Fly Fishing, all these people,
1:57.4	organizations just like yourself and individuals have stepped up to really make this project what it is and I just from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you well that's about the best introduction I've ever had on a podcast thanks that it's that's very much appreciated and and that is I don't know I love what I do. And I love to see other people do cool things, especially as it comes to what really intrigued me about your project was that it's about the history.
2:30.7	Like, there's not anyone out there right now.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Waypoint TV, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Waypoint TV and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.