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