Masters of Vision

Total focus. When things are going right, you’re set on your task. But as soon as you take your eye off it, it’s gone.

Tom Rowland / Fishing

I believe in the product. That it makes me better. That it protects me from injury. In the type of fishing I'm doing, it's extremely athletic and aggressive. You can have a 150lb. fish in your hands with six hooks in his mouth. You're pulling as hard as you can and there's a good chance that the lure could come flying out and hit me in the face. And polarized sunglasses are the most important gear I can possibly have. Being able to see the fish is the most important thing. If I'm not wearing them, I'm at a huge disadvantage.

For the great saltwater captain, fish were love at first sight. His father and the muddy banks of a Tennessee lake spawned an obsession that's grown exponentially with each passing season. Dropping every cent he had to his name — all $50 worth — on a K-Mart fly fishing shopping spree before his first trip to Yellowstone opened up a whole new world to explore. One that would see Tom gut out guide school before becoming a drift boat guide in Jackson Hole, WY. After seven seasons on the Great Western Rivers, he was ready to fish year-round. Saltwater followed and stardom ensued: ESPN Great Outdoor Games Gold and that mug on his own TV show.

Interview

Gold medals open doors:

I got invited for the first ESPN games in Lake Placid — and I knew I had to really focus on it. It became my driving force, practicing three hours a day every day for six months. I'd got out to this football field and practice the events — casting into garbage cans. My son was just a tiny little baby…so I had this burning desire to win. And I did! It opened up everything. I did 30 TV shows, started competing in — and winning — a lot more tournaments. Things started going the way they were supposed to. The way I'd always envisioned it in my mind.

The switch was flipped:

Anybody can go out and catch a fish. But not everyone can do it when you say ´go do it right now!' If there's a challenge — a show, an event, a tournament — where you have to turn it on right now because you're spending ten grand a day on the crew, you really flip that switch long before the moment when you actually make the cast. Preparation is everything, because there are things you can control and things you can't. If a barracuda comes through and snips your line, or a thousand-pound shark rips your fish in half, how're you going to react?

By focusing on the little things:

You're only looking for the 1% that you can have over the field. A sharper hook, better glasses or a deeper knowledge of the area. Then all the sudden, you've got a 15% lead on the field before the event even begins. That's what success is — the things that go into that W long before you even show up. Trying things out, testing them. And if they break down, doing the whole thing all over again. So when you show up, everything's perfect. Competition is the only part of my life where I'm really that organized.

And pushing to stay on top:

Continuing to learn is another area where it's very tempting to slack off after you've had some success. It's hard to continue to learn and expand your horizons while mastering new skills and just trying new things. But to continue to stay on top, as I evolve into the next stage of my career, I've got to keep searching, keep pushing, keep trying new things so I'm constantly challenging myself in new ways. I'm not going to let something fail because it's something that I could've done better.

Lens

Deep Blue Polarized View Lens in Action

Infused polarized lens blocks the maximum amount of glare reflected off the water surface.
Filters a vast amount of blue light in open water environments where blue is the overwhelmingly dominant color.
Deep Blue Iridium® coating filters harsh blue light to let you read the smalletst details on the water’s surface, including wind velocity and direction.

Learn more about Polarized Lenses

Frame

Flak Jacket

Sport professionals demand nothing less than the best, and we’ve answered their challenge for decades. World-class athletes have driven us to create innovation after innovation, including interchangeable lens designs with unbeatable optical clarity. FLAK JACKET® takes that to the next level with the latest in performance technology.

Learn more about Flak Jacket