Rhett Morris | Beyond Borders Outfitters | Ep. 1028

Captain Rhett Morris of morefishflorida.com has guided the greater Charlotte Harbor area for three decades — and he kept a catch log almost every day of it. That data now tells a story the numbers on Florida's coast are backing up: a steady, decades-long decline in snook, redfish, and trout that's accelerated since the mid-2000s. In this episode, Rhett walks Tom through what his records reveal, what actually caused the collapse (the record-shattering 2018 red tide, the nitrogen overload, and the algae that smothered the seagrass), and why Hurricane Milton turned out to be one of the best things to happen to the fishery in years. Then he lays out his proposal: treat Charlotte Harbor as a test zone, change the redfish and snook slot limits, and let the fishery become its own hatchery. It's not a mandate — it's the start of a conversation, and it comes with a real economic case for why even the developers should care. If it resonates, there's a petition at morefishflorida.com. As Rhett says, sharing it may matter even more than signing it. 👉 Sign & share the petition: https://morefishflorida.com This episode is brought to you by Star brite — makers of Salt Off and a full line of boat-care products, and a company that puts real effort into conservation. Check them out. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro & Star brite 00:47 Meet Capt. Rhett Morris 02:00 Bowhunting turkeys & the confiscated African poacher's bow 04:30 Growing up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) 06:30 Landing in Florida & a biologist father 07:30 Quail hunting, bird dogs & vanishing habitat 12:30 How his dad's record-keeping shaped him 15:00 30 years of catch data — the decline 20:00 The bait situation 21:00 The record-breaking 2018 red tide 28:00 Seagrass loss & the algae that smothered the flats 32:00 How Hurricane Milton helped 37:30 The fix: rethinking slot limits 40:00 The redfish proposal (25–27") 44:00 The snook proposal & 75 billion eggs 47:30 Why the FWC hasn't acted 49:00 Charlotte Harbor as a test zone 54:00 The economic case — $497M and thousands of jobs 1:06:00 Where to sign: morefishflorida.com 1:07:00 The closure data that proves the point 1:11:00 A guide's responsibility & catch-and-release 1:20:00 Wrap-up & call to action 1:21:00 Next week: a bamboo fly rod & a permit #TomRowlandPodcast #Fishing #Snook #Redfish #CharlotteHarbor #Conservation #FloridaFishing