The Flowstate Collective Podcast

Tom Trembath isn't your typical boat builder. He grew up in Ghana and Papua New Guinea — his dad moved the family across the world and everywhere they went, they fished. Under Portuguese slave castles on the Ivory Coast. On the Fly River catching black bass no one had told him existed.

He came back to Australia, got a mechanical engineering degree he didn't love, and spent years running construction projects in places he didn't want to be. Then COVID froze the world. He sold everything, planned to travel Australia with his partner but ended up stuck in Brisbane, and found himself driving back to his old desk at a Sunshine Coast construction company.

Five years later, Merino Boatworks is producing world-class stepped-hull fishing centre consoles out of Cairns, designed by Michael Peters Yacht Design — the same firm behind Formula, Cigarette and Bertram. Vacuum infused, fully cored, built by a tight crew of young men who trained themselves from nothing in a discipline that barely exists in Australia.

The first boat was sold drunk at the Weipa Golf Club over a handshake.

In this episode Tom and Wade go deep on mortality, the real cost of ambition, what it means to actually back yourself, and how a bunch of 'idiots pointing in the same direction' built something genuinely world class. Plus — Wade's NZ hunt blizzard at 2000m elevation on the West Coast that destroyed three tents and ended in a foil bivvy, and a Torres Strait quasi-arrest involving cocaine runners, Border Force, and the happiest people either of them have ever met.

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THE FLOW STATE COLLECTIVE PODCAST from FLOW STATE PRODUCTIONS Pty. Ltd.

Jon is the co-founder of Malosi Lures - built from a broom handle, a craft knife, and a piece of weird wire he found in the garage. That's not a metaphor. That's literally where it started. I

n this episode we cover the full Malosi origin story — from whittling prototypes in COVID lockdown to becoming Australia's largest grassroots tackle brand with 100K+ followers, a full product range from budget to limited edition signature series lures, and a community model that most brands can't figure out. J

onny's background is in commercial directing and creative direction - he's directed million-dollar TV commercials, run large production crews, and worked on major IPs. He walked away from all of it to make fishing lures with his brother. We go deep on what that transition actually looked like, how their community-first ambassador model works (and why the ROI beats paid ads), why they've never chased pure investor money, the pivot from handmade to composite production, and a genuinely good conversation about AI, authenticity, and where the creative industry is heading.

IN THIS EPISODE:

- Why topwater? The "pokies" analogy and the visual connection to your lure

- Jonny's background: graphic design, art direction, directing million-dollar TV commercials

- How the lure business started: broom handle, craft knife, COVID lockdown, Samoa

- The first cast that changed everything — brother Nick's first cast on a handmade lure

- Bumping into Brigsy at a trade show and why Morning Tide changed Australian fishing

- The community model: 50–100 grassroots anglers, no contracts, just froth - Why their ambassador roster is small, personal, and genuinely organic - ROI of gifting lures to young anglers vs. ad spend

- The pivot from fully handmade to composite production and why they removed "handmade" from their marketing

- The investment story: why they avoided pure capital and what they needed instead

- AI in the creative business — where it helps, where the line is, and why they'll never fake a fish

- Big budget production is dying — what that means for the industry

- Building an in-house content team and letting go as a creative director

- Persistence: the shower floor years and the 90/8/2 rule of entrepreneurship

- The full Malosi lure range — from $60 Staples Series to limited edition signature lures

 

VIDEO | PHOTO | FILM | MARKETING | WEB DESIGN | SOCIAL

You’re end-to-end Digital Solution

 

Work with us…

www.flowstateproductions.com.au

 

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https://www.instagram.com/wadekelly_/

https://www.instagram.com/flowstate_productions/

 

THE FLOW STATE COLLECTIVE PODCAST from FLOW STATE PRODUCTIONS Pty. Ltd.

JE Wilds (Joe Edlington) is an experienced back country hunter, angler and all-round outdoorsman. Joe has built his own personal brand showcasing his amazing and rugged adventures throughout the New Zealand Mountains as well has his north island fishing expeditions on his secondary channel. In this episode, we catchup at a fishing tackle trade show on the Gold Coast, Australia. We hired a studio and banged out two great sessions on the mics where we chat about our adventures, where our work has taken us, family, business advice, the outdoors industry and much, much more. We have became great friends over the past year or so and we have many more adventures planned together.

I hope you all Enjoy! Cheers, Wade

Clint Isaac is the owner and head guide at the Australian Fly Fishing Lodge based in Hinchinbrook, North Queensland Australia. I was up staying at his lodge filming a fly fishing film for a few brands and we decided to sit down for an hour and yarn about all things fly fishing, permit, guide life, business and the difficult nature of the fisher in the Hinchinbrook region. A great yarn with an even greater bloke. Enjoy!

Mike Dames is a South African angler, a very experienced fly fishing guide and conservationist. Mike currently guides for African Waters at their Sette Cama camp in Gabon as well as Mavungana (one of Africas oldest outfitters). In this episode Mike and I chat about his fishing journey that began from the age of 2, his love of fish in general (not just fishing), what guide-life is like and the whole west African experience. Mike has a much deeper understanding of fishing than most, and is a wealth of knowledge on all of its associated topics. I can't thank the African waters guides enough for all of their help, advice and time while over there. An awesome bunch of blokes and an even more awesome experience. Enjoy!

VIDEO | PHOTO | FILM | MARKETING

You’re end-to-end Digital Solution

Work with us… www.flowstateproductions.com.au

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/wadekelly_/ https://www.instagram.com/mikedames_fishing/ https://www.instagram.com/flowstate_productions/

THE FLOW STATE COLLECTIVE PODCAST from FLOW STATE PRODUCTIONS Pty. Ltd.