Nathan Landman is the starting inside linebacker and defensive captain for the Los Angeles Rams—and a passionate fly angler.
His journey to the NFL wasn’t a straight line. After tearing his Achilles at the end of his senior season at the University of Colorado, Landman went undrafted before earning a roster spot with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent. Last season, he enjoyed a breakout year with the Rams, establishing himself as one of the league’s premier run-stoppers and a relentless playmaker who has a knack for forcing fumbles.
Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Danville, California, Nate grew up playing rugby, baseball, and football before discovering another lifelong passion: fly fishing. I’ve had the opportunity to fish with Nate quite a bit over the past decade, watching firsthand how the same focus, discipline, athleticism, and competitive drive that make him successful on Sundays carry over to the water. We caught up to talk about football, fly fishing, and why the two pursuits have more in common than most people realize.
When did football and fly fishing first enter your life, and which one grabbed hold of you first?
Both football and fishing have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but my passion for fly fishing didn’t come to the surface until I got into college. I had always been a fisherman to my core, but my priorities always fell to football. Starting ball at seven, I was always immersed in the game, and my love for it grew with each year.
You’ve told me before that you love football, but you live for fly fishing. Where does that passion come from?
My passion for fly fishing is rooted in my love for fishing in general. To me, it is more than a hobby or a passion. It is a mindset rooted in the chase. My earliest memories of catching a fish start where I was born—in Zimbabwe—fishing with my dad and brothers for catfish from the bank, and I have been after that feeling ever since. I only picked up fly fishing while attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, and I haven’t looked back since. My desire to fly fish consumes all my free time. It’s not only the act of fly fishing that I live for, but everything that leads up to the catch. I am happiest when I’m researching spots, watching YouTube videos, tying flies, rigging gear, on a long car ride, pulling the boat, tying knots, and sharing all these memories with people in my life that are most special to me. I live for fly fishing because of all these moments it encompasses—it’s not one singular event.
Who has had the biggest influence on you in each world—a football coach or teammate, and someone in fly fishing?
I am fortunate to have had great mentors in both football and fly fishing. In football, I have had many great coaches and teammates, but someone who stands above them all is (LA Rams) Coach Sean McVay. He is someone who has believed in me and shown me what it means to be a leader not only in football but in life. In the fly-fishing world, three legends have expedited my fly-fishing skills and knowledge, and those guys are Henry Cowen, Charlie Bisharat, and you, John. I’ve had the pleasure of being close personal friends with all three, who are pioneers in the industry. They and you have been gracious enough to teach me throughout the years.
Football is all about preparation. How much of a successful day on the water happens before you ever make your first cast?
Like football, preparation is key! This is something I have learned from my three mentors as well. Preparation in the fly world is so important because of all the factors that can lead to a successful day on the water. Factors like fly and rod selection, weather, water clarity, time of day, tides, and moon phase can all have an impact. Mastering these factors happens before making a cast, and the best can use them to their advantage.
Both football and fly fishing demand patience and discipline. What lessons from one have made you better at the other?
Being a professional football player demands immense discipline, and I have carried that into my days on the water. Football comes with the discipline of training the right way, diet, film study, recovery, and practice, but fishing comes with its own disciplines. My discipline in football has bled into my fishing, making me more intentional about everything that happens before the cast. Being obsessed with preparation. In football, we call it living for the journey, not the outcome.
What’s one piece of football gear you couldn’t play without, and one piece of fly-fishing gear you’ll never leave home without?
One piece of football gear I couldn’t play without, besides the obvious helmet and shoulder pads, are my padded gloves. So much of my game involves taking the ball away from the offense, and I need those gloves to protect my hands when I punch the ball so my hands can fly fish in my off time! A piece of fly gear I’ll never leave home without is a loaded fly box. I am an angler that loves catching fish on a variety of flies and pivots with what the conditions give me. A loaded fly box gives me the opportunity to try to catch striped bass in the morning and pivot to carp if we get a high sun and no clouds.
What’s the most memorable fish you’ve ever caught?
My most memorable fly catch was this year fishing for yellowtail off Cedros Island. I had this trip planned for many months and watched every YouTube video I could find to prepare myself for it. It was a four-day trip, and I went fishless for the first two days. Hearing about everyone else in the camp catching endless yellows on conventional gear, I was determined to get it done on the fly. On day three, everything aligned, and I used the lessons from the previous two days. I cast out my fly on the edge of a giant kelp stem, and I let it sink for about 20 seconds. After four double-hand strips, the line went tight and I instantly knew it was a yellow. Before I knew it, I was already into my backing, helpless, while this fish peeled drag and ripped around the kelp. After a long battle, we got the fish to the boat, snapped a photo, and released it. This special catch was number one because of the grind and work that went into catching that fish, and also because of sharing that moment with my wife, who was with me on the trip.
If you could spend a day on the water with any current or former NFL player, who would it be and why?
It would have to be Luke Kuechly. Kuechly, first and foremost, is a Hall of Fame linebacker that I have looked up to since his college days. Not only is he a stud player on the field, but he has also mastered the preparation side of football and changed how people prepare for the game.
He is best known for being a student of the game, often a few steps ahead of opposing offenses. This is something I’ve tried to emulate in my game. I’d like to fish with Luke because of his football status, but I’ve also seen that he has a passion for fly fishing. I would like to see what correlates with his football and fishing adventures.
What’s your favorite species to target on the fly, and what keeps bringing you back?
My favorite species to target has always been the striped bass. Its unique ability to live in multiple styles of water and adaptive diet make it such an amazing fish. In my opinion, it is the complete game fish. From explosive topwater strikes and large streamer eats to 2-inch shad imitations, these fish always keep me on my toes. My favorite way to target stripers is in fast-flowing current during summer months. In the South (Nate has a home on Georgia’s Lake Lanier), we move from chasing boils on the main lake to fishing shoals when stripers make their migratory spawning push. In the rivers, they are feeding on large gizzard shad, trout, crawfish, and pretty much anything that gets pushed over the roaring shoals. Feeling that first take and the line running through your fingers after a successful strip set is what keeps me coming back. Knowing that any second, you could be in battle with a fish over 20 pounds in a river is the gift that keeps me casting.
