Fly Fishing Equipment Podcasts

Description: This week we get a special peak behind the curtain about how fly rods are developed. How long does it take to design a fly rod? How many prototypes are built? How are they tested? How are materials selected? And where do the ideas come from? Shawn Combs takes us into the depths of the Orvis skunkworks and tells us a few secrets (and withholds just as many) about how his team of engineers and technicians develop Orvis fly rods—specifically the new Helios 3 series. In the Fly Box this week, we talk about fishing emergers subsurface, the perils of using the wrong super glue on casting cuts, how long to let a bass popper sit, water temperature guiidelines for trout, fly fishing for crappies, a tip on keeping the trailing hook of a tandem out of the way when tying, leader lengths for stocked trout ponds, species-specific leaders, correct water depth for setting indicators, and how to fish multiple-fly rigs when the flies are barbless.

Description: I get repeated questions about switch vs. Spey: people interested in two-handed fly fishing but not sure which setup they need. Even though I think I have answered this question before, I thought it was time for a fresh look so I asked the incomparable Pete Kutzer, YouTube star and Orvis casting instructor, for his advice. Pete is a very serious two-handed angler and just got back from a couple steelhead rivers on the West Coast, so the topic was fresh in his mind. I hope it helps to answer some of your questions. In the Fly Box this week, questions are wide-ranging--casting accuracy, dropper flies tangling, flashing trout, Atlantic salmon guides, and trout short-striking streamers. Plus an interesting tip on what may be an interesting way of sharpening hooks.

Description: This week’s podcast is an interview with Orvis VP Steve Hemkens about why he took a trip to Washington. The podcast may raise your hackles or it may give you hope for the future. You’ll have to listen to find out why he went to our nation’s capital and why someone responsible for the sale of fly-fishing products and responsible education in the outdoor world would want to meet with politicians. On a lighter note, the Fly Box this week covers a diverse group of questions, including targeting Texas redfish, repairing a severed fly line (hint—don’t), how to find a place to fish if you don’t know anyone, finding feeding trout in the weeds, the difference one tippet size makes, minimalist bass fishing, how to kill and clean trout, and how to a Get Drunk and Disorderly to stay under water (that sounds like cruel and unusual punishment). There is also a great suggestion from a listener on how to keep EP Fibers in line, and how to use the Fly Trap for storing dropper rigs.

Description: This week Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited, visited us in Vermont and we got to pull him aside for a great podcast (and take him fishing for brook trout). Chris is a master at distilling complicated environmental issues down to their essence in the way anglers can understand them, and he enlightens us on some current issues like Pebble Mine, the Clean Water Rule, and western water laws. And it’s not all bad news! In the Fly Box, questions range from requests to have me MC a rehearsal dinner for a wedding (not gonna happen) to switching from trout to other species to getting another season out of a pair of waders. Plus questions on Village Idiots and herons and redfish and fishing diaries. Plus a couple of cool tips from listeners on fly tying.

Description: This week I have a more-or-less black diamond podcast with Josh Nugent of Out Fly Fishing Outfitters in Calgary. With the peak of hatches upon us, now is the time to tune up your sight-fishing game, and Josh provides with some meaty tips (As well as The Seven Deadly Sins). In the Fly Box, I have a couple listener follow-ups on questions from other listeners. One is on freshwater drum from James at the Orvis store in Royal Oak outside of Detroit. The other is from gentleman in Canada who relates his experience with using loop knots on dry flies (hint—don’t). And I answer some questions on obtaining feathers for tying soft hackles, best boxes for large bass flies, how to rig for tightline nymphing, leaders for smallmouths, and whether a graphite rod can fatigue after a day catching more than 10 carp from 10 to 20 pounds in weight (no one is feeling sorry for that guy).

Description: This is a bit different from regular shows. This is the audio from a Facebook LIVE video show Tom did last week about Orvis' new snips and he also takes questions on various topics

Description: We get many questions about tactical nymphs, tactical fishing, and tactical hooks. What do we mean by this? Listen this week as we talk to Jesse Haller, resident Orvis Tactical Master. We’ll be talking about tying tactical flies and using tactical hooks. And Jesse will give up his go-to fly patterns and tell us how to tie them. Also in the fly box this week we explore fly fishing for largemouths and smallmouths, swinging flies for big brown trout, winter fly fishing, how to measure leader sections, how to pick a trout net and how to use it, and whether “western” fly patterns can be used in the East.

Description: This week the main part of the podcast is a long interview with Dave Klausmeyer, editor of Fly Tier Magazine. He talks about his Golden Rules of Fly Tying and then also gives his 10 Cannot-Do-Without natural and synthetic materials. If you keep count you will find that Klausmeyer is even worse at addition than I am. In The Fly Box, we ramble from fishing soft hackles to checking fly lines and backing for damage. There are also a couple questions about finding big rainbow trout feeding in still, shallow water. And we have a couple great lists of suggestions from listeners—one on ways to carry a second rod when wading; the other on “Suggestions for a novice from a kinda novice.” If I keep getting great responses like this from listeners I can let them take over the whole podcast!

Description:

Tom interviews his boss, Orvis CEO Perk Perkins on leaders. Don't let the CEO title fool you, the guy knows his stuff. Would you like to be on the show? Tom tells you how to win a new contest and be one of our next guests. Also, Tom answers lots of your questions in the Fly Box.

Description: This week’s podcast is 8 tips on indicators—or probably more but I’m calling it 8 and sticking to it. We’ll talk about types, depth, how to rig, weights, and a couple special tricks on how to slow down the drift of your nymphs. In The Fly Box, we range from how to prepare for a saltwater trip to barbless hooks to sunken terrestrials to rod/reel balance. And lots more—even without a special guest I rambled for over an hour this week so I hope I can cover at least one of your daily commutes or a lawn mowing session.

Description: Tom shows off the brand new Helios Switch rods! If you have problems viewing this video, download the latest version of Quicktime at http://www.apple.com/quicktime or check out the video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gh3NkVtQuk Download this file directly at: http://media.libsyn.com/media/orvisffguide/Fly_Fishing_Rod-_Orvis_Helios_Switch_Rod.mp4

Description: Check out this video of our groundbreaking, patent-pending, and exclusive sonic-welded seam fly fishing wader technology that eliminates threads that can wear out and stitch holes that, over time, can eventually cause leaks. Find out more - https://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=9X8R

Description: Check out the New Mirage Reel from Orvis featuring Conway Bowman!

Description: Tom's been working on a big project for the CEO of Orvis and can't wait to show him the result... www.orvis.com/flies

Description: We made this video as a sneak peek of our app for podcast listeners. The app went live before we could get this video to you! It is available now and you can read more on our website at https://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?dir_id=758&subject=7752