Description: This week, I have a very special guest for my interview--Brittany Howard, the frontwoman for the wildly popular band Alabama Shakes, who also has a new (2019) album out, "Jaime", a solo effort that explores a wide range of musical styles. Brittany has performed with Sir Paul McCartney and at the Obama White House, and her albums with the Alabama Shakes have won four Grammy Awards. Her first love is music, but her second love is fishing, and she is a passionate fly fisher. Unlike some celebrities who have taken up fly fishing because it's a "thing", Brittany has the soul of an angler and has been fishing all her life. She ties her own flies, modifies her kayak for fly fishing, and when she is on tour she always prioritizes sneaking away to do some fishing. She's the real deal and a great storyteller, and I know you'll enjoy her tales of fishing on the road and her encounters with gender and racial bias while fly fishing. And as a special treat at the end of the podcast, we've included one of my favorite songs, "Future People."

Description: This week, I have a very special guest for my interview--Brittany Howard, the frontwoman for the wildly popular band Alabama Shakes, who also has a new (2019) album out, "Jaime", a solo effort that explores a wide range of musical styles. Brittany has performed with Sir Paul McCartney and at the Obama White House, and her albums with the Alabama Shakes have won four Grammy Awards. Her first love is music, but her second love is fishing, and she is a passionate fly fisher. Unlike some celebrities who have taken up fly fishing because it's a "thing", Brittany has the soul of an angler and has been fishing all her life. She ties her own flies, modifies her kayak for fly fishing, and when she is on tour she always prioritizes sneaking away to do some fishing. She's the real deal and a great storyteller, and I know you'll enjoy her tales of fishing on the road and her encounters with gender and racial bias while fly fishing. And as a special treat at the end of the podcast, we've included one of my favorite songs, "Future People."

Description: In this week's podcast, I interview Jess Westbrook, co-founder of The Mayfly Project [43:28]. This organization, a winner of an Orvis Breaking Barriers award, brings the joys of fly fishing to foster kids through individual, one-on-one mentorship throughout the country. For obvious reasons their programs have been put on hold for this year (I was looking forward to being a mentor myself last spring), but the organization moves forward, making plans for a time when we can comfortably get together in person. Jess has some heartwarming stories to tell of past successes that will make you smile and feel good about the fly-fishing community.

Description: This week, my interview is with Kip Veith [38:55], Orvis-endorsed guide and author of The Orvis Guide to Musky on the Fly, which has just been released. Fresh from lots of research and in the middle of his season, Kip has some great tips for those of you who want to chase this giant freshwater predator--and fall is known as the best time to chase them with a fly rod.

Description: I get frequent questions on targeting introduced Pacific salmon in the Great Lakes region, so I invited an expert [interview starts at 33:13] to give us guidance on where and when to fish for them, tackle to use, and recommended flies. Trent Jackson, fishing manager of Orvis Grand Rapids, is a lifelong Michigan resident and has been fishing for Great Lakes salmon and steelhead his entire life. He gives us a great overview of this fishery, and is a great example of the rich talent we offer in our retail stores.

Description: This week I interview DR. Aaron Adams [@38:29], chief scientist at Bonefish Tarpon Trust, and he explains some of the science behind proper fish handling techniques. Although we talk primarily about bonefish and tarpon, I learned some surprising facts about the question: "If a fish is hooked deeply, is it better to try to remove the hook or just cut the tippet?" I'm not going to tell you the answer. You'll need to listen to the podcast.

Description: This week I interview Monte Burke [@44:46], author of the recently released book Lords of the Fly. It's a chronicle of the history of tarpon fishing with a fly rod, and especially the magical period in the late 20th century where huge tarpon and the best fly anglers in the world converged on a little town on the Florida coast. This is truthfully one of the most interesting fly-fishing books I have ever read. Even if you have no interest in tarpon fishing, the story of the personalities, conflicts, and obsession involved in trying to catch a world record tarpon on a fly is one of the most compelling stories in fly-fishing history. Monte talks about his research and the process involved in writing the book. It's a tale of egos and gangsters and heartbreak.

Description: With all the hype around trout Spey and swinging streamers, let's not lose sight of plain old streamer stripping, which is a faster-paced way of fishing streamers and often results in explosive strikes. Montana/Washington guide Butch Wicks of Healing Waters Lodge in Twin Bridges, Montana gives us some hot tips on stripping streamers in the Fall. The interview starts at 28:00.

Description: There are few things more fun in fly fishing than catching bluegills with a popper or nymph. For the most part, once you find them it's easy and un-challenging fishing. But if you want to up your game and chase trophy bluegills, the kind that will put a big bend in a 3-weight rod, you need special techniques. This week Orvis-endorsed guide Kip Vieth shares his passion for big bluegills, and his special techniques for catching them--even in summer heat.

Description: This week we continue our exploration of small streams with Brian Slusser in California and Brown Hobson of North Carolina. Both are experienced guides and love small stream fishing. Even if you don't fish these regions, you'll find plenty of great tips and fly suggestions for your own region.

Description: We could all use a little escapism these days, so why not listen to a podcast about adventures in the Amazon? Fly Fisherman Magazine editor and publisher Ross Purnell, in a pre-Covid recorded interview, will thrill you with his adventures with a fly rod in the Amazon, and you will be shocked at how he celebrated the trip. Few of us will be traveling to exotic locations this year, and many of us never will, but it is always enlightening to hear about what fishing is like in a different world.

Description: This week, Joe Hebler of the Blue Quill Angler in Evergreen, Colorado, answers the question "How do I become a fishing guide?" Whether you are graduating from high school or college, or in another career looking to escape daily stresses and an unsatisfying job, Joe gives a great road map on what steps to take to successfully land a job in this competitive field. And if you aren't interested in becoming a guide, Joe also gives some great tips on current fishing conditions on Colorado streams.

Description: Sooner or later, if you fish a lot you WILL develop issues with your elbows or shoulders. And it's not just us old geezers who suffer from these--I often meet much younger anglers with the same problems. Anita Coulton is both a fishing guide for Crosscurrent Guide Service and a physical therapist, so she is intimately familiar with the issues we face, how to help prevent them, and how to fix them when they occur. If you have ever had these problems, or if you just want to know how to keep your upper body in shape for fishing I think you'll benefit from the podcast.

Description: This week I have the pleasure of interviewing one of my very favorite non-fiction writers, Mark Kurlansky. Author of such award-winning books as Cod, Salt, Paper, 1968, and A Continent of Islands, Mark is a tireless journalist who digs into the very essence of anything he does. His new book, Salmon, is his first book that involves sport fishing as well as the natural and economic history of both Atlantic and Pacific salmon. (And he has a book on fly fishing coming out next April).

Description: This week I interview the great George Daniel (interview starts at 48:40), who you will see soon in the new installments of the Orvis TV show. The show I did with him, on Euro Nymphing basics, should be premiered sometime in May. But until then, George discusses the pros and cons of using straight monofilament vs. and actual fly line for Euro Nymphing—both have their advantages and George gives us some good guidance on their use, as well as other tips on this deadly method of fly fishing borrowed from competition anglers. We also get sidetracked on the future of fly fishing and how both of us view the participation of younger anglers today.