Fly Fishing Podcasts - General

Description: Tic Smith [37:18] is head guide at Orvis-endorsed Southeastern Anglers and is a veteran guide with many decades of experience on southern tailwaters. Our discussion centers on his home river, the Hiwassee, but the tips and tricks he shares will be valuable on many other tailwaters. He talks tackle, flies, presentation, and most importantly reading the water from a drift boat.

Description: It's always interesting to find out that public figures can be as obsessed with fly fishing as we are. People like Harrison Ford, Jeff Daniels, Tucker Carlson, Bette Midler, Jimmy Kimmel, and Dick Cheney are all serious fly fishers. (And no, I don't have any of them on tap for my podcast). But Rahm Emanuel [37:25] is a dedicated listener to this podcast, and when I had a chance to interview him I took it. There is no politics in this podcast interview—just a fanatic fly fisher who talks about why he loves it, how he finds time in his busy life to go fly fishing, and what excites him the most about it. This was a lively and fun interview with a fair amount of good-natured ribbing

Description: My guest this week is country singer JD Clayton [35:35], a talented singer/songwriter and all-around nice guy who loves to fly fish for smallmouth bass in his native Ozarks. He fills me in on what their fishing is like, and why he loves this rural part of the country so much.

Description: This week my guest Dave Zielinski [39:53], author of the comprehensive book Cicada Madness, tells us when and where you can encounter this year's brood of periodical cicadas—and if you can't make that event, he'll tell you how to find waters that host regular emergences of annual cicadas, which are not quite as large but can offer spectacular fishing if your timing is right. All kinds of fish go crazy over the giant bugs, from trout to bass to carp-- even gar and catfish. Learn how to fish these flies, and how to tie them in this highly informative and timely episode that will help you plan this year's cicada expedition.

Description: Crayfish are prey that most gamefish can't resist. They're high in calories, abundant, and relatively easy for bass, trout, and many other gamefish to capture. Yet most of us don't know much about their life cycle and behavior (myself included). Guide Jake Villwock [47:02] has spent his life studying these critters, which gives him important insight on the right fly patterns, but even more important how and when to fish them. You'll learn a lot on this podcast.

Description: This episode was originally published on January 30th, 2021 This week, continuing our series of podcasts on winter fly fishing for trout, I interview George Daniel, author and guide. George is also an Orvis ambassador and field tester, and teaches fly fishing at Penn State. As you'll discover, there are many similarities with winter fishing in other parts of the country, along with some flies and techniques a bit more appropriate for the Northeast.

Description: This episode was originally published on January 14th, 2021. My guest this week is Rachael Leinweber [39:38], general manager of The Angler's Covey fly shop in Colorado Springs. One in a series of podcasts about winter fly-fishing tips, Rachael has some great ones for us, and it's been interesting to see how each guide we've talked to has a slightly different take on effective winter tactics.

Description: My guest this week is Mike Tayloe [33:07], who is a fishing guide, EMT, and wilderness medicine trainer. Tayloe (he prefers this to Mike) has trained many Orvis-endorsed guides and lodges on emergencies that you'll encounter on the water. Basically, they're the same emergencies you'll find at home but without the ability to get a rescue squad or ambulance quickly. The bad news is that we can't give you training on wilderness medicine on a podcast. The good news is that Tayloe will tell us how to get training for these emergencies (an online course is not the recommended way to go) and how to put together your own first aid kit so that you are prepared to deal with common medical problems. He goes into great detail on what to include in your kit, and recommends places to either get a complete pre-made kit or where to buy the right components—and the best course is not to buy a cheap kit in a big box store. This podcast, with proper training and a good kit, could save your life or that of a fishing buddy.

Description: Dave is one of the best young voices in fly fishing [38:14]. He's the real deal—he is a fishy guy and can handle a fly rod with the best of them, but he's also a teacher of writing at the college level and a published author. (His new book is terrific and the title is Calling After Water.) Dave gives us what I consider a mini master class on how to write about fly fishing so that your stories are engaging, concise, and fun. I know you will find many useful tips in this podcast.

Description: Peter Laurelli [40:07] is a film-maker and fly fisher, and specializes in fly fishing from a paddleboard. And not in just any place—Peter fly fishes off the northeast coast for striped bass and false albacore, and if you can fish from a paddleboard in these conditions you can do it anywhere. Peter shares his tips on launching and landing a paddleboard, as well as tips for rigging a paddleboard for fly fishing, and of course approaching fish and playing and landing them. If you want to see a sample of his fishing and filming in salt water you can see it here: Surf & Inshore Fly Fishing - SIFF18: Four Years For Life It includes some spectacular drone footage of striped bass and false albacore schools feeding on baitfish.

Description: This week's show is a Backcast episode from January 8th, 2021. This week, we're continuing our series on winter fly fishing for trout. I interview Antonio Rodrigues [42:50] manager of Front Range Anglers in Boulder, Colorado, and he has a different take on winter fly fishing, and some different methods. I've found it fascinating to see how each guest approaches this differently and hope you pick up some tips as well.

Description: Originally posted February 5. 2012. In the fly box this week, we talk about where fly tying materials come from, getting wet flies to swing deeper, fishing logs, and fishing small flies under water. In the main topic, we discuss different kinds of trout and how to fish for them--hatchery vs. wild, and pressured trout streams vs. remote trout streams. We've had some great suggestions for podcast topics lately so keep them coming

Description: Any kind of two-handed fishing is confusing for those of us who mostly fish with a single-handed rod. I asked the great Pete Kutzer [37:34]to simplify the selection of a rod, reel, line, leader, and tips for getting a start in swinging flies for trout and he then offers a number of tips for casting, attaching the leader, fly selection, and more. It's a great basic guide to getting started in this fun way to fish for trout.

Description: I frequently get questions from listeners traveling to Europe, curious about fly fishing opportunities in Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland. I've never fished there and don't have any answers, so I reached out to Miha Ivanc [40:52] of Kyrka River Lodge in Slovenia, who has fished all through the Alps. In the podcast you'll learn where to fish, what species to expect (like their native marbled trout), how to fish for them, and where to get permission to fish. It should be an eye-opener to most of us.

Description: Brant Oswald [23:20] is a veteran guide, teacher, and fly shop operator with over 40 years in the business. He's one of the best spring creek anglers I know and guides on them almost every day, so I asked him to come up with some tips on better spring creek techniques. Even if you never fish spring creeks, his tips really apply to any slow or low water situations so these tips will be valuable to any trout angler.