Saltwater Fishing Podcasts

Description: Did you know you can catch halibut on a fly rod in the Bay Area? How about striped bass, surf perch, sand sharks, tiger sharks, and jack smelt? Nathan Cooke of Orvis Sacramento gives us a great roundup of how to find these fish and how to catch them on a fly rod. He also has some great tips or fly fishing in the surf that will be helpful in any coastal area. In the Fly Box, we talk about tags ends for droppers, trout with full bellies, taking fish photos when you are in the middle of a river, how to pick a fly for a One Fly event, and a philosophy for a backup fly rod on trips—as well as a podcast listener who has been having dreams of conversations with Joe Humphreys!

Description: This week there is a very special podcast offer that will save you money but you have to listen to find out and act before May 20th. We also have a great interview with the pied piper of urban fly fishing in the DC area, Dan Davala. He tells us all we need to know to catch shad, both hickory and American shad. The fly box section features questions about polarized sunglasses, fishing high water in small streams, morning or evening fishing, when to fish Flashback nymphs, and a couple tips on setting the hook. But before you listen get a pen and paper so you can write down that special offer code because it’s only for podcast listeners and can’t be found anywhere else.

Description: My apologies for the lack of recent podcasts—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a week of vacation made it necessary for me to concentrate on my day job as marketing director over the past few weeks. But this week we have a nice long podcast, including some detailed fly box topics on everything from choosing a fly reel to fishing droppers to using beads for steelhead. In the main part of the podcast is an interview I did with Dr. Aaron Adams of Bonefish Tarpon Trust on how to find saltwater fish on your own by knowing their habitat preference.

Description: This week’s podcast is timely—it’s on one of my very favorite fly-rod fish, the false albacore or little tunny (also known as albies, bonita, fat alberts, and boneheads). They are gorgeous, much faster than bonefish, and available from northern Cape Cod to Florida and throughout the Gulf Coast. Fall is the best time to fish for them close to shore, although in their southern range they can be caught on a fly year-round (you just might need a longer boat ride). There is no other fish I know if that causes such havoc with tackle and produces such idiotic and crazed behavior among anglers (and I include myself in that category). One thing I neglected to mention in my podcast is the excellent book by Tom Gilmore titled False Albacore. It’s the only book written on the subject and a terrific resource. Get out there and sample a bit of this insanity yourself—you will never be the same.

Description: This week, in preparation for the best months of saltwater fishing from Maine to Florida (May and June) we explore the idea of moving from freshwater to salt. Trout anglers are seldom prepared for the transition to saltwater fly fishing--although the equipment requirements are easy enough to understand and you only need a few extra knots, it's mainly the casting and the expectations that throw trout anglers a curve ball. There are 15 tips for making this transition easy and fun. Also in the Fly Box this week, we answer questions about the Surgeon's vs. Clinch knots, knots for attaching wire bite tippets, polarized sunglass colors, hook styles on nymphs, trout stream ettiquette, and how to balance a reel with a rod (or not).

Description: This week we have a great interview on redfish (and also speckled trout and snook) with Captain Dave Hunt from Florida. In the Fly Box, we also talk about grayling, brass and tungsten beads, and about the question of whether the term 'dry fly rod" is valid today. Plus I tip our listeners off to an exciting new development on the web--but you'll have to listen to find out!

Description: This week I discuss a dozen tips for taking difficult risers. We're not always fortunate to find consistently rising fish, but when we do it's a chess match that can be the most fascinating aspect of trout fishing. There are many tips to finally fooling a difficult riser, and surprisingly few of them involve choosing the correct fly. We also have Fly Box short items on some questions that came up from listeners regarding last week's podcast on small stream fishing. And by popular demand, we'll continue our sections on great fly-fishing books and cool products you might have missed. Test your wits with my quiz on difficult rises here.

Description: In this episode, Brett Ference from the Orvis Double Barrel Podcast is jealous of Tom's download count so he drops by to boost his numbers a bit. Tom and Brett discuss pointers for bonefishing: Know how to tell time, communicate with your guide, and DON'T TROUT STRIKE are among the tips here

Description: We haven't done a salt episode in a while... and we know a whole bunch of you folks fish salt. Tom's favorite time of year to do so is in the fall. Here are some great tips he's learned over the years.

Description: In saltwater fly fishing the fish are bigger, they fight harder and your approach needs to be different. Tom gives ten tips for saltwater fly fishing in this podcast.

Description: Up here in Vermont, it's getting darker earlier and a heck of a lot colder. It does not take much for the mind to drift to thoughts of the Bahamas and bonefish. Tom has ten great tips for bonefish anglers of every level and throws in a quick freshwater tip by request.

Description: You never know what you are going to encounter when you fish the surf and in this podcast Tom helps you be prepared for whatever comes your way. To get started grab a stripping basket, practice your double haul and download this podcast.

Description: A great introduction to fly fishing in saltwater for those who have never done it, and an excellent refresher (with new pointers) for the rest of us!

Description: If you are headed out for your first bone fishing trip, or just want a few pointers, Tom has some great tips