12 Tips for Fishing the Spring Runoff
Published: 05-15-2013
Description: In this week’s podcast, 12 Tips for Fishing the Spring Runoff, I give a number of valid excuses for getting skunked during spring runoff, and what you can do if faced with high, cold, muddy water.
In the Fly Box section, I talk about fly rod design, fishing pressured waters, and the reality of fly-fishing magazine articles and TV shows. Plus a great tip for threading flies from a listener who left a message on our Podcast Message Line.
Video: Fly Fishing 101
Published: 04-09-2013
Description: Got a family member or friend you want to help get into fly fishing? Check out our video for FREE fly-fishing classes at your nearest Orvis store and many authorized dealers!
Even More on Leaders and Your Questions
Published: 04-02-2013
Description: This week in the fly box we discuss:
· How stocking affects wild trout
· Sinking lines
· Casting exercises
· Gripping a fly rod
· Tangles after dark
· Tom’s 5 favorite places to fish and the top 5 on his bucket list
In the main podcast, we do an extensive discussion of leaders—leader types, materials, , and how to modify your leader at streamside. It’s a good topic for a refresher as fishing season is upon us in most places—or almost upon us!
Your Questions and an Interview with Joey Maxim
Published: 03-25-2013
Description: This week we have a full Fly Box (the only way to be at the beginning of the season!) and cover topics that range from how to store leaders to figuring out stream depths to safe handling of fish in cold water to fishing streamers with switch rods. And lots more. I even try to answer the question of whether I’d prefer to have 6 less expensive fly rods or three top-of-the-line ones. That question caused me some soul-searching and I waffled a bit—but who cares what I’d do anyway? To top it off, we have an inspirational interview with a 17-year-old fly fisher, Joey Maxim. Make sure you listen to all of the interview, because the story gets more interesting as we talk.
A Tribute to John Merwin and Lots of Listener Questions
Published: 03-04-2013
Description: This week’s podcast ends on a somber note with the passing of our good friend and mentor John Merwin, one of the greatest voices in fly fishing. I think you’ll enjoy a few memories of John and the readings from a couple of his pieces. But up front we have a very full fly box—lots of e-mails and phone calls on casting problems, fly tying problems and solutions, picking tackle, and fishing nymphs.
The first fly-tying episode of the year
Published: 02-11-2013
Description: This week I concentrate on fly tying questions (except for a short sidetrack on stream smallmouths) because I love talking about fly tying—and Orvis is offering a 20% discount on fly tying materials for the month of February 2013.
Listener Questions and an Interview with Author Richard Louv
Published: 01-30-2013
Description: This week, in an addition to a long FLy Box section, I go a little off topic as I interview Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle, who introduced the term Nature Deficit Disorder to the world, and has perhaps done more than anyone else in modern times raise awareness of how important it is to get ourselves and our children outside more often. He’s one of my role models and it was a great honor to interview him for the podcast. And, of course, we do talk about getting kids and grandkids out fishing and give you some tips on how to do it. This is a podcast you may want to recommend to friends who don’t fish, as it’s one of the most important things people can do for their children.
Lots of Listener Questions and Tom Interviews Orvis Chairman Leigh Perkins
Published: 01-18-2013
Description: He’s the Everready Bunny—at 85 years old, and a recently replaced hip, Leigh Perkins still fishes and hunts 300 days a year. Although he retired as CEO of the Orvis Company in 1992, he’s still chairman of the board and one of our best field testers. He’s always the first one up in the morning and the last one to go to bed, and he lives his life surrounded by a bunch of hunting dogs. I was recently in Florida hunting wild quail and ducks with Leigh and got a chance to get some wisdom from him for a podcast. You’ll note by his answers that he’s one of the most optimistic people you’ll ever meet.
It's the Habitat, Stupid
Published: 12-28-2012
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.
Tom's Ten Tips for Fishing Low Water
Published: 08-29-2012
Description: Unless you live in one of the rare parts opf North America that isn't in drought conditions this summer, or you've been lucky enough to be fishing tailwater waters with an abundance of cool water, you're probably faced with very tricky conditions. Trout fishing is not impossible this time of year, but you have to adjust your tactics to lower flows, clear water and paranoid trout. We have LOTS of questions in the fly box this week which makes for a pretty long show.
Ten Listener Questions and Some Great Suggestions
Published: 08-14-2012
Description: This week, I decided to answer 10 listener questions, sort of an enlarged fly box section. As a special bonus, I have three great suggestions from other listeners that I know you’ll benefit from. I won’t spoil all the surprises, but we talk about fly lines sinking, leaders twisting, fish getting away, fish getting hooked in the belly by mistake, and fish refusing flies. I won’t even come close to answering all these questions but I can at least give you some ideas to think about.
Tenkara! A interview with Daniel Galhardo of Tenkara USA
Published: 07-17-2012
Description: This week we're publishing an interview I did with Daniel Galhardo, founder and CEO of Tenkara USA, on guess what? Daniel was here to sample some of our Vermont small stream fishing, which he loved, and we had a ball fishing together. He explains Tenkara, whether he considers it fly fishing, and the basics of how to use a Tekkara outfit. In the fly box, we talk about dealing with fishing gear in hot weather, dries vs. emergers, and setting the hook on downstream fish.
Fly vs Spin: Pros and Cons of Each
Published: 07-06-2012
Description: On this week's podcast, after a week on Cape Cod I'm prepared to tackle the subjetc of fly vs. spin, something I was reluctant to discuss before because I just have not used a spin rod much since I was a teenager. But we'll talk about the relative advantages of both methods of fishing, and when a diehard fly fisher might want a spin rod handy. In the short Fly Box topics this week, we further our discussion on releasing fish unharmed, where to position your rod when playing a fish, DT vs. WF lines, getting the fly line wrapped around the reel seat, and a few other goodies.
Ten Tips to Keep you from Lining Fish
Published: 06-13-2012
Description: This week we explore a topic that has not been requested by a listener but is something that struck me over the past few weeks of fishing over some difficult trout. It's the concept of keeping your fly line away from fish, and it's an important issue in nearly every kind of shallow water fishing--from bonefish and tarpon and striped bass to trout and carp. I include 10 tips to help you keep from "lining" fish.
Ten Tips for Warm Water Fly Fishing
Published: 06-04-2012
Description: This week we're exploring the wide open world of warm water fly fishing, and not just for bass. We talk about landlocked stripers and gar and bowfin and northern redhorse--and especially shad and carp. Basically, it's about finding the fish and experimenting with retrieves--tackle and flies are the least of your worries. Most of us have some sort of warm water close to home, so it's like that old Stephen Stills song, "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with".
In the fly box, we answer phone calls about how to measure the length of a fly cast, how long lines, leaders and backing last, keeping fish for the table and when to fly and when to spin.