The Orvis Fly-fishing Guide Podcast

This week is all about fly tying.  I took a whole bunch of questions that came in over the past week (thank you very much for your great questions) and we spend about an hour going over some tricky and not-so-tricky questions.  The hardest one for me was to list the essential fly tying materials every tier should have on his or her bench (and I was not allowed to use CDC, rabbit fur, or peacock herl, which made it even tougher) and it took me two days to decide on that one.  I ended up cheating and coming up with a trout list and a saltwater list.  Other questions included emergency procedures for when you break your thread, when to use wax, most under-utilized materials, substitutes in fly-tying recipes, tips for tying with deer hair, and many others.  Don’t forget that this month, fly tying materials at Orvis are 20% off, so now is the time to think about what you’ll need for next season.

This week we talk to Paul Moinester, who we should all envy.  He quit a good job in DC to simplify and de-stress his life, and spent 6 months traveling the US to finds out more about fly fishing.  He drove from the Keys to Alaska, fishing along the way, and came up with some very eloquent pointers on improving your fly fishing game, based on his many experiences.  These are great tips from the perspective of a relative novice (at least he was when he started his trip!).

**This is a fixed version of "The Return of Fiberglass Rods". The originally posted version contained an editing error.**  We’ve had a lot of requests to do a podcast on fiberglass fly rods, but I wanted to wait until the Orvis rods were in stock before I did one.  The Orvis Superfine Touch Fiberglass are now in stock and on our web site, so this week I cover the basics of fiberglass rods:  A little history, some brief technology notes, and why you might want to at least test cast a fiberglass rod to see what all the fuss is about.  They are not like the glass rods you remember from the 60s or 70s!

We’ve had a lot of requests to do a podcast on fiberglass fly rods, but I wanted to wait until the Orvis rods were in stock before I did one.  The Orvis Superfine Touch Fiberglass are now in stock and on our web site, so this week I cover the basics of fiberglass rods:  A little history, some brief technology notes, and why you might want to at least test cast a fiberglass rod to see what all the fuss is about.  They are not like the glass rods you remember from the 60s or 70s!

This week, the main event is a fascinating podcast with Tom Bie, editor and publisher (and founder) of The Drake Magazine, an unconventional, edgy fly fishing publication that addresses the new, media-related fly fishing culture.  Tom talks about his favorite fish, the steelhead, and about his passion for swinging flies, East vs. West, hatchery vs. wild steelhead, using Spey rods, and lots on the philosophy of the best swing speed for steelhead.  We also touch on steelhead flies, and the future of fly fishing in general.  It’s a great interview and a little more cerebral than we usually get on the podcast.  Also in this week’s Fly Box, we circle back to fly tying materials to get a little more clarity on thread sizes and types of elk hair.  I answer questions on fighting big trout in confined quarters, what to do if a big trout sulks, the difference between a creek, brook, and river; the characteristics of spring creeks, tailwaters, chalk streams, and freestone streams; sight fishing to trout in shallow water

From the brilliant mind of CarpPro's Dan Frasier.

This week’s podcast is mostly about fly tying—at least the main event.  In The FlyBox, we talk about dangers on the water, how to keep your distance from your fishing buddy, Tenkara rods for kids, casting indoors, and how to do The San Juan Shuffle (hint—you don’t want to).  There is also a very special offer only for podcast listeners somewhere in the podcast, and it’s only good for this week, so make sure you listen soon!

This week it’s all about steelhead—or at least mostly about steelhead.  Besides the main topic, dead drift vs. the swing for steelhead, we talk about overlining rods, matching a rod to a fish size, dressing dry flies, the NOAA Saltwater Registry, hooking fish in the tongue, fishing beads, and whether to ask a guide for a refund if you don’t catch any fish (I think you know my answer to that one).

On this week’s podcast, we discuss man-eating Chinook salmon, the ethics of going back to a spot a guide has taken you to, what BWOs are, possible cranefly hatches, stomach pumps, and I make an apology to the SUP crowd.  Then we have a great interview with Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.  Whit brings to light some boring-sounding legislation that is important to anyone who loves the outdoors, and gives us a good general overview of why they are important—like thousands of acres of public land that is inaccessible to taxpayers and what is being done about it.

In this week's podcast, besides an interview with Kirk Deeter, author of The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing for Carp, we talk about how fly fishing can be a pain in the neck, fishing above waterfalls, jeans under waders, split shot on spring creeks, Tenkara and kids, minimalist equipment for fishing, hiking, and camping, and when to look for Trico duns this time of year.

This week we’ll discuss 12 tips for fishing tiny dry flies, a topic of great interest this time of year.  In the Fly Box we range from a good general Salt water outfit to clinch knots to night fishing with two flies to how much line to have out when you are waiting to make a cast to a visible fish.  Based on suggestions from many podcast listeners, I’m starting a section about equipment and also a section on fly-fishing myths.  We had tons of good feedback and suggestions on podcasts, and it was loud and clear that listeners don’t want a co-host but they do like interviews.

I have an interview with Doc Thompson, legendary New Mexico fly-fishing guide and an all-around great guy.  Doc will share tips for finding and catching high-altitude trout in small streams.  In the Fly Box, we range from foul-hooking fish to tying small flies to hooking and holding trout on tiny flies to guide etiquette to casting big streamers.  And we’ve started a new feature where we talk about a couple of the red-hot fishing spots for this week.

This week I offer 10 (actually 12 because I thought of a couple more as I was talking) tips on fishing pressured waters—those where trout get pestered all day long with different fly patterns.  The logical course of action would to avoid those places, but the problem is that these waters are typically full of large wild trout and have great hatches—and these days because of the internet there are few secret trout streams.  So pack up your fly boxes, resign yourself to seeing other anglers, and pay attention to your manners and courtesy.  Catching a trout on a hard-fished river is as satisfying an accomplishment as catching 20 on a wilderness stream. Lots of stuff in the Fly Box today, too. A loaded episode, for sure.

This week I interview Adam McNamara of Orvis Portland in one of our continuing series of carp podcasts.  As usual, I learned some hot new tricks (like how to imitate a clam with a fly!) and I am sure you will as well.  Adam is the founder and organizer of Carpocalypse, one of the best carp events in the US.  Also, to begin we talk lots of trout for those of you who turn down your noses at carp:  how to tell the number of a fly line if it isn’t labeled, adding tippets to braided leaders, what to do about refusals to dry flies, using wading boots without waders, tips on grass carp (oops), and what I think about people “spot burning” unknown fishing spots on the internet—if you care what I think.

This week we have a few fly box items on what to do after your fly drags, landing net decisions, and how to get by in a boat with two fly lines and only one reel (my advice—don’t go there).  Our main topic this week is about the importance of local knowledge for any kind of fly-fishing trip and is titled “Ten reasons you need local knowledge”  It’s actually mostly reasons and also a few tips, but you all know I can’t count.

This week we have a great interview with Dan Frasier, fly-fishing editor of Carp Pro magazine on—guess what?  There are some terrific tips in this interview and here are a couple I had not heard of and will try on my next carp fishing trip.  I am sure you will find some as well.  In the Fly Box, we range from hooking shad to getting started in fly tying to picking the right leader length to fishing streamers in Europe.  And I’m also asked about my top 10 saltwater flies for fishing anywhere is the world, so I will list them here as well as mention them in the podcast 1.       Lefty’s Deceiver in chartreuse in size 1 2.       Lefty’s Deceiver in olive and white in size 1 3.       Clouser Minnow in original brown and white in size 4 4.       Clouser Minnow in chartreuse and white in size 4 5.       Gurgler (any color) 6.       Surf Candy in size 4 7.       Adams’ Bastard Crab in size 4 8.       Puglisi Peanut Butter in purple and black in size 1/0 9.       Simram in size 6 10.   Cowen’s Albie Anchovy

This week we explore the topic of whether you should fish upstream or down, not only what direction you should move but also which way you present your fly.  The podcast will tell you exactly which direction to fish every time you go out by using a simple formula (just kidding—did you really think it would be that easy?)  In the fly box we answer questions about setting the hook (again), what length rod to use (again), adding tippets to knotless leaders (again), what to do about minnows sinking your dry flies (aha!  A new one and a fun one, too), and how to improve your roll cast by using a different line.  I keep answering those repeated topics because it seems they are universal questions and sometimes a different question or slant on a question may make it more clear to listeners.  Have fun!

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 20.  We also have a great podcast from 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 fr podcast listeners and can’t be found anywhere else.

This week, based on my experience of getting skunked trout fishing, I thought I would give you 10 reasons for getting skunked.  I mainly concentrate on early season fishing—but these excuses are also good any time during the season!  In the Fly Box section we talk about : -over-lining fly rods,-barbless hooks,-laying fish on the grass to photograph them,-matching leader with rod length,-rod and blank weights,-and some other fun stuff.  Questions this week came from as far away as Australia and the UK, and as close as Connecticut.

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!