All About Public Lands and a Major Win, with Joel Pedersen of TRCP

We've recently won a big battle for public lands, and my guest this week, Joel Pedersen [25:56] of Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, fills us in on what we've won and what we need to keep an eye on for the future. But the podcast is much more than that. Joel educates us on the differences between the major classes of public lands—National Forests, BLM land, National Parks, and Wilderness areas and just what uses are allowed on each—and who makes the decision on extractive industries in these vast tracts of land that WE as citizens and taxpayers own.

In the Fly Box this week, as usual we have some great questions that might benefit your own fly fishing, including:

I'm curious about who might be your successor on the podcast A listener informs us why he thinks a 4-weight rod is a better option for smaller streams than a 3-weight. Why do most of the hook eyes on flies orient horizontally? When would I want a fly with a vertically oriented eye? I have the Orvis Essential Trout Fly Selection. What else would I need for fishing the great Arkansas tailwaters this summer? Another listener asks if a 3-weight or 4-weight rod is better for small streams. When my indicator is bobbing along in riffles, does that action hurt my presentation? A good tip from a listener on how to get a stuck rod apart. What are the pros and cons of using a stand-up paddleboard for carp and pike fishing, and what brand do you recommend? I have not done well fishing as high water recedes. Is this typical?