The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

This week my guest is Davy Wotton, originally from Wales but who now lives and guides on the White River in Arkansas. I get frequent questions about swinging soft hackles and wet flies, and honestly I am not the best at this technique so I brought in who I consider the ultimate expert on this kind of fishing. Davy blends the British traditions with American conditions so he really has the best perspective on this kind of fishing, which can be both challenging and subtle—especially when fish are taking emergers. It’s a LONG podcast, but since I have never done one on this topic I make up for lost time. And Davy had many interesting points to make. The Fly Box is a bit shorter this week because the main podcast is so long. But we cover some interesting questions as usual: What can I do to keep my Stimulators floating? When do you fish a nymph and when do you fish a streamer? Can you use weed guards on trout flies? Why am I breaking off so many fish? Do some rod guides work better than others? More on pressure and its effects on fish What is the difference between a freshwater and saltwater rod? How can I see my fly in a fast riffle? How do I know if small streams hold trout? Why do trout bump my flies and why do they come off quickly?

This week’s podcast is not about using alternative methods to a bobber or strike indicator.  It’s how to make your fishing more effective—and more fun—when you do use a bobber.  And my special guest is Ben Sittig from Colorado, better known to those of you who follow You Tube and Instagram as The HUGE Fly Fisherman.  His videos and posts are helpful but funny, and as he admits, a bit snarky.  But in a good way and his advice is solid.  Ben talks about how, by concentrating on the indicator itself we don’t realize what is going on beyond it, down where our flies are drifting, and offers some solid advice.  And then we run out of bobber stuff to talk about so we both get up on our respective soap boxes and talk about the state of the world of fly fishing, particularly when it comes to social media.  I hope you find our ramblings entertaining. In the Fly Box this week we have lots of interesting questions.  One of the best batches in a long time.  Maybe I’m training you to ask questions I can answer or maybe it’s just because everyone is fishing and has some great thoughts in their heads. When you make a heavier fly rod, do you use the same taper and just add material? How to I kill off carpet beetles in my fly-tying capes? Why can I catch brown trout in four to five feet of water but not in those 10-foot pools? I have to drive over two hours to catch trout.  How can I learn more about fly fishing? Is it easier to hook trout on a Tenkara rod than on a conventional rod? Is there any function in different eye types on hooks? Do you know of a good way to make an adjustable nymph dropper for a dry/dropper rig? Why won’t trout that are feeding on smaller flies eat my Stimulator? What is the best way to add four feet of level tippet to a fly line when streamer fishing? How far do stocked brown trout move? Why can I only catch trout on olive streamers when my river has sculpins in it? Why does my tippet get twisted when I fish big foam flies?

We all learn something every time we go fishing, even the amazing vacuum cleaner Jesse Haller, our resident Euro nymphing expert.  So I asked Jesse what he has learned over the past 12 months, and it’s a fun and eye-opening interview that got me excited about trying some new ideas and strategies for Euro nymphing.  I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.   In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions: Is there a good way to figure out what fly sizes I can use on a given rod? Can I use big trout streamers for Atlantic salmon?  Why are traditional salmon flies tied they way they are? I have trouble with line handling with two-handed rods.  What should I do? I can’t find smallmouth bass in my river even though I know they live there.  What kind of water should I look for? Why do some hook styles come in odd sizes like 13 and 15? I can’t get enough distance on big lakes with my 9 foot 6 weight Recon rod.  Would a longer rod help?  Would a two-handed rod get me more distance? Is it necessary to pinch the barb on hooks smaller than size 20? Why can’t I get flies shipped from the US to Canada, and is there any way to get around this? If I catch a big fish, is it OK to go back to try and catch it again in the same day? I am having trouble deciding on the right line for bass fishing on my 909 rod.  Some bass bug lines are rated two line sizes heavier.  What should I do?

This is a special backcast episode in that we also are posting an accompanying video over on the Orvis Fly-Fishing Video Podcast. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe! Here is Tom's summary from when this ran in March of 2011: We have a very exciting podcast for you this week. Many of you have asked for a pike podcast, and we've delivered what I think is one of our best presentations in two parts. Part 1 is an audio interview I conduct with pike expert Drew Price, where he goes into great detail on where, when, and how to catch pike. Also in part 1, we have some tips in the Fly Box section on fishing CDC flies, choosing one rod for bass and trout, and how to get your nymph deep in small plunge pools. Part 2 is a video where we have tips on pike fishing (along with some shots of nice pike caught on a fly), courtesy of The New Fly Fisher TV show. I know I learned a ton from interviewing Drew and watching the video and can't wait to get at the pike this spring.

It’s not difficult to catch walleye on the fly if you know where and when to go after them. I have gotten frequent requests from listeners on how to catch walleye on the fly and have never been able to find the right expert guest. Then, a few weeks ago while filming a bass fishing episode for the upcoming second season of the Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide TV show, I found my expert—Ted Putnam of Hawk Lake Lodge. Ted has shown numerous experts how to catch not only just walleye but trophy walleye on the fly, and he shares his expertise on when and where, what flies to use, what lines to use, and how to retrieve the fly. In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions: Why can’t I get bass to eat my mouse flies? Why don’t the fish on my river eat salmon flies? How often can I fish a population of trout and will it hurt them? More discussions on fish and changes in barometric pressure. (This will be an ongoing discussion) Why do I keep losing fish when using a heavily weighted barbless fly? Can I use my 9-foot 5 weight rod for bass fishing? What is the strangest fly material you have ever used? When should I use Comparaduns? What kind of roadkill can I use for fly tying? Why did mahi in the Gulf Stream ignore my flies? How does water temperature affect fish and insects? Why do people not fish dry flies much any more?

In honor of Father's Day and since Tom is still out on the road, we've pulled a popular show from the archives on how to teach young people how to fly fish. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Tom should be back next with your questions.

This week’s podcast is one of the biggest eye-openers I have ever done. Not only did I learn a lot, I have actually changed my views on a number of topics, including the effects of the moon on fishing and the effects of a change in barometric pressure. My guest, Russ Carpenter, is a neurologist at Stanford who studies the brains and senses of fish, specifically rainbow trout. He answers lots of question about a trout’s sense of smell, vision, and hearing. Including UV vision. I hope you learn as much as I did in this podcast. In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions: Do you really fish with bamboo rods? Aren’t graphite and glass better? Why did I see large steelhead in a Great Lakes tributary in July? What is your opinion on stocking fish in wild trout streams? Is a 6-weight line from 30 years ago the same size as a modern 6-weight?Can I dye a fly line with RIT dye? What is the best saltwater weed guard? Are some spooky fish truly un-catchable? Is there anything I can do to try to catch them? Is there a difference between a Scottish brown trout and a German brown? I am landing trout up to 20 inches without letting them run. Am I doing something wrong? What do you think about weighted soft hackles? With modern runner soles like the Michelin sole on the Pro Boot, is there any need for studs?

This week we’re talking about a spectacle of nature that happens every year in the Rockies in June—the salmonfly hatch. This is a giant stonefly that excites big trout and fly fishers—but it’s difficult to plan for and not as easy to fish as you might imagine. John Way of The Tackle Shop in Ennis, the oldest fly shop in Montana, gives his tips on the life cycle of this giant stonefly, how to fish the hatch, and how to avoid some of the inevitable drift boat traffic the hatch attracts. If you are planning a trip to the Rockies soon this is one you won’t want to miss. In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions and comments: How do I catch the big trout I see on Instagram? I never see them myself when I am on the river. How long before stocked trout tune into feeding on natural foods? If I accidentally kill a fish in a catch and release section, should I try to keep it to eat or just let it die? Is there an advantage to tying my second nymph to the eye of the first fly? When should I do this? When is a drop-shot rig better than conventional weight on the leader? Should I get a 5-weight or 6-weight rod for fishing indicator rigs on a windy lake? What fly materials are fairly universal and can for used for a variety of patterns? Why did I see some big trout in a tributary to a larger trout stream? A special tutorial on how to open a pair of forceps (you won’t want to miss this one!) How do we get younger people involved in organizations like Trout Unlimited?

This week I have a chat with Scott Bosse of American Rivers on the Montana Headwaters Security Act, a 7-year program that will hopefully come to fruition in 2020. It’s draft legislation for new Wild and Scenic river designations on some of the best rivers and streams on public lands in Montana. This draft legislation is the culmination of seven years of outreach to a broad cross-section of Montanans from across the state. During this time they have met with over 500 business owners, watershed groups, land trusts, recreation groups, riverside landowners, sportsmen and sportswomen, conservation organizations and other stakeholders. What they heard at those meetings mirrored what they learned in two bipartisan polls in 2013 and 2016 – Montanans love their rivers and want to see more of them protected using the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It’s appropriate that this major legislation is happening in Montana, because the idea for the original Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation was born in Montana and was signed into law by President Johnson in 1968. In the Fly Box this week, we have questions and suggestions from listeners, including the following: The reason for the T-designation for sinking heads Can I use Tenkara flies with standard fly-fishing tackle? Why can’t I catch fish on nymphs? Do you have some tips for limestone streams? When it is advisable to purposely un-match the hatch Can I use hiking bots in place of wading boots? Can I use midge-sized flies all year long? They only work for me in the winter. Can I use an unweighted fly with a Euro-nymphing rig? Is it a good idea to use gear lubricant on my fly line? Why is fly-fishing gear so much more expensive than conventional gear? Where should I add split shot in relation to my streamer? Is there an easy way to remove split shot?

This week I was down in the Catskills and stopped in to chat with Evan Lavery of The Beaverkill Angler in Roscoe, New York. The topic of our podcast is hatches of the freestone rivers of the Catskills, in particular the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek. These are rivers rich with tradition and also rich with a diverse insect population--although they don't have the quantity of insects seen in the Catskill tailwaters like the Delaware, they have a more diverse population so you never know what you'll see. Plus, for the wading angler, these rivers don't have drift boats thus they can be more pleasant for fly fishers on foot. In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions and more: What leader should I use for pike and muskie? How do I fish for grayling in high mountain lakes? Do trout eat moths? What fly line is best for short casts? What indicators do you prefer? How do I tell the difference between a wild and stocked brown trout? Plus a harrowing tale of an "extreme angler"