The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

Tom is on the road this week so we are posting a backcast episode from January of 2011 on emergers. This is one of Tom's "Black Diamond" episodes where he shares some more advanced fly-fishing techniques.

This week, fresh from the Orvis Guides’ Rendezvous in Montana, I returned with a bunch of stories and tips I recorded with some full-time, professional Orvis-endorsed guides in a bar. Some stories are bizarre, some funny, and some touching. I also asked each guest for a tip so it’s not all pure entertainment. There is just a bit of bathroom humor around body functions, so just be warned in case you listen to these with kids. Nothing I would not share with my kids but just in case… In the Fly Box this week, we have some interesting questions and a couple great tips from listeners. A series of great tips on what to focus on when teaching a friend to fly fish. If jig hooks ride point up, why do fly tiers put the wing case on the side that points down when it is in the water? If trout face upstream, and you should approach them from downstream, why do all these people catch lots of fish using Euro nymphing methods when fish are directly across or even downstream from them? I have a 9 ft 6 weight Recon. I want to fish in small trout streams and for panfish. What lighter rod would you recommend? My big tungsten beads keep slipping over the hook eye. What can I do to prevent this? I fish in a river that has stocked trout and native smallmouth but I am really targeting the smallmouth. Why do I only catch trout this time of year? Why don’t your rods have hook keepers? I have been told to make my fly cast like I am holding a pretzel rod and I should be making a motion like I am trying to break the pretzel. But I get fatigue in my wrist. Is this a good casting tip? What is the dumbest way you have ever broken a rod? If you don’t have the correct fly size to match an insect, is it better to go one size smaller or one size larger when matching the hatch?

So you thought you knew something about fly-fishing history? This week I have a chat with Paul Schullery, in my opinion the premier fly-fishing historian in North America. When I have a question about history Paul is my go-to guy. He’s the author of at least 50 natural history books, was a historian for Yellowstone National Park, and when he lived in Vermont was executive director of The American Museum of fly fishing. In the podcast, you’ll learn that not many things are new in fly fishing. Tenkara-style fishing was used in Europe hundreds of years ago. People were catching bass on a fly in Florida since revolutionary days. Euro nymphing? Drop shot techniques? Fly fishing for pike? Saltwater fly fishing? Those were all done hundreds of years ago. Paul also goes into some detail on women in fly fishing, and how women have been involved in the sport since the very beginning. In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions: Is it worth it to buy prescription polarized sunglasses and where do I buy good ones? What works best for early season brook trout in Vermont? Am I cheating if I use a small wireless fish finder on my pontoon boat? Why do you call this The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide podcast? Is it just for guides? Why doesn’t anyone make a fiberglass rod longer than nine feet? How do I search the podcasts for a topic? What is the best way to catch white perch on a fly rod? I bought an old reel with a fly line on it and the line is all kinked up. Can I fix the line or should I trash it? Can I use fluorocarbon spinning line as a leader? Why did I have trouble catching fish when they were rising? I can catch them on nymphs. What is a good rotary fly-tying vise in the $100-$200 price range?

A few weeks ago I did a podcast with Josh Jenkins of Scientific Anglers on floating fly lines. Not only was it popular, I hinted that we might do one on sinking lines, which produced a minor barrage of requests for one. So here it is. You’ll learn about how sinking lines are made, what those designations like IPS, Class V, and T-14 mean and how to use them in your fishing. You’ll also get some hints on how to pick the right sinking line for your own situations. In the Fly Box this week, we cover the following suggestions and questions: A suggestion on how to get a nice flat shape when tying nymphs A heads up about the FFI Fly-Tying Awards Why do I lose so many trout using size 22 hooks? Should I bend the hooks out a bit? Can I substitute monofilament for fine wire on my Elk Hair Caddis? How do I extend the butt section of my leader? Exactly what knots do I need? Is it OK to use flies tied for different species in other habitats? How do I catch walleye on a fly? I am legally blind and want to catch brook trout on small mountain streams? What is the best method for me? Can I use UV resin instead of head cement on smaller flies? What are the most effective colors of Dragon Tails? What sinking line is best for any given body of water?

This week my interview is with Jeremy Wade of “River Monsters” fame. You may remember the episode where he caught a huge arapaima on an Orvis H3 and Mirage reel. He doesn’t always use a fly rod, but he does enjoy everything from those giant fish in exotic locations to a small wild brown trout river near his home in the UK. We talk about lots of things other than river monsters—what he enjoys about fly fishing, how he stays in shape for fighting those beasts, and about the pleasures of getting to know a water intimately instead of the pressure of having to produce for the camera. He has a new TV show and a book coming out soon—you’ll learn all about them on the podcast. In the Fly Box this week we have some great questions: What is the difference between wild, native, and holdover trout? How do I get small beads on hooks when they don’t want to go over the bend? What is the correct way to “haul in a fish”? Will upgrading my rod make me a better angler? Would it make sense to overload my 8-weight rod for pike and musky with a 9-weight line to throw those bigger flies? What is the best way to collect insects from my local river for reference? Who are some older authors you recommend for pleasure reading? Can I use my “saltwater” fluorocarbon leaders in Alaska? What things currently restricted by the rules of competitive angling would competitors use for their own fishing? And finally, yet another great tip by a listener on how to keep Thing-A-Ma-Bobbers from slipping on thinner sections of leaders

We’ve all heard about going to remote camps in Labrador or Quebec for large brook trout, but less well known are the drive-in rivers of Ontario. Ontario has some amazing wilderness fishing for large brook trout that can be accessed without a float plane, and Mark Melnyk, co-host of the TV show The New Fly Fisher has explored many of them in the course of scouting locations for his show. The fantastic part of the story is that he hardly ever needs to resort to a subsurface fly and most of the action is on the surface with mice and other floating imitations. Listen in to Mark’s tips on where to go and how to catch these trophy fish on a budget. In the Fly Box this week, we have some interesting questions and also some great tips from listeners (if these tips get any better I’ll be out of a job!) I only have a 7 ½ foot rod and it’s a bit short for working larger rivers. Can I use my 9 foot 8-weight for trout? Is tungsten toxic? A great tip on how to keep split shot from sliding on the leader A great tip for keeping Thing-A-Ma-Bobbers from sliding on your leader Can I fish the same big dries I use on the headwaters of a creek further down in the watershed? Where can my friend go to get help with his tailing loop? Are knotted leaders better than knotless leaders? Is it better to use a nail knot on my line instead of a loop-to-loop connection? How do I keep some old treasured wet flies from degrading? Are tactical barbless hooks better than just mashing the barb on a standard hook? Is it more effective to use a hackled dry fly or a Comparadun-type during a mayfly hatch? A great tip from a listener in Ireland on a method of fishing soft hackles called The Escalator Method

This week’s podcast is a discussion with Captain Tuck Scott, head guide at Bay Street Outfitters of Beaufort, South Carolina. Tuck gives us solid tips on choosing flies for saltwater inshore species, concentrating on redfish and speckled sea trout. Of course we would be remiss to discuss fly selection without some advice on how to present them, and Tuck also shares his advice on how to fish various types of baitfish and crustacean imitations. Tuck is also going on the road! He is bringing his Maverick flats boat to various Orvis retail stores and giving free seminars on how to fish from a flats boat—how and when to take your shots, how to adjust to changing conditions—and most importantly, how to build a team with your guide. You can see Tuck in person based on the schedule below ORVIS GREENVILLE, SC FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019 11:00 AM 1:00 PM ORVIS CHARLOTTE, NC SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019 12:30 PM 2:00 PM ORVIS ASHEVILLE, NC SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2019 12:30 PM 2:00 PM ORVIS ATLANTA, GA SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019 11:00 AM 1:00 PM ORVIS ALPHARETTA SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2019 11:00 AM 12:00 PM ORVIS CHARLESTON SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2019 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Store location to be announced. ORVIS RICHMOND, VA THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019 11:00 AM 1:00 PM ORVIS MANCHESTER, VT SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2019 11:00 AM 12:00 PM ORVIS MANCHESTER, VT SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2019 11:00 AM 1:00 PM

This week I interview Devin Olsen, who you may know about from competitive fly fishing, but we’re not going to talk about competition. Devin walks us through what to look for when you first approach a stream and how to come up with a strategy for a day of fishing. His new book Tactical Fly Fishing is now available but we get a sneak peak on what you’ll learn from his book. In the Fly Box this week, we talk about: Moving kids from a spinning rod to a switch rod How to deal with muddy and bloody feathers from a duck-hunting friend How to display fly rods in your house If my jig hooks bend when I get stuck in a snag, should I just bend them back and re-use them? If a 5-weight is considered an all-around rod in graphite, is it the same for fiberglass rods? What is the difference between hen necks and hen capes? A great suggestion for carrying a landing net on a plane Do catastrophic floods ruin trout fishing and the insect life? What length and line size do you recommend for both smallmouth bass and steelhead? Can I catch catfish with a fly rod? How should I organize my bonefish fly boxes? Which grain weight in the Depth Charge lines is best for surf fishing?

To continue our celebration of flies with the Giant Fly Sale, this week I have a long talk with Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, maker of the finest tying videos on the web. This is always one of the most eagerly awaited podcasts of the year, and it’s also one I look forward to because I enjoy talking to Tim about fly tying and always learn so much from him. I get a lot of questions about material substitutions, so what Tim and I decided to do was to take six popular flies, dissect them material by material, and recommend our favorite substitutes for each step. Here are the flies we include: Parachute Adams Clouser Minnow Prince Nymph Woolly Bugger Tunghead Zebra Midge Drunk & Disorderly Deceiver (we had to put one complicated pattern in there) In The Fly Box this week, we have the following questions: How do I keep split shot from sliding on my small diameter tippet Why do I keep losing fish? How do I get a tiny Baetis nymph deep? When is an indicator better than a Euro nymphing rig? What is a Cuda Tube? How do feeder streams affect fishing in a lake? What rod would be best for smaller streams in the East? Why could I not catch trout on a Zebra midge when there were midges all over the water later in the day? A terrific suggestion from a listener on how to turn a landing net into an insect seine by using panty hose How should I fish scuds in a spring creek? What is meant by “big streamers” as opposed to “small or medium streamers” and what line sizes work best with them.

Editor’s Note: To celebrate the kickoff of the 2019 Giant Fly Sale, here’s a great backcast epiaode about choosing the right fly for a given situation. This week, I interview aquatic biologist and fly fisher Peter Stitcher, who not only has a great way of organizing fly boxes (a question I have always neglected to answer properly), but he also has some great guidance on how to figure out what is in the river and how to pick a fly from your box that will do the best job of imitating that insect—without any detailed knowledge of entomology. If you learn his acronyms PAUSE and MATCH, I am convinced you will have all the knowledge you need to be more successful. Listen to the podcast to learn what these acronyms mean.