The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

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 without indicators, and just why a Zebra midge with a pink body sometimes out-fishes one with the standard black-and-white body.  

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.