The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

On this week's podcast, after a week on Cape Cod I'm prepared to tackle the subjetc of fly vs. spin, something I was reluctant to discuss before because I just have not used a spin rod much since I was a teenager.  But we'll talk about the relative advantages of both methods of fishing, and when a diehard fly fisher might want a spin rod handy.  In the short Fly Box topics this week, we further our discussion on releasing fish unharmed, where to position your rod when playing a fish, DT vs. WF lines, getting the fly line wrapped around the reel seat, and a few other goodies.

This week we explore a topic that has not been requested by a listener but is something that struck me over the past few weeks of fishing over some difficult trout. It's the concept of keeping your fly line away from fish, and it's an important issue in nearly every kind of shallow water fishing--from bonefish and tarpon and striped bass to trout and carp. I include 10 tips to help you keep from "lining" fish

This week we're exploring the wide open world of warm water fly fishing, and not just for bass.  We talk about landlocked stripers and gar and bowfin and northern redhorse--and especially shad and carp.  Basically, it's about finding the fish and experimenting with retrieves--tackle and flies are the least of your worries.  Most of us have some sort of warm water close to home, so it's like that old Stephen Stills song, "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with".  In the fly box, we answer phone calls about how to measure the length of a fly cast, how long lines, leaders and backing last, keeping fish for the table and when to fly and when to spin.

A  great show this week! I had the chance to sit down and talk with Simon Perkins, the newest addition here at Orvis Rod & Tackle about the Fly Fishing Film Tour as well as his own short film, Sipping Dries. We ran the trailer in the podcast feed a few weeks ago. As the main event, I interview my friend Dave Brown of Dave Brown Outfitters on fishing taiwaters, as it seems you guys can't get enough of this topic! In addition, I take a few questions from the podcast listener line. We moved the podcast studio, again. As a result we have had some tech issues with the sound which kept us "off the air" last week. I think it's all worked out. Thanks for sticking with us!

This week, in preparation for the best months of saltwater fishing from Maine to Florida (May and June) we explore the idea of moving from freshwater to salt.  Trout anglers are seldom prepared for the transition to saltwater fly fishing--although the equipment requirements are easy enough to understand and you only need a few extra knots, it's mainly the casting and the expectations that throw trout anglers a curve ball.  There are 15 tips for making this transition easy and fun.  Also in the Fly Box this week, we answer questions about the Surgeon's vs. Clinch knots, knots for attaching wire bite tippets, polarized sunglass colors, hook styles on nymphs, trout stream ettiquette, and how to balance a reel with a rod (or not).

In this week's podcast I interview Captain Jim Barr from Rhode Island and we talk about the effects of barometric pressure changes and moon phases on fly fishing, both in Jim's arena of striped bass fishing and also on various freshwater species.  If you're looking for easy answers you'll be disappointed, but I think you'll enjoy hearing us talk about the empirical observations we've made over the years.  In the Fly Box section this week we discuss methods of weighting flies with non-toxic materials, why you catch bigger fish on worms than you do on flies, and an explanation of the term "turning over" a fly and what you can do to make sure your fly turns over.

Well, be careful what you wish for.  Last week I whined that we weren't getting enough response from you on Fly Box questions, so in the past week we've been inundated!  I thought I would try to answer the best 20 questions we got over the past week, both e-mails and phone calles.  We received suggestions from Sweden and Los Ageles and Connecticut and South Dakota and everything in between last week.  In our 20 questions podcast we'll explore overlining a fly rod, fishing giant warmwater rivers, how to store a leader between fishing trips, fishing without indicators, and whether to play a fish from the reel or by stripping--and lots of other goodies!

In this week's podcast we first talk about nets and bluegills. I'm not getting many nice short, concise, specific questions for the Fly Box  section so I haven't had many to answer lately.  Please send your nagging questions to podcast@orvis.com or call me at 802-362-8800 and leave a message letting me know what you'd like to hear about.  And in the main part of the podcast, Should I Stay or Should I Go? (what do you want to bet James will have some music to go along with that?) we talk about when to move and when to stay put, on everything from trout streamers, nymphs, and dries, to Atlantic salmon, bonefish, and steelhead.

This week in the Fly Box we first talk about what to expect when fishing for king salmon in Alaska, the half hitch vs. the whip finish in fly tying, and etiquette on salmon rivers. Then, in the main event, we explore the fascinating world of what some people call "junk" flies--worms, eggs, and scuds.  These flies are fished like nymphs and are just as much a "match the hatch" situation as elegant mayfly nymphs (at least in my opinion).

In this week's fly box we talk about hook styles, casting on snow, and fly-fishing jargon.  Then on to the main podcast, which is on the perenially popular subject of leaders:  When to change tippets, how to modify your leader, the differences between the various types, fluoro vs. nylon, saltwater leaders described, and much more.  It's a topic that is mystifying to many people and we hope we both intrigue and educate you this week.