Adam Cuthriell and the FishHound Expeditions crew takes us on a remote Alaskan Wilderness float trip. We break down the recommended fly fishing gear for Alaska trip and all that you need to prepare for – from the best flies to the best fly rod to the best clothing to get you ready for that trip of a lifetime and make your experience 10 out of 10.
Find out what a rainbow hitting a mice sounds like in this episode and how you can put together your own remote Alaskan trip.
Click below and listen to the Fly Fishing Gear for Alaska Podcast with Adam Cuthriell:
08:36 – The RIO Pip Squeak is the goto pattern for your mouse pattern and mousing for rainbows.
15:00 – We are doing a giveaway later this year so stay tuned and we will share more on that. The giveaway will be listed here when it’s live: Alaska Trip Giveaway
18:35 – The fake down insulated pants by patagonia are key.
19:00 – Seal socks are super nice along with usb socks.
20:30 – Pocket knife, lighters, water gremlin for split shot,
22:37 – The NRS Bills bag comes with the trip. NRS was on the podcast here and talked about the story of the founder, Bill Parks who gave the company to his employees.
24:30 – The Steelhead Gear list podcast and blog post is a good resource to dig into the gear for the winter.
25:30 – Sleeping bag, pillow is important to bring, but a tent and pad is not required on this trip.
26:50 – Owner hooks and pegs work well for doing the bead thing.
FishHound Expeditions is on the show today to share the fly fishing gear for Alaska you need to get off to a great start. We find out what the take is like for rainbow trout on the surface for mice.
We dig into swinging mice for rainbows, fishing beads for trout and the right hook to use. This is the kickoff to the Alaskan Givewaway we have coming later this fall.
Ted Manning is here to walk us behind the scenes of Patagonia – the company that’s in business to save our home planet.
Patagonia, as we know, is one of the biggest outdoor brands. But they’re more than just a brand. They’re the most responsible company in the world, leading the way in conservation.
Ted tells us a brief history of Patagonia – how Yvon Chouinard started this nontraditional company and how it’s going. We dig in detail into some of the projects they’re running right now – gear repair facility, Action Works tool, awareness films, and more.
Find out why they changed their company mission and why they want to actually slow down their growth.
Click below and listen to the Podcast about Patagonia the Company:
(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)
Sponsors and Podcast Updates
Show Notes with Ted Manning and Patagonia the Company
05:40 – The business unit that Ted represents is called, Rivers. They make the equipment, accessories, and all the fly fishing gear for Patagonia. Their commitment is to the communities that advocate and recreate rivers.
40:15 – Ted mentions a list of projects that they’re focusing on today
46:50 – The Monster in Our Closet is another film that they released is a short look at what it cost when you buy a piece of apparel – the story behind the product and the reality of the impact that the global apparel business has including Patagonia – scroll down to watch that film
48:55 – Ted gives us a piece of advice on what we can do with the podcast to help with conservation work
50:28 – Ted makes an emphasis on repairing your gear and don’t buy new stuff so much
53:30 – Patagonia has partnered with Bureo – they recycle old fishing nets and turn them into apparel
54:20 – They launched a new wading boot in Europe – built with Fitwell
I hope this episode inspired you to take some action today. That tool Action Works really works, you know. Just scan for nearby projects to find out how you can connect and contribute. Every little action combined makes a big difference and helps us achieve our goal to save the home planet. Do it for your children and your children’s children, so that they may have a better world to live in when you’re long gone.
And remember.. don’t buy new gear! Have them repaired instead (if still possible).
Phil Montano, owner and inventor of the Fly Trap Holder, tells us the story behind creating some of the most innovative and inexpensive fly fishing gear on the market today.
Phil’s goal is to make life easier on the water, actually fishing rather than just digging through the fly box or doing anything else that just eats up your time while fishing.
Find out how his frustration led to a brilliant idea that solves problems for many anglers out there.
Click below and listen to the Podcast about the Fly Trap Holder with Phil Montano:
I hope this episode inspired you to see problems differently. Problems could lead to a brilliant solution waiting to be discovered.
I think Phil and his team are doing an amazing job developing products that help a lot of anglers out there. I know because I’ve been using his Fly Trap Holder since 2018 and I love it!
Have you tried any of Phil’s products? How’s your experience? Let us know in the comments.
Bill Oyster, owner and founder of Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods, walks us through the 6-day class of bamboo fly rod making.
Bill takes us back to his humble beginnings when he was first learning the art of making bamboo fly rods and there were not many resources available. Now Bill is a master at the craft and Oyster Bamboo is one the best in the industry today, sharing their knowledge with people who want to continue the tradition.
We discover the biggest myth about bamboo fly rods and the common mistakes that people make in crafting process.
How do they build these rods to perfection and custom hand engrave the reel seat the size of a nickel? Listen to the episode to find out!
Click below and listen to the Podcast about Bamboo Fly Rod Making with Bill Oyster:
12:25 – Bill used to receive letters in the mail from other bamboo fly rod builders that are angry at him for getting into the industry
16:15 – Bill was warned by his friend who’s also into bamboo fly rod making that if he taught bamboo fly rod making, they’d all be out of business in 2 years. He did it anyway.
20:20 – Their classes are fully booked for the next 2 years
25:30 – Riley is Bill’s right hand man who’s been working full-time with him for 13 years
25:55 – Bill’s wife Shannen handles the business side of the shop
26:20 – Bamboo fly rod making has been Bill’s life work for about 24 years now
30:00 – Bill used to work on his rods till 3am, 7 days a week then go to trade shows
33:00 – Most of the bamboo rod makers today only do it part-time
36:20 – They do the classes all year round, every other week for 22 weeks, 6 days a week. Bill tells us what a week in the class looks like.
41:14 – We break down the top common mistakes that one might do in bamboo rod making
So there you go. We learned a lot about bamboo fly rods today.
Bill and the Oyster Bamboo crew are doing an amazing job at keeping the bamboo fly rod tradition alive. Bill’s story is a great example that passion and commitment pay off. So thank you, Bill. You inspired many of our listeners today.
If any of you are interesting in joining the bamboo rod-making class, you can sign up for it via their website at OysterBamboo.com. They get booked up pretty quickly so it’s best if you could sign up right now to get on the wait list.
Hopefully one day I get to join that class too. I can already imagine myself making bamboo fly rods when I retire. I’m going to make a few for my daughters and my grandchildren.
Matt Shilling, Executive Director of Indifly, is here to enlighten us about their mission.
Indifly is a nonprofit organization that helps local indigenous communities establish a fly fishing and ecotourism business for sustainable livelihoods and conservation.
They bring attention to some of the world’s most pristine yet at-risk fisheries, transforming these areas into sustainable, world-class fishing destinations.
Find out how they use fly fishing as a tool to transform the lives of Indigenous People and protect their valued homelands.
Click below and listen to the Indifly Podcast with Matt Shilling
09:00 – Indifly help indigenous communities protect their pristine places and own fly fishing and ecotourism business – these are 100% community owned business, creating jobs for the local people, economical benefits, and incentives for the protection of their homeland
14:55 – Matt talks about the atoll called, Anaa
23:30 – They partnered with Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho of the Wind River Reservation Wyoming – 2.3 million acres of largely untouched beauty
Matt Shilling takes on a journey with Indifly giving local indiginous people the ability to run their own guiding businesses focused on key areas around the world. Leave a comment below or connect with us on your podcast app of choice and listen to the full show.
Rob Giannino from the Fly Fishing Journeys Podcast is here to talk about his amazing journey in fly fishing and podcasting.
For 2 straight years, he traveled around the country with the Fly Fishing Show crew and did live interviews with some of the fly fishing icons we know.
Now Rob shares how he met some of his best friends and made a lot of memorable experiences from fly fishing and traveling.
Find out what’s coming up for the Fly Fishing Journeys podcast and why we should be excited about it!
Click below and listen to the Podcast about the Fly Fishing Journeys with Rob Giannino:
17:16 – Rob just got back from an Iceland trip and planning another 6-man trip with Tim Cammisa by the end of July – they’re booking with the guys from Fish Partner
Photo by Tim CammisaPhoto by Tim Cammisa
18:00 – Rob’s dad is a travel agent that’s why he’s very much into traveling
24:10 – Rob and 2 of his partners bought a camp and started a fly fishing club. They don’t guide but they show people around and provide some equipment.
26:45 – We dig into his podcast, the Fly Fishing Journeys – how he prepares and puts everything together
41:45 – Rob told us a story of when they weren’t allowed to hike up the mountain because they didn’t bring a bear can. This is one of those times where a bearvault could have made a difference.
Another good episode in the books. It was a pleasure connecting with Rob and hearing his story.
That’s what’s great about fly fishing. We create a lot of experiences that are priceless.
I think Rob and the Fly Fishing Journeys team are doing a nice job at creating content for the community. Hope they keep doing the awesome work out there. I’ll be listening..
Actually, I’m about to marathon their episodes this week! Which episode should I start with? Suggestions?
Today, we’re going fly fishing in Costa Rica with Tom Enderlin. We discover a few different species in the jungle including a fruit-eating fish called, machaca – cousin of the piranha but vegan. We break down the species to target for each season and we touch on some of the wild habitats such as jaguars, monkeys, and birds.
Tom tells us how they ensure maximum benefit to the local communities there, equipping them to become excellent guides. Find out why Costa Rica is described as “one of the happiest countries in the world” and why they don’t even need a military.
What is it like to fish tarpon in freshwater with monkey audiences cheering on you? Welcome to the jungle!
Click below and listen to the Podcast with Tom Enderlin:
(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)
Sponsors and Podcast Updates
Fly Fishing in Costa Rica Show Notes with Tom Enderlin
05:15 – Tom started out as an intern for a coffee company in Costa Rica and then got into tourism. Then he went to Europe and worked as a coffee trader. Then he joined a conservation group, Rainforest Alliance and worked with them for a number of years. Then back to Costa Rica with his Costa Rican wife and that’s when Fly Fishing Costa Rica was born.
07:30 – Tom describes Costa Rica as one of the happiest countries in the world. They don’t even have an army.
10:50 – Their main program at this time this year is the jungle tarpon reserve. It rains up until November then the rain slows down from December up until April.
12:30 – December to April is their dry season and that’s when they fish Machaca. These are related to piranha but eat fruit and flowers.
14:55 – Tom loves fishing Tepemechín (Mountain Mullet). They’re small but powerful.
16:30 – Marlin fishing in the Pacific Ocean is great from May until November
18:00 – There are 2 different types of Machaca in Costa Rica – one lives in the Caribbean and the other lives in the Pacific. In March and April, the wild cashew tree produces fruit that the Pacific Machaca feeds on. For the Caribbean machaca, they feed on Chilamate tree fruits.
20:00 – They have rainbow trout all year but the best time to fish them is the dry season
21:00 – The Costa Rica Grand Slam is a tarpon, trout, and billfish fishing
25:41 – Tom breaks down what a 1-week itinerary looks like
29:25 – They typically use a 3 wt or a tenkara for the small rainbows. For machaca, they use a 6 or 8 wt with a floating line. For roosters, they use 10 or 11 wt. For billfish, sailfish, and marlin, they fish up to 16 wt.
33:00 – Another draw to the area is the bird-watching hub where there lives a bird called, the resplendent kestrel
Photo courtesy of PeakPx.com
33:30 – There are lots of jaguars in the jungle. They’ve set up some camera traps to watch the jaguars and a lot of other biodiversity activities in the area.
36:00 – Costa Rica has 4 different monkey species and 3 of them they see every day – white-faced capuchin, howler monkey, spider monkey
44:15 – The jungle tarpon reserve is where they fish for tarpon. They work together with the national park office.
48:10 – There’s a specie called Guapote aka Wolf Cichlid or rainbow bass
51:30 – Tom uses bead head nymphs or hopper droppers
54:05 – Costa Rica is also an amazing destination for ecotourism – Tom breaks down the activities to do there
55:10 – Tom’s son got his first machaca all by himself – he now holds a small fry world record
58:45 – Tarpon fishing in the jungle river is from August until December and a small window in May
1:00:27 – Sport fishing is illegal in Ecuador
1:01:30 – Tom tells us how we can connect with the local community there. The guys from Indifly came over to Costa Rica to talk about a possible collaboration with Tom’s crew.
1:05:00 – Shoutout to Yeti for raising funds for the Bristol Bay project. Their coffee cups work great.
Andrew Grillos is here today to tell us how the Hippie Stomper came to be.
Andrew is known for a number of his commercially tied flies at Umpqua Feather Merchants but we also dig into some of his flies that didn’t make it to Umpqua but works awesome.. like the Pizza fly that he’s been feeding trout since 2005.
He also shares a powerful recovery story from a devastating stroke at the age of 37. He talks about how he finished a 100-mile ultramarathon in 32 hours, 2 months prior to his stroke.
What kept Andrew going and what is it like to be an inch close to death? Listen to his story to find out!
Click below and listen to the Podcast about the Hippie Stomper Fly with Andrew Grillos:
(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)
Sponsors and Podcast Updates
Photo by Jake Burleson
Show Notes with Andrew Grillos
04:55 – Andrew chose his undergraduate degree based around fishing and snowboarding in Gunnison Colorado. He studied at Western State College. He snowboarded 100 days a year and fished in between. Then he became a guide for High Mountain Drifters.
07:30 – He then guided in Alaska and Southern Chile
09:30 – We talk about how the Hippie Stomper came about
Photo courtesy of Umpqua Feather Merchants
12:50 – Around June 20th is one of the best times to fish the Gunnison River
18:30 – Andrew wanted to do more commercially produced flies than Brian Silvey and he eventually did. Brian had 15, Andrew did 22. Brian Silvey was on the podcast at WFS 148.
23:11 – Andrew shares what it’s like relearning his patterns after having a stroke in November 2020
27:10 – Andrew used to guide in the Olympic Peninsula, Skagit River
29:10 – Steelhead tip: Read the water – imagine what your fly is doing at the end of your line. Don’t mend it left and right, make your cast good, and fish your fly.
30:20 – A sparkly big fly is what Andrew prefers for steelhead
31:40 – Andrew went to New Zealand for 6 months with his wife. He got so obsessed with fishing there.
36:25 – One of his favorite flies to tie is a steelhead hairwing
44:10 – Andrew gives a shoutout to the healthcare providers that helped him recover. Their hard work is truly appreciated. Now Andrew can trail run and fish again.
What a story from Andrew.. that truly is awakening. That reminds us that things can happen even when you’re in your best shape. So it’s best to not take things for granted and appreciate all the little things we can do because sooner or later we won’t be able to do them as easily.
I’m happy that Andrew survived that big one.. and thankful for the people that helped him get back to the life that he enjoys.
I hope you get even better Andrew. Stroke can’t kill your passion! We are deeply inspired by your testimony and hope that as we remember your story, we change for the better.. the way we think, act, and speak.
Andrew Todd, founder of Running River’s Flyathlon, tells us how they combined trail running, fly fishing, and beer into one big outdoor party.
Andrew breaks down the mechanics of the game including how, where, and who can participate. Find out how they raised almost $500,000 for conservation projects through the event and how they built an awesome community in the flyathlon space.
We also hear about some of the challenges they deal with over the years in preparing these events and where they’re headed with that vision.
Click below and listen to the Podcast about Flyathlon with Andrew Todd:
(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)
Sponsors and Podcast Updates
Flyathlon Show Notes with Andrew Todd
08:30 – They created the motto, “run, fish, beer” that was derived from the traditional triathlon and named the game, Flyathlon. Andrew breaks down the game mechanics.
12:01 – They held afterparties in remote places in Colorado
15:50 – They have an event on July 22nd-24th which is their 8th Annual Middle Creek Flyathlon. The event is sold out but you can still join the party. Click here to see their list of events.
18:10 – Andrew explains the pitfalls they’ve encountered in their previous events
21:28 – Through the event, they raise money for native trout restoration projects like Trout Unlimited. They also incentivize the top fund raisers with products donated by sponsors like Yeti and Patagonia
24:55 – Over the course of 8 years, they have raised close to $500,000
27:15 – They’ve got something they call, “Fastest Known Fish” which is where a player goes out, runs to the lake, catches fish, and runs back – the player who has the fastest time doing that wins
28:28 – Derek Roedel is sponsoring their events this year. We talk about how the Reyr Gear telescoping fly rod is an ideal rod for these events because of its quick setup feature and mobility.
35:00 – Bryon Powell, one of their board members, completed the Troutman 6 times. They created Ultrout which is more difficult than Troutman because Troutman is too basic for guys like Bryon
38:45 – Andrew loves barrel-aged imperial stout beers
39:40 – Founders, out of Michigan, makes a beer called Backwoods Bastard – this is one of Andrew’s favorites
If you are into running, fly fishing, and you love beer, this might be the perfect race for you. I’m not much into running but since I love fly fishing and beer, I might try it if I get a chance. Should be fun.
I think Reyr Gear’s telescoping fly rod is great for events like this. I’m glad they found each other and are now working together.
Check out their website runningriver.org to find out how you can reserve a slot or volunteer for their cause.
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