Rick Kustich is here to dig back into Steelhead fishing tips and the Great Lakes. We find out how he came to write his first book on the Great Lakes – how his “Advanced” book came to be and which word he’d remove from the title if he could change it today. We talk about some of his previous books, plus the new book he’s working on focused on Spey casting.

Rick also shares his influences in fly fishing, his go-to fly, the story behind closing his old fly shop, Oak Orchard, and his ideas for the upcoming years. Discover Rick’s top 10 tips in understanding the water, the fly, and the fish!

Click below and listen to the Fishing Tips Podcast with Rick Kustich:

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(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)

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Fishing Tips Show Notes with Rick Kustich

03:00 – We covered Great Lakes fishing most recently with Jeff Liskay at WFS 255

04:36 – Rick learned a lot from Joe Brooks trout fishing books

08:06 – Ward Tonsfeldt was on the podcast at WFS 276 – we talked about bamboo fly rods

08:31 – Rick’s brother Jerry, worked for Winston rods in Montana and began his own bamboo rod business called Sweetgrass

09:34 – Rick’s book, Advanced Fly Fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead sparked a lot of debates and confusions about its title, specifically the word “Advanced”

10:14 – In 1999, Rick and Jerry wrote the book called Fly Fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead in which they saw the “Advanced” book as a step past that

12:17 – The difference between Great Lakes and the West coast as Rick describes

14:07 – Fly Fishing the Great Lakes Tributaries – Rick’s first book published in 1992

15:27 – Rick was inspired by Trey Combs books and Lani Waller videos

23:55 – The Cattaraugus river is one of the main rivers Rick fish

33:18 – Marty Sheppard was on the podcast at WFS 076

34:33 – Rick is working on a new book for Spey casting and modern Spey fishing

38:58 – Rick used to own a fly shop called Oak Orchard

47:32 – Ed Jaworoski was on the podcast at WFS 233

50:30 – Rick’s most recent book is about Musky fishing – published in 2017

1:15:48 – The Marabou Tube is Rick’s go-to fly

1:15:50 – The Bunny Fly

1:21:19 – In terms of two-handed fishing, Rick learned a lot from Simon Gawesworth’s Spey casting book

1:22:24 – The Salmon River is one of the busiest rivers in the country

1:24:49 – Rick plans to publish YouTube videos in the next couple of years

1:25:38 – Uncle Cheech was on the podcast at WFS 263

You can find Rick on Instagram @rickkustich and his website RickKustich.com

Top 10 Steelhead Fishing Tips by Rick Kustich

1. Have some understanding of the water you’re fishing.
2. Understand what your fly is doing – be the fly.
3. Make sure that you’re making a cast that straightens out.
4. Make repeatable cast that you’re comfortable with – get that fly, fishing right away.
5. Understand how the fly presents itself – make sure the fly is swimming perpendicular to the current or swinging across the current.
6. Make sure that the speed and the depth is where you want to be – in the situation you’re trying to address.
7. Control the speed of the fly that is accessible to the fish.
8. Understand the depth – control your sink tip, angle of the fly, and the weight of the fly.
9. When water is colder, fish down in the water column but not too deep.
10. Understand the various conditions that impact the fish – the water temperature, water flow, water clarity.

Steelhead Fishing Tips Videos Noted in the Show

Related Podcast Episodes

WFS 255 – Jeff Liskay on Switch Rods for Great Lakes Steelhead

WFS 233 – Perfecting Your Fly Cast with Ed Jaworowski – 3 Principles for Any Fly Casting Situation

Fishing Tips Conclusion with Rick Kustich

Rick and I talked about Steelhead fishing tips and the Great Lakes. We found out how he came to write his first book on the Great Lakes – how his “Advanced” book came to be and which word he’d remove from the title if he could change it. We talked about some of his previous books, plus the new Spey casting book he’s working on.

Rick also shared his influences in fly fishing, his go-to fly, the story behind closing his old fly shop, and his ideas for the upcoming years.