Fly Guides Podcast

This week, Scott talked to Emily Keener and Sophia Smith from Taos Women Fly Fishing. They are an organization in New Mexico who are helping introduce women to the amazing sport of Fly Fishing. This is a great conversation about why their work is so important, and how the growth of this sport, in a demographic that has traditionally been excluded, is so positive and helpful. Have a listen and give them a follow on Instagram! @taoswomenflyfish

Cotter, Arkansas guide, Brennon Garret, takes us on a journey down the world-famous White River. We had a wide-ranging discussion about how unique the Ozarks are and why the White River has gained the notoriety it has. Brennon is a fantastic conversationalist, and is currently working on expanding his guide services into Texas and fishing for Reds - we hope you enjoyed this one as much as we did. www.wanderingflyoutfitters.com@papacatfish (Instagram)

Of course we love to talk Fly Fishing and guiding on the podcast, but when a guest comes along who discusses how meaningful the sport is to him, it's time to take a pause an have a listen. Chris Hanson suffered from Transient Global Amnesia, and our discussion is a powerful one about how fly fishing brought him back. It's a stunning discussion and his story is powerful. We also venture into his bourbon enterprise. This is an incredible story and we were fortunate to have the chance to help tell it with Chris. Hope you enjoy! butterybrownspirits.comhttps://youtu.be/5DPeZm4IwHM?si=hgfHtg9SbGaJqARO

Some of these episodes are too hard to believe! This week we speak with Matt Thornton of The Wilderness Calling, who is RF tracking salmon and Steelhead in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to find out where it is these incredible species migrate too. It's a wide ranging conversation about Matt's background in music and flyfishing and how guiding

On this week's episode, we talk with New Mexico guide, Aaron Bjuarros, about his guiding life in Taos. We talk art, fly fishing, and the beauty of the New Mexican landscape. We had a great discussion, and as always, it made Scott and me want to pack up the truck and head down to the land of enchantment. We hope you love this one as much as we did! www.ziafly.com

Today we speak with Michael Stack, owner and guide for Fishtales Outfitting. Michael lives in Sheridan, Montana in the heart of flyfishing in the west. In this episode we talk about his journey to guiding and creating Fishtales Outfitters. We talk about the Big Hole, the Jefferson and the Beaverhead among just a few. Michael has an incredible story, and how he pivoted from injury to outfitter is really special. Have a listen and we hope you ejoy this episode as much as we did! If you want to know more about Fishtales check out their website:https://mtfishtales.com

We are back in the Smoky Mountains again this week with Maggie Valley Fly Fishing's head guide, Taylory Farfour. We talk about her love of the region, the amazing fishing, and what it is like to be a guide as a woman in what is often a man's world. We loved this conversation! Taylor was fun and thoughtful and would be a blast to fish with. We hope you enjoy today's episode!

Today, we talk about the good that fly fishing can accomplish for the world! We talk with Heather Harkavy of Fish For Change; An organization that exists to "empower young people to become global citizens through experiential learning. Our one-week international fly fishing camps for high school and college-aged students blend cultural exchange and environmental stewardship. Our goal is to use fishing as a platform to build empathetic, curious, passionate, and confident young adults. 40% of our students join us on financial need-based scholarships thanks to our donor community. We also partner with local communities, inviting at least one local student each week to join as a guide apprentice - creating authentic connections, mentorship, and friendships that span cultures." It is an awesome conversation about how a sport we all love so much is helping change the youth of the world. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. https://www.fishforchange.org 

We take a midseason saltwater journey to the Baja with John Ashley from Palapas Ventana. We talk about the amazing Sea of Cortez and the aquarium of the Pacific. John's journey from school teacher to fly fishing guide is also a highlight of this episode. If you want to learn more about John and Palapas Ventana, take a look at the link below! We found John's description of Baja as a California from fifty years ago incredibly compelling. If there were ever an episode that made you want to pack up what you're doing and become a guide, this is the one. https://www.palapasventana.com

Today, we talk with Rob Aitken about the North Carolina mountains and his journey to guiding! We also touch on the Maggie Valley Fly Fishing festival that happens over Memorial Day weekend. This is a great conversation about what fly fishing means to a community and how a young person discovers their passion for the sport. We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did! Here are a few links if you want to check out the event or go fishing with any of their amazing team of guides! https://www.maggievalleyflyshop.com

On today's episode we talk to Trent Storer - Owner & Head Guide of Back of Beyond Fly Fishing. Trent has grown up fishing the King River on their family farm in Whitfield and with a love for fishing and the Victorian High Country has gone on to explore all of the rivers the Whitfield and Mansfield area has to offer. We discuss the trout fishing of southern Austrialia as well as Trent's pursuit of Murray Cod - a freshwater species that is agressive and powerful. You are going to love this episode! https://[email protected]

Luke Annear from Freshwater Flats joins us on the program today to talk about flats fishing for carp in Wisconsin. This is an incredible conversation with a fisherman and scientist who loves catching these freshwater fish that replicate a saltwater experience. Luke has been stalking these fish for years and brings his experience and knowledge to the program. We hope you enjoy this wild and interesting converation about a unique niche in fly fishing. https://www.freshwaterflats.com/guidinghttps://www.instagram.com/freshwaterflats

In today's episode, we speak with young guide Sydney Luiz. She is a young woman who guides with Unicoi Outfitters in the North Georgia Mountains. I found this area on a trip last fall, and stood amazed at the river that bordered our Bavarian Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia. I had to find out how the fishing was, and so I found Sydney Luiz via Instagram. We had a great conversation about being a young guide, her calling to fly fishing, and what it's like to be a woman in a sport mostly dominated by men. If you want to fish with this great young lady, make a request at: https://www.unicoioutfitters.com@sydluiz (Instagram)

Dave Davis specializes in teaching vacationers how to fly fish the Carolina waters. He works the sound by stalking and wading for Redfish and other ocean species. We had another great conversation about a unique niche in the fly fishing space. We loved his idea of allowing dads on vacation to get a few hours of escape to do something they love and still be with their friends and family. Learn more about Dave and his program at his website:https://ogflyfishobx.com/

After a quick trip into Greenville, my curiosity about the waters and landscape went into overdrive. One night, doomscrolling at the hotel, I ran across John's profile and knew we had to get him on the show. This is a great discussion about the Smoky Mountains and the wide array of rivers within, as John says, a good "cup of coffee." The South continues to grow on me as a place of intrigue for fly fishing, so we wanted to spend some time finding out just what it is that makes this place so special to so many anglers. https://www.haresearflyfishing.com/

Kara is back for Season 3! This time we talk Argentina, Chile, Montana, the troubles of a terrible snow pack in the west, and a host of other fun topics. As always, Kara is a robust conversationalist and one of our favorites to talk to. She was also just nominated as one of the top 20 guides in the nation by USA Today. You can vote for her to win the contest.https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/best-fly-fishing-guide/Enjoy the show!

Despite my absolute fumbling of the intro, our conversation with Jeff Lattig of Living Water Guides from Montana was another fantastic one. This time, we talk about the Missouri River outside of Helena, Montana, and the largest river of the Great Plains. We had a great time visiting with Jeff about his journey from the East Coast to Big Sky Country. His love of the Mo is really apparent. We hope you love this conversation as much as we did. If you ever want to fish with Jeff in the Land of the Giants, check out his website below:livingwaterguide.com

Today, we talk with François Bietry from France, who was just finishing up his season in Patagonia. This was a special conversation with someone who adores the sport of Fly Fishing and has made a life centered around it. François had just come off the water and hadn't even had time to take his waders off before we jumped into the conversation. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! https://linktr.ee/francois_fly_fishing

In today's episode, we speak with Ben Pike of Northern Newfoundland about his guiding business and the waters of this remote Canadian province. Ben is a wonderful person to visit with, and we had the chance to learn about local shore lunches of Moose Meat and berries, and his hospitality. Ben loves his home waters and is an incredible advocate for the fishery. 1.709.638.4457@newfoundland_river_zombie on Instagram

We kick off Season 3 with Trent Jones from Glenwood Springs Outdoors. He is also the director of Fly Life Media on Instagram and Facebook. We had a great conversation about his journey to the Western Slope of Colorado and fishing the Roaring Fork, Colorado, and other great waters on that side of the hills. Season 3 is off to a great start! Please review and share with friends! https://www.glenwoodspringsoutdoors.comhttps://www.flylifeproductions.com

As we prepare for season 3 of the show, we wanted to bring a special episode to you with our friend Ryan Johnston from Cast Hope. He has written a great new book called "Reel Salty," and the stories and conversations in this one were too good to save until the start of the season. Hope you enjoy it, and we will see you starting in March for season 3 of the Fly Guides Podcast! If you are interested in Ryan's book, here's a quick link. https://www.rjsflytrips.com/reel-salty-book/

Another amazing episode - this time with Reid Parker, who is with Current Culture Fly in Richmond, VA. We talk about the amazing species that he is targeting, including Striped Bass, Long Nose Gar, and the Bowfin. Another amazing conversation! https://currentculturefly.com

In todays episode we speak with Omar Gade of Denmark Fishing Lodge about fly fishing in Denmark. It is an amazing episode where we talk about this incredibly unique fishery where you can catch sea run trout on a dry fly in the ocean. You won't want to miss this one! https://denmarkfishinglodge.com

We have quite a show for you this morning! We speak with Simon from Afloat Adventure in Colombia about the amazing opportunities that await in the jungles and oceans of an overlooked country. You won't want to miss his tales of fly fishing for peacock bass, vampire fish, and Tuna. It's a great episode, so have a listen!

This week, we speak with George Souhlaris, a guide for Bristol Bay Lodge in Alaska. This wide-ranging conversation is truly a walk through memory lane and a life of fishing and adventure. Enjoy the show.

Today's episode is amazing! Conway Bowman is a guide in San Diego who has made a career out of pursuing Mako Sharks in the Pacific Ocean off the shore of California. This is a fascinating conversation about pioneering the pursuit of a game fish in the sport of fly fishing. Enjoy the show!

Jack Mister is a guide on the Kenai River in Alaska. While the waters have changed over the years Jack describes the absolute beauty and prolific fishery that this wild water in Alaska is. Jack has a great sense of humor and would be a blast on the water to fish with. You can hear how the years of Alaska living have made him into a seasoned veteran on one of the most iconic rivers of all time. Enjoy the show!

What do fly fishing and world-class cooking have in common? Meet Joshua Schwartz. A former member of the French Laundry team and a fishing guide who learned how to combine both his love of fly fishing and cooking together. A fabulous conversation that covers why so many of us love this sport and see the connected artistry between life events and the water. Enjoy the episode!

Another amazing episode for you today. Hunter Derrick is someone we were connected with through Ryan Johnston at Cast Hope. Hunter is a guide on the upper Maddison at the Slide Inn with Kelly Galloup. This is an amazing story of transformation from a troubled high schooler to a world-class fly fishing guide. This was an incredibly touching story of how someone doing good for others can change the trajectory of a person's life. You will love listening to Hunter and finding out how life on the waters gave him hope and a career. www.slideinn.comfollow Hunter on Instagram @hdflyfishing

You won't want to miss this one! We talk about fly fishing in Iceland with Sindri Hlíðar Jónsson, the owner and operator of www.fishpartner.com He talks about the amazing world of Icelandic fishing and the different species and terrain they are fishing in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Follow Sindri at any of the following! https://www.instagram.com/fishpartner/https://www.instagram.com/sindrihlidar/https://www.facebook.com/fishpartnericeland

Today, we are thrilled to have Brita Fordice on the show. She is a guide from Washington State who, through her love for tying flys, has become a product development designer and fly-tying creator for Rio products. Our conversation ranges from fishing for sea run bull trout to how learning to tie flys at the age of 10 with crow feathers and dog fur dubbing led her to a life of fly fishing and a chance to influence the sport she loves. Enjoy the conversation!

Today, we have one of our first conversations with a saltwater guide. James "Docky" Smith is a flats guide in the Bahamas. He has 30 years of guiding under his belt and has a passion and love for Long Island, Bahamas that is infectious. We hope you enjoy the show!

This morning, we speak with Evan Keene of Hatch Finders Outfitters from Livingston, Montana. Evan guides on the Yellowstone River and the waters of the Paradise Valley in Montana. Evan recently acquired Hatch Finders with his business partner and they are building a business doing something they love. Enjoy the show!

We have Isaiah Smith back on the show to talk about the upcoming season on the Colorado, his pursuit of his captain's license in New Orleans, and how the river has been fishing since we last spoke. Enjoy the episode!

We speak with Tom Ream from Thermopolis, Wyoming, today about a lesser-known section of the Bighorn River. Tom is a fly shop owner and family man who decided to give up the oil field life for one on the river. Enjoy the show!

In this week's episode, we talk to Todd Lansing from Adventure Sun Valley about his time on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. He describes his work on the river and their incredible offering of pampered camping. It seems like an amazing spot in the largest wilderness area in America. Todd has a great spirit about him and has a real passion for the river he guides. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, we speak with Ryan Johnston, the founder of Cast Hope - an amazing organization that helps underprivileged youth fall in love with fly fishing. Ryan is a fantastic guide with more than twenty years of experience, but his true passion in life now is building this amazing opportunity for people to connect with this beautiful sport. Listen in and we hope you enjoy the show!

Welcome to our first Video podcast! Today we talk to Chris Freeman of Emergerflyfishing.com . We met Chris at the Fly Fishing Show in Denver and immediately fell in love with his handmade fly fishing packs. We discuss our love for common waters in our hometown of Fort Collins, CO, and how he started making his amazing shoulder bags. Tune in and enjoy seeing our silly faces for the first time!

This week, we talk with John Lagow, a guide on the upper Mississippi in Minnesota. John also guides on the Arkansas in Colorado. John loves his home water, and you can hear how passionate he is about the fishery of America's most famous river. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did! This episode is sponsored by Fishrubbers. America's original fly dryer. www.fishrubbers.com

Today we speak with Noah Norwood a Guide out of the West Yellowstone area. Noah is a young man with an incredible love of the sport of fly fishing and has spent the last several years living in a trailer in the town of West Yellowstone getting to know the rivers in the park, as well as those outside of it. He guides for Madisonriveroutfitters.com Enjoy the Show!

We speak with John Sindland, a guide from Fort Smith and the Board Chair of the Bighorn River Alliance. He is a wealth of knowledge about fly fishing but also a passionate advocate for the work that the Alliance is doing. John is one of our favorite guides to fish with and a good friend. Enjoy the show!

One of our favorites from last year is back, and she had quite a 2024. We discuss Kara's adventures all over the Americas last year - from fishing for huge trout in an Argentinan lake to hunting for Stag and fishing for peacock bass in Brazil - it was quite a year for one of the most fun guides you'll ever have the chance to hear from!

In the opening episode of season 2, we talk with Hale Harris, co-owner and guide from the Bighorn Trout Shop. We talk about how his long adventure in Montana has created an amazing life in Fort Smith as the operator of one of the river's great fly shops. Season 2 is off to a great start!

Elliot Milner from Sawtooth Adventure Company joins us this week on the Fly Guides Podcast. Elliot is a young man who has decided to embrace the life of a fly guide at an early age. His story is inspiring and something many of us wished we would have taken a shot at. He's an up and coming guide on a beautiful river in Idaho. Take a listen and enjoy the conversation. Follow him on Instagram at @idaho.on.the.fly

Welcome to another episode of the Fly Guides podcast. In this episode we talk with Matt Martin of Ontario, Canada about his guiding experience north of the American border. Matt is a great guide who fishes the Lake Huron basins of water for Small Mouth Bass, Pike, and Lake Run Steelhead. Matt moved from part time to full time guide during the pandemic and now runs and operates his own guide service. Find him at www.smoothriver.ca or on Guidebook.io

This week we talk with Matt Koles from Truckee, California about his guiding on one of California's wild and beautiful rivers, The Truckee. We discuss his long career helping people find fish in this freestone water and how fishing in California is not for the faint of heart! Another great conversation about a beautiful river filled with larger than expected fish, adventure and the Northern California vibe one might expect on such a unique water.

We talk with https://www.lostsierraflyguide.com guide Matt Mccourtney about his adventures on the Middle Fork of the Feather River and the North Yuba river in California. It is a great conversation about a guid doing really unique things in the High Sierra mountains. Jump in and listen - I'm sure you will want to come join in on an adventure with Matt!

This week we talk to a young guide out of Utah who has built his own incredible guiding business. Logan Kellenberger of utahtroutfitters.com is a young guide making a living doing the sport he loves. He fishes the Provo, Weber and other amazing spots in Utah. Take a listen and hear about the upcoming generation in the sport of Fly Fishing.

Bryant Dunn is one of the more unique stories we have had the chance to talk about. He guides for incredible species in the Kingdom of Bhutan, Christmas Island and in Idaho. We talked for longer than normal because there was just so much to cover. Take a listen and look at what he has been doing to bring the sport of fly fishing to one of the remote corners of the globe. Himalayanflyfishing.com

We speak this week with Derick Roskelley from 801flyfishing.com about his passion for his home water, the lower Weber river. Derick loves fishing streamers and targeting big brown trout in this less than famous river in Utah and he's also a middles school teacher. His passion for the river he loves comes out in his discussions as well as in the story of how he got into guiding. You can hear his love for teaching and fly fishing and how he's married two things he loves into a lifestyle and career. Thanks as always for listening and enjoy this show about the passions of fly fishing and teaching and your hometown water.