#880 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/880 Presented By: San Juan Rodworks , On DeMark Lodge , Toyota Canada Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors There's a point in fly fishing where casting stops being the hard part, and decision-making takes over. In this episode, Dave Stewart is joined by Nick Elcheson from Scott Lake Lodge to break down sight fishing Northern Pike in shallow water, where patience, positioning, and timing matter more than power. Nick explains why fly fishing for pike ...
Feb 06, 2026•48 min•Season 12Ep. 880
#879 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/879 Presented by: FishHound Expeditions In this episode, I'm joined by Orion Good, a Fishhound Expeditions guide who's quietly dialing in what actually works when the salmon don't show and the bead bite disappears. We dig into nymphing in Alaska trout nymphing, why the Duracell fly keeps producing when nothing else does, and how Orion locates fish in constantly changing systems. If you've ever wondered how to stay effective in Alaska when conditions shift...
Feb 04, 2026•49 min•Season 12Ep. 879
#878b Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/878b Presented by: Mountain Waters Resort When people think about Newfoundland fly fishing, Atlantic salmon usually steal the spotlight. But tucked into the same rivers and lakes are some of the hardest-fighting brook trout you'll ever see, including sea-run fish pushing three to five pounds. In this episode, I sat down with Les Wentzell to walk through brook trout fishing. We dug into timing, locations, flies, wind tactics, and why a simple dead-drift c...
Feb 03, 2026•54 min•Season 12Ep. 878
878 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/878 Presented by: Smitty's Fly Box , Intrepid Camp Gear , Stonefly Nets , Togiak River Lodge Today, we're digging into how fly rods are really designed. Not the marketing side, but what really goes into the design, the testing, and why some rods last for decades while others fall apart. Zac Dalton from St. Croix Rods is on the podcast today, and he walks us through how fly rods are designed from the ground up. We talk about rod action and why faster is not...
Feb 02, 2026•1 hr•Season 12Ep. 878
#877 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/877 Presented By: San Juan Rodworks , FishHound Expeditions , Pescador on the Fly , TroutRoutes Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Fly fishing in Southern California looks nothing like a mountain river—and that's exactly why it works. In this episode, Frank Vargas breaks down how surf fly fishing actually functions, from reading tides and beach structure to understanding how species like perch, corbina, and leopard sharks use shallow water to feed...
Jan 30, 2026•1 hr 11 min•Season 12Ep. 877
#876 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/876 Presented by: AVC Rig Most adventure rigs look great online. Fewer are built for real miles, real weather, and those long fishing days that end well after dark. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Dunkerly to talk about building camper vans that actually work for anglers. Matt runs Adventure Vehicle Concepts, and his approach is refreshingly practical. This isn't about Instagram builds or overcomplicating things. It's about access, simplicity, and d...
Jan 28, 2026•59 min•Season 12Ep. 876
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/875B Presented by: wetflyswing.com/sponsors Streamer season is officially here in the Ozarks, and this one is all about slowing things down and fishing with intention. January kicks off the most aggressive window of the year, especially for big browns and smallmouth, and today Chad Johnson is digging deep into how they approach it. He walks us through why post-spawn is such a key window for them, how aggression bites drive streamer eats, and why presentation m...
Jan 27, 2026•40 min•Season 12Ep. 875
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/875 Sponsors: Togiak River Lodge and On DeMark Lodge Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Fly fishing doesn't fall apart because it's too hard. It falls apart because there's too much going on at once. Too many rods, too many flies, too many opinions, and not enough clarity about what actually matters on day one. In this episode, I sat down with Phil Monahan to strip fly fishing back to its essentials. Phil's spent decades teaching, writing, guiding, and a...
Jan 26, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 12Ep. 875
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/874 Sponsors: Intrepid Camp Gear , Grand Teton Fly Fishing , and Montana Fly Fishing Lodge Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Most fly fishing gear is built for comfort. Some of it is built for performance. But very little of it is built with the assumption that conditions can turn from "kinda crappy" to "this could go bad" in a hurry. That's where Grundéns comes in. In this episode, I sat down with Justin Waters, who's right in the middle of translating...
Jan 23, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 12Ep. 874
873 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/873 Presented by: Grand Teton Fly Fishing This episode breaks entomology down into something you can actually use. Sawyer Finley, guide at Grand Teton Fly Fishing, explains how insects live, move, and emerge—and how trout respond to that reality, not just to textbook hatches. The focus is on observation, timing, and availability, not memorization. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/873...
Jan 22, 2026•59 min•Season 12Ep. 873
#872 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/872 Presented by: Moccasin Fly Club In this episode, I sat down with Nicolas Rivero to dig into fly fishing Patagonia. We covered the two-basin setup in Patagonia, the famous Limay River, giant brook trout in mountain lakes, and what a full April trip with Moccasin Fly Club looks like on the water. If you're curious about swinging flies for migratory trout, fishing both lakes and rivers in one week, or planning your first Patagonia trip, this one's packed...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 9 min•Season 12Ep. 872
#871 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/871 Presented By: Montana Fly Fishing Lodge Big Montana rivers can feel overwhelming, even for experienced anglers. In this episode, Alex from Montana Fly Fishing Lodge breaks down how he approaches iconic waters like the Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Stillwater Rivers—and why many anglers struggle to find consistency on large freestone systems. It's a practical conversation focused on simplifying decisions, reading water effectively, and understanding what r...
Jan 20, 2026•58 min•Season 12Ep. 871
870 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/870 Presented by: Jackson Hole Fly Company , Fish The Fly , AVC Rig , Drifthook Fly Fishing Somewhere deep in the Ozarks, Missouri splits in two. One side is farmland and highways. The other is the Eleven Point River, where everything goes quiet. No houses. No roads. Just cold, spring-fed water sliding through Mark Twain National Forest and miles of wild trout water where you can float for hours without seeing anyone. In this episode, we dig into fly fishi...
Jan 16, 2026•57 min•Season 12Ep. 870
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/869 Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Blooming olives were popping. Trout were rising everywhere. And Eric Johnson was sitting in a drift boat on the Missouri River, staring at one of those dry fly days you don't forget. What makes this episode different is that Eric isn't a guide, brand rep, or longtime lodge regular. He's the actual winner of our On DeMark Dry Fly Giveaway, and this conversation is a full behind-the-scenes look at what happens when so...
Jan 15, 2026•48 min•Season 12Ep. 865
#868 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/868 Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Fly tying doesn't start at the vise. It starts standing midstream, watching bugs drift past your boots and paying attention to what trout actually eat. That idea runs through everything in this conversation. In this episode, I sit down with Davie McPhail, one of the most influential fly tyers of our time. Davie grew up fishing Scottish rivers and lochs, learning fly tying the hard way. By watching insects, ex...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 15 min•Season 12Ep. 868
#867 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/867 Presented By: Yellowstone Teton Territory - Visit Idaho This Traveled episode connects with conversations sparked by the East Idaho Fly Tying Expo, where anglers gather to share patterns, techniques, and ideas that shape how we fish. Scott Sanchez joins us to break down one of the most important — and often misunderstood — feeding windows in fly fishing: the emerger stage. We dig into how trout feed in the surface film, how to read rise forms correctl...
Jan 12, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 12Ep. 867
863 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/866 Presented by: Togiak River Lodge Today's story bridges two very different worlds: the tight banks and icy tributaries of the Great Lakes, and the raw, tidal power of Western Alaska. Bailey Adamavich learned to fish where forty-foot casts matter and low water forces precision, then carried that foundation straight into blown-out rivers, chrome-bright kings, and some of the most intense Chinook grabs you can imagine. Bailey was our guide on the Togiak Ri...
Jan 09, 2026•57 min•Season 12Ep. 866
#865b Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/865b Presented by: Fish The Fly Jason Balogh is back from Fish the Fly Guide Service to recap his season around Jackson Hole and break down how he introduces new anglers to fly fishing. We cover beginner-friendly gear, dry dropper setups, casting basics, and how to read water on big Western rivers like the Snake. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/865b...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 865
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/865 Sponsors: Togiak River Lodge , Smitty's Fly Box , and Jackson Hole Fly Company. Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Last month on the Madison, I watched a perfect example of why Trout Spey exists. Wind ripping. Skinny water. A high bank behind us. Indicator rigs are getting ripped out of the drift the second they touch down. One angler finally stepped out of the rut, grabbed an 11-foot two-hander, and swung flies through water that had shut everyone e...
Jan 07, 2026•1 hr 6 min•Season 12Ep. 865
#864 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/864 Presented By: Drifthook Fly Fishing , San Juan Rodworks , On DeMark Lodge , Montana Fly Fishing Lodge Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Stillwater trout don't always eat because they're hungry — and that's where many anglers get stuck. In this solo episode of the Littoral Zone Podcast, Phil Rowley breaks down the power of attraction and explains why trout often strike flies for reasons that have nothing to do with feeding. When matching the h...
Jan 05, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Season 12Ep. 864
863 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/863 Presented by: Yellowstone Teton Territory - Visit Idaho If you're trying to figure out where you can find giant stoneflies in July, chase technical midge eaters in March, and explore private spring creeks, all while staying in a five-star lodge that's not priced like Jackson Hole, this episode shows you exactly where that place exists. Today we're heading into Swan Valley, right in the heart of one of the most epic fishing zones in the West, with John ...
Jan 02, 2026•58 min•Season 12Ep. 863
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/862 Sponsors: TroutRoutes , Fish The Fly , and Smitty's Fly Box. Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors There's a certain kind of fly fishing knowledge you don't get from a quick scroll or a gear review. You get it from someone who's been there when the "new" stuff was being invented, watched it cycle back around, and saved the paper trail along the way. That's what this conversation with Jim Adams felt like: a walk through the hidden world of fly-fishing co...
Dec 31, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 12Ep. 862
#861 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/861 Presented By: Togiak River Lodge Grant Wooldridge carries one of the most influential river-boating legacies in the West. As the great-grandson of Glen Wooldridge, who grew up on the Rogue River and helped pioneer early river boat innovation, Grant brings a family perspective shaped by generations of river travel and experimentation. While Grant was raised in Washington, the Rogue River stories and lessons passed down through his family remain central...
Dec 29, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Season 12Ep. 861
860 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/860 Presented by: Intrepid Camp Gear , Togiak River Lodge , Jackson Hole Fly Company , Patagonia Today, I sat down with Marcus Bohlin of Nam Products to talk through the things Scandinavian anglers think about differently. Rod length. True line weight. Leader diameter. Presentation. We get into why a 14-foot 7-weight can actually feel easier to fish on rivers like the Deschutes, how Baltic salmon behave compared to Atlantic salmon and steelhead, and why Sw...
Dec 26, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 12Ep. 860
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/859 Presented By: Mountain Waters Resort , San Juan Rodworks , Montana Fly Fishing Lodge Tellis Katsogiannos has spent decades at the highest level of fly casting, earning world champion titles while helping shape how modern anglers think about efficiency, control, and simplicity. In this episode, Tellis shares how competitive casting sharpened his understanding of techniques, and how those lessons translate directly to real fishing situations. We also head to...
Dec 24, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 12Ep. 859
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/858 Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Fly fishing has a way of pulling you back when you need it most. And for Mike O'Brien, those quiet hours on the water turned into a full-on career shift, from financial services to guiding full-time in Utah. In this episode, we dig into what makes Utah such a sleeper fly fishing destination, why the Provo River is a legit year-round option, and the small tweaks that can turn a slow day into a "how is this even legal...
Dec 23, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 12Ep. 858
#858 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/858 Presented by: Patagonia , Four Wheel Campers , Togiak River Lodge , Drifthook Fly Fishing Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Josiah shares how subsistence fishing, military service, and conservation work brought him back home to build Bucks and Bones — a guiding program grounded in Hawaiian tradition, ecological responsibility, and world-class sight-fishing for big Hawaiian bonefish. Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/858...
Dec 22, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 12Ep. 858
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/857 Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Most anglers think they know Montana trout fishing until they stumble into the rivers nobody's talking about. No shuttle lines. No shoulder-to-shoulder boats. No mid-summer hoot owl closures shutting things down. Just cold water spilling off nearly 13,000-foot peaks and trout that still behave like trout. That's exactly what we're digging into on this episode of the Wet Fly Swing Podcast. I sat down with Lincoln Pow...
Dec 19, 2025•57 min•Season 12Ep. 857
856 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/856B Presented by: Pescador on the Fly A fly rod that disappears in your pack but still fishes like your everyday rod sounds like a stretch. In this episode, we dig into why that idea actually works and why more anglers are turning to six-piece rods for travel, backup, and even daily use. Jeff Ditsworth, founder of Pescador on the Fly, joins the show to break down how he rebuilt his rod lineup from the ground up. We talk about better blanks, tighter tolera...
Dec 18, 2025•53 min•Season 12Ep. 856
#856 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/856 Presented By: FishHound Expeditions , Togiak River Lodge , Pescador on the Fly Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Steve Woit has spent years hunting down the stories behind fly-fishing's most influential figures — including Mary Orvis Marbury, whose Victorian-era writing documented flies and tiers before the modern industry existed. In this episode, Steve walks us through the research discipline behind Fly Fishing Treasures, his deep dive into...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 12Ep. 856
