Dangerous Fly Fishing

Episode 88 - How to Build a Musky Leader. As we prepare for the Beast of the East, we discuss our preparations for the tourney and how to build musky leaders. Discuss materials and tools.  Cooper and Ross show off their flies.

Episode 87 - Ross bought a boat.  Ross bought a new jet boat just in time for the Beast.  We discuss Beast preparations. Mourn the loss of Musky Fool. Try an assortment of energy drinks.

Episode 86 - Largemouth Bass. The entire episode isn't about Penndot, we promise. If you want to skip that jump ahead about fifteen minutes.  We discuss largemouth bass, gear, tactics, and flies for the largest sunfish.

Episode 85 - We catch up on Cooper's vacation. Tell some fishing stories. Cover the best fish to learn how to fly fish.

Episode 84 - Smallmouth Bass.  It's getting a little warm to chase trout and musky so it's time to chase the warm water species.  We provide an introduction to fly fishing for smallmouth bass.  We cover their habits, necessary equipment, and provide fly recommendations.  We also catch up on life since it's been a couple weeks. Apologies for that.

Episode 83 - All Fins In 2026. Apologies for the gap in episodes. Sean makes a guest appearance and shares his stories fishing at camp, alone.  Matt fishes with Matt Dixon in the All Fins In 2026.  Team Musky finishes middle of the pack.  We may have ceded victory though when we pursued the fish of 10,000 casts for over the half the tournament hours.  Matt (not Matt Dixon) didn't really carry his weight. Highly recommend the tournament!  Provide reviews of new gear, Simms wading socks and the Turtlebox Ranger.

Episode 82 - Isonychia/Brown Drake. We discuss the Isonychia and Brown Drake hatches.  We catch up as we missed a week due to a scheduling faux pas.  Discuss recent fishing adventures. Jim finally tries his new musky rod. Look ahead to the Musky Marathon this weekend.

Episode 81 - World Series of Pennsylvania Fly Fishing. We discuss the upcoming Green Drake and Little Yellow Stonefly hatches. We discussed some upcoming tournaments.  Got lost a little bit in the weeds with nightmare fuel from the water.

Episode 80 - The Naked Fisherman. We discuss Sulfurs and the Light Cahill.  One of the cool things about growing older is your parents become more comfortable sharing things with you, for better or worse.  As the saying goes, "Parents are people too".  My father's story is etched in my brain forever. It's pretty hilarious.

Episode 79 - Early Musky Season. We discuss musky spawning and the upcoming post-spawn season. We cover fly selection, how to fish, and where to find them.

Episode 78 - Eastern Gray Drake/March Brown. We discuss the upcoming hatches.  Under Ross's tutelage, his nephew catches his first trout on the fly.  Cooper and Ross find limited success in local waters.  Matt performs truck repairs as he remains on the disabled list.  Provide review to a listener on their fly tying.

Episode 77 - Black Quill/Hendrickson. Not many adventures to report as Hobbles and Wobbles earned their nicknames. Ross had some success on Friday.  Met the manager of Precision Fly and Tackle for State College at Fisherman's Paradise. Weather ruined the remainder of the weekend.

Episode 76 - Opening weekend of PA trout. Not ideal conditions but we persevere. Todd shows Cooper and Matt up.  We discuss the next hatches coming up.

Episode 75 - Fare thee well Archer - Quill Gordon/BWO.  We mourn the loss of a fishing buddy and best friend.  We get down and dirty regarding the first two major hatches of the trout season. Get distracted with fishing stories.

Episode 74 - Eastern Fly Hatches. We discuss the timeline of hatches for the upcoming trout season and highlight important flies.  Try some new adult drinks and dissect Cooper's shiny new reel.

Special Episode 1 - Jim Crawford and Sean are in town for the TU banquet.  We get some back history from Jim and hear some solid fishing stories.

Episode 73 - About Fly Rods. We give you a breakdown of fly rods to help you pick the perfect rod for you.  Offer some recommendations for the game you are chasing. Some technical difficulties almost burn the studio down.

Episode 72: Casting Tips.  We all need to work on casting whether we are tossing size 14 nymphs or half a deer and a full chicken.  We provide casting tips to aid you in being a better caster so you can get the fly where you need/want. At a minimum, we help you figure out what you are doing wrong.

Episode 71 - Kentucky River Musky Classic 2026. We discuss the Kentucky River Classic. Expensive weekend due to lost flies. Good time as always though. Cooper got a new rod and is excited to try it out.

Episode 70 - Common Beginner Mistakes.  In preparation of trout season and as most begin their fly fishing journey trout fishing, we discuss the most common beginner mistakes in fly fishing.  To be fair, even we still make some of these mistakes.

Episode 69 - Building Fly Rods. Special guest in studio. Discussed Ross's experiences and techniques building a fly rod.  May be a new winter hobby.

Episode 68 - Since there is not much fishing to be done in the current frozen tundra, reading seems a good way to advance your knowledge of the sport and become a better fisherman.  We discuss some of our favorite fly fishing books.  A lot of these books directly made us better fly fishermen.  Ross and I also tell the tale of the ghost lady deep in the woods of Pennsylvania on a fishing adventure.

Episode 67 - Favorite Trout Flies.  We discuss our favorite trout flies for the upcoming trout season as it's time to order or tie. Solid list for those getting in. Stories are included for those flies. We get slightly distracted by the recent "snowmageddon" or "snowpocalypse". We also have been distracted by auto upgrades and repairs, mainly repairs for stuff we broke doing upgrades.

Episode 66 - Scouting New Waters. Trial run of video podcast is a fail. Equipment issues abound.  Discuss how to scout new waters both near and far. Real world examples and mishaps included.

Episode 65 - Basic Streamer Tactics.  We discuss the basics of what, where, when, and why regarding streamers.  Further information on the kayak cheater.  Jim discusses the development of robin flies. Snake stories galore.

Episode 64 - Being Productive in the Offseason. What can you do to advance your fishing in the offseason? Boy, do we have answers for you! Check your gear. Learn stuff. Don't suck.

Episode 63 - Big Jim returns. Discuss the holiday break. New gifts and gear.  New Year's fishing resolutions and planned trips.

Episode 62 - Adventures on Ice. Discuss the Amish and hunting. Weekend adventures in ice fishing. Ice fishing strategy.

Episode 61 - Intro to Fly Tying. Discuss the basics such as tools, materials, etc.  Get into the weeds a little bit regarding fly tying tools, materials, and techniques. Deeper to come in the future. Discuss the modern fear of the dark and adventures in the quest for fly tying materials.

Episode 60 - Intro to Ice Fishing. Not the same sport, but we find some overlap. Considering the cold weather and upcoming coming polar vortex, when the lakes, rivers, and creeks freeze, what do you do?  You can fly tie...or you can learn to fish the hard water.  You could do both (just saying).  Turns out if you can fly tie, you can tie your own custom jigs for ice fishing.  We cover the basics regarding safety, equipment, strategy, and tackle.  Discuss the weekend's PA opening day of deer (rifle; please bring back the Monday so we can have our unrecognized and unofficial state holiday back) and our failures to obtain fly tying materials.

Episode 59 - Bit of a train wreck due to the holiday season, plus lots of guests. Apologies.  Gift ideas for the fly fisher in your life.

Episode 58 - How musky perceive their world. Discuss fly selection and how they may be perceived by the fish. Ross goes all scientific regarding musky vision. New fly tying materials acquired over the weekend.

Episode 57 - How to Raft. We discuss raft set up and how to fish from a raft. Gear and pointers provided. New bourbon tasting. Disucss the weekend's fishing, and why Matt's never fishing with Ross again. Archer is apparently a scuba diver. Also, case study in musky fly fishing provided for consideration.

Episode 56 - Steelhead season. Guest star Jim Kearney.  Discuss the basics of steelhead fishing. Cover gear, lines, flies, etc.  Prepare you for the worst shoulder to shoulder fishing and spinfishermen.  Discuss the week's adventures.

Episode 55 - How to find musky. We cover how to find musky in rivers and lakes. Cover structure, strategies, water temps, and fish finders.  Matt fishes in an aquarium, and Ross fishes for lunkers.

Episode 54 - Semi-auto fly reels are a thing. Learned things from the new guy.  Apparently, need to dive deeper into the fly box and buy some new flies. The greatest musky fishing day (ever without catching a fish).  Ross's missed fish from the Beast eludes another.  Archer wants a jet boat.

Episode 53 - Beast of the East. Minor tragedy and heart break.  Tricked by pike. Monster bass caught. Finding muskies scouting, but unable to find them in the tourney. Saw the largest musky of our life to no avail. Broken equipment and hearts.

Episode 52 - Winter is coming.  Discuss winter fly fishing and essential gear. Try some new cocktails. Beast preparation (a little over a week out!). Accidentally stumble upon some weird fetishes Todd may have.

Episode 51 - Continue with education regarding musky fly fishing. Ross reviews his new Chippewa River.  Knocks the jinx off it on Sunday. Matt & Chris visit the fly shop. Weird weather as it was raining squirrels.

Episode 50 - With the Beast coming up, it seems a good time to share knowledge and encourage others in their pursuit.  We discuss the basics such as equipment and techniques.  Also discuss the adventures of the week. New waters, new adventures.

Episode 49 - Wedding bells. Mike & Tami tie the knot.  Wedding weekend stuff. Cooper reviews new kicks. Matt breaks his Yeti chair (hoping warranty claim is accepted), and he does a little fishing with his neighbor.

Episode 48 - Tim catches his first fish in over two decades. Matt and Cooper forget how to launch a boat. Cooper finds some success fishing with his go to fly for success.

Episode 47 - Sean fly fishes for the first time in a few years. Mishaps occur. Tangled leaders. Falls in the creek. Broken fly rods. Little bit of electroshock therapy. It was a good weekend and week!

Episode 46 - Grizzlies don't like mascots. Made a new friend.  New musky flies. Actually went fishing for a change.  Lot of looks, but no takers. Sean sets up a Gofundme. Operation Viking Ship update. Bruce Willis has dementia, or something (movie credits reflect it).

Episode 45 - Cooper is back! I know you all missed him. We catch up on his vacation. Apparently, everything failed this week: SUP pump, truck, boots, gout, etc.

Episode 44 - Matt in studio. Mike and Tami in studio. Brothers call in. Bit of a mixed bag content wise. Tim rehashes old wounds. Bit of historical discrepancy. Plans for the future, wedding bells included.

Episode 43 - Chris and Matt in studio. Matt goes for a swim.  Meat-a-palooza!!! Great food, great company, great time. Chris and Ross win Pickleball championship. Tim fought Battle of Baden Hill.

Episode 42 - Cooper in studio. Matt phones it in, figuratively and literally. Tim almost joined, but he was unable due to the coma from heat stroke. Discuss the week's adventures, fishing, and Meat-a-palooza preparations. Apparently, radioactive sludge tastes like Jolly Rancher Green Apple.   Cooper also forgot he was lactose intolerant.

Episode 41. Chris and Matt in studio. Discuss nature. Blind taste test of beer. Matt's cool axes. Cooper gets a SUP. Oil change disasters. 1st for the Beast!

Episode 40 - New Viking ship toys. Free wood. Lots of poison ivy. Boys finally get out fishing. Ross catches a good one. Can cross getting caught out in a thunderstorm while on the raft off the list.

Episode 39 - Chris, Matt, and Ross in studio. We catch up with Ross because it feels like we haven't seen him in forever. As always, things get out of hand and time flies.  Don't actually discussing fishing until the third segment. Sorry.  Weather sucks.  Fishing is borderline impossible with temperatures. We persevere via alcohol and memories.

Episode 38 - Weather continues to suck. Some fishing was had with minimal success. Cooper discusses his weekend.  Operation Viking Ship commences (Cooper's belief shockingly diminishes). Boat trailer breaks again.

Episode 37 - Cooper brings hard teas, disappointing.  Matt fishes mini-Beast, disappointing. Weather, disappointing.

Episode 36 - Matt and Chris in studio. Discuss the week's fishing. There is a minor side tangent about new shows that may be worth a watch. Cooper's anger management problems. Teaching new anglers to fly fish. Discuss questionable parentage and possible adoption.

Episode 35 - Chris and Matt in studio. Sean calls in. Shirts are in! Discuss the adventures and misadventures of the holiday weekend with family. Family time is quality time despite resulting expletives. Cooper does charity. Matt attempts fishing with Sean and their father to no success and equipment failure.

Episode 34 - Chris and Matt in studio.  Why are sailboats still a thing?  Mexico fucks up and the boys almost got into a boating accident (almost hit by a sailboat).  Fishing sucked this week due to the weather but made it out anyway dodging rain clouds. Discuss fly tying and tenkara fishing.

Episode 33.  Matt tries an inadvertent type of dangerous fly fishing (the not good kind).  The boys discuss the first musky tournament of the year at Lake Arthur.  As the saying goes, the best days of owning a boat are the day you buy and the day you sell.  Boat, and operator error, pose issues for the tournament.

Episode 32. Matt runs the Pittsburgh Marathon. Absolutely no fishing was done due to inclement weather. Discuss upcoming musky tourney. Progress on viking ship.  Essentially, a show about nothing due to the weather.

Episode 31 - Matt informs the world he is building a viking ship.  It's out in the world so he has to do it now.  Cooper has no faith.  Place your bets!  Cooper provides review of his Lively Legs Net Holder.  Minimal fishing due to work and weather, but Cooper has a great day. Ross makes it out to the streams and fishes with Cooper and Matt.

Episode 30 - Todd catches his first fish and then trout fly fishing. Discuss nets and  making custom nets. Breaking jinxes. Chris finally figures out his GoPro. Zero luck with the toothy critters, but another good week fishing for trout on local waters.  Ross makes it out to fish, but doesn't find any luck.

Episode 29 - Matt, Chris, and Ross in studio. Discuss the week's adventures fishing for trout. Cooper gets trout Sunday on the dry fly. Cooper updates his GoPro review again. Mixed weekend for Matt fishing for trout and toothy critters.  Matt goes lights out Monday  on Grannoms though, despite fishing being cut short due to loss of net.  Matt provides feedback on his new vest/backpack. Great marketing on Fishpond's part as Matt loses one net and almost loses a second (Fishpond nets).  Apparently the "net slot" is a ploy to get you to buy more nets. Ross updates regarding injuries, gun shows, and business.

Episode 28 - Todd Reed joins in studio. It's opening weekend of trout in Pennsylvania and Cooper sucked.  Matt has moderate success.  Clearly a lot of trout fishing rust had to be knocked off.  Matt catches a nice brownie with Cooper's assistance. Cooper provides a GoPro review. Discuss new equipment options for gear storage and camera usage.

Episode 27 - Plans are discussed for the upcoming opener for trout.  Discuss wish list items for chasing trout.  Matt has a minor Exxon Valdez situation requiring motor and raft repairs. No toothy critters this weekend.  Discuss future watercraft options as Smithfly has apparently gone under. Get ready for Cooper cam as Cooper will be finally breaking out his new GoPro.

Episode 26 - No much fishing this week due to work schedules.  Matt attempts a work weekend at camp, but he is thwarted in his efforts by fishing and rodents.  Not to let their little deaths be in vain, he has commenced training the trout to eat the mice.  First two disappear beneath ripples.  Mouse patterns in the summer should be epic behind camp.  Test run of the new fish finder on the raft with mixed results.  Matt loses focuses and misses a good fish.  Also, realizes the error in his strategy, but far too late.

Episode 25 - The sun, moon, and weather align for a near perfect week of musky fishing.  Much like The Perfect Storm tragedy strikes, to a far lesser degree. Matt returns for the one that got away.  The belief in the terribleness of people is reaffirmed.  Ross and Matt make it out fishing and almost go for a Missouri Boat Ride.  New water is discovered.  It's enticing and will need to be revisited without waning light. Promise made, promised kept (regarding non-drunk podcasting; delayed due to St Patrick's Day as practiced).

Episode 24 - Lessons learned! In life and fishing. Fishing was limited this week due to terrible conditions. Too much ice on lakes, but not enough to fish them.  Rivers and creeks are blown out.  Found one to float.  Despite poor conditions, we find more success than we deserved.  Lessons were learned because mistakes cost fish.  Cost a couple this weekend.

Episode 23 - *Warning* Large amount of alcohol was consumed prior to the recording of this episode. Designated driver was used for safety. - Fly rods are back! And with a vengeance.  Most successful week ever chasing toothy critters for the crew. It's a real shame it wasn't in Kentucky for the Kentucky River Musky Classic (I'm gonna be bitter. Especially hearing a team caught 5 first day).  Number of firsts for the gang.  Chris chalks up his first musky ever.  Matt finally gets his trophy pic (of a musky). Ross starts a fire stream side. Todd catches a fly to the head. The one thing we can all agree on, we hate spin fishermen.

Episode 22 - Sean does not literally break the ice, but he goes ice fishing for the first time.  On a side note, Sean came North for the weekend.  We discuss the week's fishing adventures. New gear and new gear ideas.  Also, discuss Sean's first impressions of ice fishing for those thinking of joining the adventure.  Time is running out if you wanna try.  We are all eagerly awaiting "soft" water.  Love ice fishing, but really missing the fly rods. Share some old stories, including some wild stories with Italian sports cars.

Episode 21 - Matt & Chris in studio. Love is in the air, but all Matt finds is desolate loneliness on the lake. Cooper spent the week sick, but now has thankfully recovered. The boys try a new spot, with limited success.   The new Chippewa River's arrive and they are beautiful!  Jinx is off them first time out.  Apparently though, Matt has forgotten how to use tip ups as he loses some hefty fish all weekend.

Chris and Matt in studio. Discuss new toys and try a new fishing location. Matt orders a new custom set of ice rods from Tom at Chippewa River Custom Rods.  Cooper accidentally joins the Polar Bear Club.  Slow weekend for catching fish. More of a quality over quantity weekend. Matt almost wrecks and loses his truck in the lake.

Episode 19 - Quite a bit of fishing; both hard and soft water.  Attempted to fly fish but catastrophe strikes.  Friendly encounter with the fish commission.  Apparently, they don't teach officers you can fly fish for musky.  Kentucky is now a no go.  Good cracks, bad cracks.  4 lb. fluorocarbon is an insufficient bite leader! Fish one of the top 10 ice fishing locales.  Is it magic pee or a magic hole?  Bladders are apparently larger than 20 oz.

Episode 18 - Vanna White makes a guest appearance in a red sequent dress.  Also, longest... episode ever. Yeah, we have been drinking.  For this who remember, it's actually Ross, played by Vanna, in his head.  She's actually 67, so may not look great in that dress (though we all remember her from our youth so...).  Never mind, she kept it super tight.  We discuss new gear in ice fishing.  Our misfortunes in ice fishing. Strangely, take an odd turn into 18th century warfare.  Vanna's in the house so...

Episode 17. Nick almost out fishes Matt and Cooper on the ice.  Thankfully, God interceded and debilitated Nick to keep the universe in balance.  Lots of ice of fishing, new toys, and a Simms warranty claim. For those into feet, we discuss Nick's (its as gross as you would think).

Episode 16 - Chris, Matt, & Todd in studio. When your world is a frozen wasteland and you want to fish, what do you do? Go ice fishing.  Clearly, not our area of expertise.  The recent cold snap has locked up boat ramps, but Matt and Chris chase the fish under the hard water.  Tip ups are used for the first time since buying three years ago. Ice fishing refinements are discussed. Todd's plans for Kentucky tournament.

Episode 16 - Chris and Matt go fishing.  It went about as well as you would expect considering the weather.  It was more floating down a flood creek dodging icebergs while drinking beer than fishing.  The cold makes for laziness as trees block the way and an idiot forgot to bring the saw he specifically purchased for this exact reason.  Discuss the Mandela Effect and whether a movie called "Shazam" really existed starring Sinbad.  Plans are weighed for the upcoming weeks considering the cold snap.  Virginia fly expo and chasing muskies on the James or ice fishing?  Stay tuned.

Episode 14. The waters are too fast and too furious, yet we find success in the face of adversity.  Cooper was a locked out of hunting.  The winter drinking season continues as we sample two more beers.  Discuss fish finders on the raft and kindness of strangers.  Apparently, also need to reiterate the importance of being a good net man.

Episode 13.  Family in town and weather doesn't cooperate.  What do you when you can't fish and it's an off week hunting? Drink, of course.  Chris was kind enough to bring a beer sampler.  We drink and rank them ALL.  Florida family experiences their first snow.  Discuss Sean's experience starting off saltwater fly fishing. Discuss fly tying and winter plans.  Sean may have gotten the green light for hunting post-Christmas.

Chris and Matt discuss the week's happenings with hunting and fishing.  We test whether the internet is always right.  Yes, as noted in the title, emergency gastro-intestinal distress is discussed.  We also provide a public service announcement regarding the do's and do not's of what to flush down the toilet.  Sean joins us to try out our new phone system.  Navy sings last!  Missed Todd this week to rub it in though.

Matt and Chris discuss being ripped off by the Dutchies. Where is the other half of Matt's deer.  Discuss hunting and fishing aspirations.  Little bit of sports talk and Cooper's campaign against pre-workout drinks.

Todd Reed in studio.  It's Thanksgiving!  A time to be grateful and have adventures with family.  Adventures were more wandering about the woods with firearms than fishing this week, but we should be back to normal(ish) next week.  Bonus discussion: the harvest of coffee via animal scat.  Apparently, Kopi Luwak has been dethroned as the most expensive coffee.

Multiple special guests.  Little military rivalry.  Poo ponds vs plumbing.  Zero fishing done, as holidays and family are want to cause.  Little bit of background on Kearney family fishing.  Todd provides a "stellar" wine review.  Dating advice from Big Jim.  Alcohol and family, what could go wrong?

We discuss the upcoming plans for the holiday week.  Matt has the greatest day ever musky fishing, but still can't catch one.  As the saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans".  Making new friends wherever we go.

Todd Reed joins Chris and Matt in studio while enjoying his fine wine.  Discuss weekend success and weirdness. Also, provide recommendations for dressing for cold weather fishing. Stupidity abounds as bad ideas run rampant.  Conclusion, don't we all hate musicals?

Good weekend fishing for Cooper and Matt.  Most importantly, Mrs. Cooper wasn't mad at Chris for failure to execute a plan.  Cooper caught oodles of bass. Matt brought in a couple pike. Kentucky River Musky Classic registration is live.  Discussion regarding steelhead fishing.  Yeah, we'll have to bring in Ross for the real info.

We discuss the failure of the weekend, new tech in fishing, fly rod warranties, and Cooper's potential new outfit for his start into musky fly fishing. Yeah... dragging him to Kentucky.  Of special value, old man came out on the raft this weekend... musky fishing at that. Milestone in and of itself. Did buy the raft to get him fishing so...

Guest, Todd Reed. Exciting weekend of fishing for Matt and Todd.  Mistakes made, lessons learned.  Matt's first musky since April. Todd is developing some new fishing skills.

Special Guest, Todd Reed.  Recurring guest, Ross Liskooka. Adventures of the weekend, broken rods, personal weaknesses, and a shoutout to our only fan. Yeti and Orvis do go head to head for current musky boat box.

Discussing our experiences at the 2024 Beast of the East.  The, ahem, beauty of Warren, PA. New footwear and other shenanigans and stupidity with fellow Darkwing Duck founder, Ross.

The first and hopefully worst. Apologies in advance.  Covering the Beast, Boats, Background, and the Boys.