The Wadeoutthere Fly Fishing Podcast

In this episode we WadeOutThere with five thoughtful and passionate anglers about the tactics and techniques they use to fight and land big fish. Specifically… big trout. When you have the fish of a lifetime on, you want every advantage you can get. Sure, some of that comes with time on the water. Maybe most of it? But having a few tricks up your sleeve and knowing what to practice when you are catching fish doesn’t hurt. So here’s the line up: Domenick ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mike Wilson, from Florence, Montana. Mike was born and raised in Indiana. Unable to afford college tuition during the Vietnam War, Mike dropped out. He was drafted into the Army, and served three years, including one combat tour as a rescue helicopter pilot. When he came home, he and his new bride left Indiana, determined to find a new home and make a life. They moved from spot to spot… searching. Canada, Montana, California, Las V...

In this episode, we WadeOutThere with Christopher Teas from Bal Harbor, Florida. Christopher was born in Wisconsin, where he was introduced to fly fishing, before moving to Colorado at an early age. He eventually began guiding as a teenager to make money before attending college in Oregon, where he continued guiding for steelhead as well. Christopher went on to build a career in business and investments, but his passion for fly fishing never left. He continues to travel and fish all ove...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Tanner and Morgan Barbeau from Buena Vista, Colorado. Tanner learned to fly fish from his father at an early age on the famed tailwaters of the San Juan river. Morgan graduated school and took a nine to five job in corporate America having never fly fished before. The pair met in Buena Vista and fell in love with each other, while Morgan was falling in love with fly fishing. Tanner had been guiding for several years when Morgan lost her ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Ben Wilcox, from Essex, Vermont. Ben was introduced to fly fishing after college when he and his friends traveled to Maine to support a friend going through hard times. Although he struggled to catch any fish for the first couple years, something about the process of learning kept Ben coming back. Book by book and tactic by tactic, Ben worked his way from novice angler to competitor for team USA. Now, Ben has a guide service...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jesse Alberi, from Dillon, Montana. Jesse grew up dunking grasshoppers for trout in his homewaters around Dillon, and on his family’s ranch in Red Lodge. After attending school in North Dakota, he took a job in Alaska, where he fell in love with fly fishing and his wife. They moved back to Jesse’s hometown of Dillon, to raise their young daughter amongst friends and family. In October of 2008, Jesse rolled his truck on an icy road, and s...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Taylor Todd, from Helena, Montana. Taylor began fly fishing almost immediately upon beginning college at Oregon State. He was a volunteer firefighter and paramedic there, and his roommates at college and Lieutenant at the firehouse left him nowhere to go where fly fishing wasn’t a source of learning, camaraderie, and fun on the river. After school he moved to Wisconsin where he continued to pursue a career as a paramedic until one summer...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Riverhorse Nakadate, from Houston Texas. Riverhorse was born in Austin, Texas to a single mother and joyful days playing in the Colorado River and at the public library. His adopted father was a professor of literature and steelheader, which cemented his love of books and fishing at an early age. The family spent summers along the Oregon coast, where Riverhorse immersed himself in the ocean… fishing and surfing. After traveling th...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with John Duncan, from Telluride, CO. John grew up learning to fly fish in Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, hiking and backpacking to access fishing in small streams and remote lakes. His love for the mountains drew him to attend college in Colorado Springs, CO, where he fell in love with the weather, the skiing, and the fishing. Telluride, became the perfect place for him to grow a life around the fly fishing industry. John has been a guide, ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mark Raisler, from Craig, Montana. Mark grew up in Washington State’s Skagit Valley, in an outdoors family where fishing was a distant third priority, behind skiing and hunting. He first came to Montana for something to do when he wasn’t skiing, but quickly found the Missouri River and fly fishing. When he realized summers were nowhere near enough time to try to catch all the wild trout in the river, he moved to the banks of the Missour...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Dax Messett, from Medford, Oregon. Dax moved to the Lake Tahoe area after college to pursue his love for the outdoors, and immediately found fly fishing as another way to explore. He started his fly fishing journey on the Truckee River, and later began guiding in the surrounding Northern California streams and lakes. Next, came year round guiding, winters in New Zealand, and a relationship with adventure that felt more normal with than wi...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Noah Dahlke, from Bozeman, Montana. Noah grew up in an Air Force family, with roots in Wisconsin. While his father was stationed everywhere from Minot, North Dakota to Oklahoma, to Great Falls, Noah always looked for chances to fish, and tie. He also looked forward to the summers, when he could return to his home state and fly fish with his grandfathers. He often would send them flies he tied to test before his visits, and made th...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Andrew Kangas from Cameron, Montana. Andrew grew up in Michigan, learning to fish with conventional gear and dabbling in fly fishing with a fly rod he picked up at a neighborhood garage sale. When a family friend living in Montana invited his family to stay with her for a trip to Yellowstone Park, Andrew saw it as an opportunity to dive deeper into fly fishing. The trip turned into a wildly fun and productive fly fishing adventure. ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jeremy Nolan from Durango, Colorado. Jeremy moved to Colorado over twenty five years ago to pursue his passion for skiing and mountain biking while attending college. One of the texts he picked up was an Orvis book on fly fishing. Soon he and his friends were fishing the San Juan River and learning as they went, but Jeremy knew his future career would be on the water. After graduation he began guiding and eventually started his ow...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Tyler Mills from St.Paul, Minnesota. Tyler grew up gear fishing with his friends and family in upstate New York, spending nearly every day of the summer on the St. Lawrence River. It didn’t take long for Tyler to find fly fishing, which he took with him to Seattle where he worked in the snowboard industry. When he lost his job during COVID, Tyler ended up finding himself learning a new fishery every three months while he visited his the...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Tim Nation, from Kammas Utah. Tim grew up in Illinois in a family where hunting and fishing was a way of life. He found himself uniquely drawn to the fly rod, and it soon became his favorite way to catch fish. It has been his passion ever since. Tim spent much of his time as a teenager honing his fly fishing skills and searching for trout in the Ozarks. Looking for a spot he could call home, Tim tried his luck out West. Afte...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Caleb Andrews, from Charleston, South Carolina. Caleb fell in love with fly fishing early in life and continued to fly fishing during college in Tennessee while pursuing a degree in material science and engineering. Although Caleb had always envisioned using his degree to land a job in the outdoor industry, he eventually took an engineering job in South Carolina. Soon, Caleb discovered and embraced his new fishery, pursuing red fish along the...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jon Lee from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Jon grew up in southwest Michigan, just outside of Kalamazoo. He was introduced to fly fishing on the Pere Marquette River as a teenager, spending time with his great uncle, and slowly embracing the value of learning over catching. As a child, Jon would search through magazines depicting distant and exotic outdoor adventures that seemed out of reach, until he combined his love of fly fishing with an una...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mickey Anderson, from Salt Lake City, Utah. Mickey grew up in Utah, and was introduced to fly fishing on a trip into the Uinta Mountains with his wrestling team in high school. He went on to work in the fly fishing industry as an early fly shop owner with Anglers Den and later Fish Tech. He has been teaching and instructing fly fishing, fly tying, and fly casting in one way or another for nearly fifty years, and he still finds the time t...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Piper Nunn from Fort Collins, CO. Piper grew up in Colorado, spending time alone on the river even before she found fishing. It was after she began working in a local bagel shop in Fort Collins, that her co-workers talked her into giving fly fishing a shot. She loved it from day one, and from then on, much of her spare time in school was spent on the Poudre River, fishing and finding inspiration for her art. She loved fly fishing ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Eric Naguski from Boiling Springs Pennsylvania. Eric’s earliest memories all involve fishing. He fell in love with the idea of problem solving from the beginning, catching fish from the dock of his father’s sailboat in Maryland. A cousin gave him a fly rod and thus began his lifelong love of fly fishing. After childhood, Eric ended up back in his birth state of Pennsylvania, where he fished for nearly twenty-five years before deci...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Nick Teynor, from Salt Lake City, Utah. When Nick was a child his family road tripped from Maryland to Washington State for his father’s job transfer. Along the way, he was introduced to fly fishing, while watching drift boats out the car window in the Rocky Mountains. A stop at the family’s cabin in Montana sealed the deal. He had a fly rod in his hand for the first time, and from then on it was all he wanted to pursue and learn about in...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part 2 of our conversation with Alex Emery, from Livingston, Montana. Alex started fly fishing as a child with his father in New Jersey and continued during school at West Virginia University, becoming involved with the fly fishing club as well. After college, Alex’s search to continue his passion for fly fishing, and build a life and career connected to the outdoors brought him to Sweetwater Travel Company Guide School, on the Bighorn River in Monta...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part 1 of our conversation with Alex Emery, from Livingston, Montana. Alex started fly fishing as a child with his father in New Jersey and continued during school at West Virginia University, becoming involved with the fly fishing club as well. After college, Alex’s search to continue his passion for fly fishing, and build a life and career connected to the outdoors brought him to Sweetwater Travel Company Guide School, on the Bighorn River, in Mont...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Loren Williams from Saratoga Springs, New York. Loren grew up in Pennsylvania fishing with his father from the time he was three years old. At seven, he found an old fly rod, his father’s fly tying vise and a book on how to tie trout flies by George Harvey. Loren transformed these tools into a life long love of fly fishing that spanned from fly fishing small ponds with homespun flies, to long days of fishing and learning from George Harv...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mike Schultz from Dexter, Michigan. Mike grew up in Michigan fishing conventional gear on small ponds and lakes around his home, until he started driving and found the Huron River. On a trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he was introduced to fly fishing while being drawn to the rivers’ salmon and steelhead. He continued fly fishing back home on the Huron River while waiting for the salmon seasons up north. Mike played hockey in college and at...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Dallas Eastman from Fountain, Colorado. Dallas grew up mostly bass fishing in Minnesota but when he moved to Colorado in 2019, he quickly made some fishy friends that introduced him to fly fishing. Dallas works full time as a carpenter and is a part time guide for his own outfitter Trouts and Stouts, where he focuses mostly on the tailwater sections of the Arkansas River around Pueblo and back country overnight trips in the Sangre de Cristo Mo...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jarob Ortiz, from Arlington, Virginia. Jarob started fly fishing in 3rd grade, after being drawn to the delicate cast and presentation portrayed in the popular book and movie, A River Runs Through It. He learned to cast from his uncle from Montana, and when he signed up for the Air Force out of high school, Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska was at the top of his list. When he wasn’t working in the A-10 Warthog’s electronic warfare shop, h...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Bill Dell from Western Pennsylvania. Bill grew up fishing the blue gill pond on his family’s farm in Pennsylvania as a boy, and continued to passionately fish through high school and college. It was his introduction to steelhead fishing in the Great Lakes that convinced him that his future was in fly fishing. Bill takes an analytical mind to fly fishing. Early on, he used his love of numbers to help him organize details about his t...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with MacKenna Stang, from Denver, Colorado. MacKenna grew up in Colorado hiking, camping, and fishing with her family. After multiple knee injuries cut her soccer career short, fly fishing became more and more important in her life, helping her move on from soccer and pour her passion into something new. MacKenna credits her father for teaching her the basics of fly fishing, and for helping to create that passion that she maintains today. &nb...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for part two of our conversation with Frank Landis, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Frank grew up fishing with his father, and used fly fishing when he thought it was the best tactic to catch fish. By college he had completely crossed over and was fly fishing every chance he got. Frank is a middle school teacher and became a part time fly fishing guide at his local fly shop after working on the floor for several years. In Part 2 of our discussio...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for part one of our conversation with Frank Landis, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Frank grew up fishing with his father, and used fly fishing when he thought it was the best tactic to catch fish. By college he had completely crossed over and was fly fishing every chance he got. Frank is a middle school teacher and became a part time fly fishing guide at his local fly shop after working on the floor for several years. In Part 1 of our discussio...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Patrick Kilby, from Western Washington. Patrick’s love of fishing started in Eastern Washington, fishing bobbers with his grandfather. A photo of a rising trout in a magazine inspired a passion for fly fishing that soon had Patrick tying flies and driving from stream to stream as a teenager. After an initial career path in law enforcement didn’t feel like the right fit, he knew that he wanted to try to make a living in the fishing indust...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Brad Petzke from Saint Joseph, Michigan. Brad learned to fish from his father, targeting warm water species in the lakes and rivers around him and catching steelhead off the pier. As part of a college ski program, Brad took an internship in Colorado, driving snowcats at night, skiing during the day, and fishing for trout every chance he got. After three years, Brad moved back to Michigan where he continued to pursue a career in fishing. ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Martin Gerdin, from Aspen Colorado. Martin grew up fishing with a spinning rig and a passion for fish that bled over into an early introduction to the world of glass art. As Martin began to learn the craft of shaping glass, a fish was first on his list to create. Martin credits his later discovery of fly fishing for helping him maintain sobriety and for bringing clarity to his art and life. Since he began fly fishing Martin has ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Chris Gallagher from upstate New York. Chris started fly fishing during high school in Virginia, but it was after he joined the army and was stationed in upstate New York’s Fort Drum, that Chris found a connection that would carry him through his military career and beyond. His love for fishing the Adirondacks and Catskills helped him decide to make New York his home after twenty years of service, during which he was a hard core dry or die fl...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Colby Crossland, from Dutch John, Utah. Colby grew up fishing with his grandfather in Utah’s Uintah Basin. After being gifted a fly rod and vise, Colby took his love of fishing on the road, exploring the small streams in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho through high school and college, where he studied photography. A combination of having no photo shoots and an invitation to stay with a friend, led Colby...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Colby Crossland, from Dutch John, Utah. Colby grew up fishing with his grandfather in Utah’s Uintah Basin. After being gifted a fly rod and vise, Colby took his love of fishing on the road, exploring the small streams in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho through high school and college, where he studied photography. A combination of having no photo shoots and an invitation to stay with a friend, led Colby...

In this episode we Wade Back into some of 2024s most memorable conversations. These impactful dialogues are a combination of tactics, stories, conservation, and personal journeys that represent the best of what fly fishing can give us and what we can give back. If you’ve been a long time listener of the show, my intent is that these highlights remind you of why you listen and what WadeOutThere tries to unpack by sharing each guest's story of why fly fishing is special… for them. If yo...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Willy Dietrich, from Stowe, Vermont. Willy started fishing in the Boy Scouts and started fly fishing on a blue gill pond with his friends. It took him two years of self education, failure, and casting in the snow out back to catch his first trout on the fly rod, but once he learned the importance of presentation, he was off to the races. Willy is a fly fishing guide that focuses not only on trout but many of Vermont’s other amazing fish...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Dave Hurley, from Detroit Michigan. As a child Dave fished the local golf courses and waterways in San Diego, where he was born and raised, often getting chased away from his favorites spots. He was introduced to fly fishing on a trip to Utah, and on the banks of the Green River he found himself both humbled and determined. His commitment to fly fishing was cemented when he finally caught his first fish w...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Dave Hurley, from Detroit Michigan. As a child Dave fished the local golf courses and waterways in San Diego, where he was born and raised, often getting chased away from his favorites spots. He was introduced to fly fishing on a trip to Utah, and on the banks of the Green River he found himself both humbled and determined. His commitment to fly fishing was cemented when he finally caught his first fish w...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Levi Lambert, from Sedalia, Colorado. Levi grew up in western Montana fishing the creeks and ponds around his grandparents’ farm. In high school and college Levi worked on a ranch in the Bitterroot Valley that hosted anglers, which is where he began an obsession with the challenge of fly fishing. Now, Levi lives in Colorado, guides on the South Platte River, and continues to pursue his passions in the outdoors. We discuss prospecting ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Steve Schmidt, from Salt Lake City, UT. Steve moved to Utah to pursue his love of skiing while attending college. He quickly became a die hard fly fisherman, spending almost every free day on the Provo River, skiing in the evenings, and spending his summers on some of the west’s most storied fisheries. Steve’s hunger to progress and learn fostered relationships with fly fishing mentors that not only helped him as a fisherman, but also o...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mary Ann Dozer from Sisters, Oregon. Mary Ann started fly fishing in 1995 when she joined her husband after one of his fly fishing trips in Yellowstone National Park. She fell in love with fly fishing and was soon spending most of her weekends on the river. Mary Ann also has a degree in organizational change and was working as an engineer in the technology industry when she decided it was time for a change herself. She began an ea...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Dec Hogan, from Midway, Utah. Dec grew up with an obsession for fishing that drove him to find water wherever he went. He was introduced to fly fishing and steelhead fishing while he lived in California, but it wasn’t until he joined the Navy and found himself stationed at Whidbey Island, in Washington State, that Dec finally immersed himself into what would become his passion and profession for decades to come…...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Dec Hogan, from Midway, Utah. Dec grew up with an obsession for fishing that drove him to find water wherever he went. He was introduced to fly fishing and steelhead fishing while he lived in California, but it wasn’t until he joined the Navy and found himself stationed at Whidbey Island, in Washington State, that Dec finally immersed himself into what would become his passion and profession for decades to com...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Pablo Signori, from Chicago, Illinois. Pablo found fly fishing on a friends bachelor party to the outdoors and immediately became obsessed with learning more about the sport, while fishing the lakes in the cities he lived in. During the COVID pandemic, Pablo moved back to Los Angeles, continuing to fly fish, and eventually decided to combine his skillset in music production with his passion for fly fishing by creating a fly fishing podcast. &n...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jan Axtell, from Livingston Montana. Jan grew up in Wisconsin, and started fly fishing with a friend at sixteen years old. His first experience on the river was on a spring creek in the Driftless Region, which he continued to fish through high school and college. After school, Jan moved to Vermont and started guiding. He fished spring creeks in Vermont and Pennsylvania until a job opportunity took him to Livingston, Montana. ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Heidi Lewis from Salt Lake City, Utah. Heidi started fly fishing when her two daughters were little as a way to get out of the house and spend time in nature. After taking a women’s fly fishing class at her local fly shop, she immediately fell in love and became a dedicated student of the sport, spending most of her free time on the river and in the fly shop. We discuss wade fishing, the Green River, techniques for swinging wet flies,...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Jake Villwock, from Carlisle, PA. Jake grew up in Maryland, on an island in the Chesapeake Bay surrounded by fishing. His father was a commercial fisherman and professional bass fisherman. In college, Jake learned early on that he wanted a career in the outdoors and fishing. After working a summer job at a sport and fly fishing lodge in Alaska, he moved to Pennsylvania to pursue his passion for fis...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Jake Villwock, from Carlisle, PA. Jake grew up in Maryland, on an island in the Chesapeake Bay surrounded by fishing. His father was a commercial fisherman and professional bass fisherman. In college, Jake learned early on that he wanted a career in the outdoors and fishing. After working a summer job at a sport and fly fishing lodge in Alaska, he moved to Pennsylvania to pursue his passion for fis...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with David Payne, from Helena, Montana. David grew up in Lewistown, Montana, fishing the small towns local stream, Big Spring Creek at age 8, with no fly shops and mail order materials, on a homemade vise. That was in 1964 and he’s been fly fishing ever since. In 1995, David started guiding on the Missouri River after moving to Helena in 1982, where he still guides today. We discuss spinner fall tactics on the Missouri River, why you shoul...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Missy Sprouse, from Crowheart, Wyoming. Missy learned to fly fish in East Tennessee after meeting her husband. Together they moved to the remote Wind River Range of Wyoming to settle down and enjoy fishing and riding horses in the mountains. Missy is also a photographer and after falling in love with fly fishing, became excited about capturing the powerful experiences that women encounter through Casting for Recovery, an organization cr...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Ken Burkholder, from Boise, Idaho. Ken grew up playing music and fly fishing. Growing up in a musical family, with two older brothers to drive him to the river helped him live his early years doing what he loved: practicing the oboe, and fly fishing. After eventually earning his masters in the oboe at Northwestern University, the mountains called Ken back. He put his passions to work as a member of the Boise Philharmonic Orc...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Pete Erickson, from Boise Idaho. Pete grew up fly fishing in Washington state and exploring the surrounding mountain lakes. After college, he became a guide on the Upper Green River, in Wyoming, while also teaching high school English. Pete has been a competitor for team USA in the competitive fly fishing world and is a rod designer for Echo. We discuss Pete’s experience learning and fishing in Tuscany, Italy, the Upper Green River, l...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Evan Keene from Livingston, Montana. Evan fell in love with fly fishing after his father took him on a fishing trip to Alaska after high school graduation. From then on he was learning all he could about the sport while making the drive from his home state of Tennessee to fish the Little Red River in Missouri as much as possible. Finally, Evan took a job in Montana, that got him out on the river more often, and eventually into the guidi...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Duane Redford. Duane began his love of fly fishing and tying as a youth in the mountain lakes of Arizona. He moved to Colorado in 1982, where he became a teacher and a coach, as well as an avid angler. When his coaching days were over, Duane became a full time guide for Minturn Anglers, in the Vail Valley, and immersed himself in his passion for the water. Today, Duane continues to teach through fly fishing. He has written s...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Danny Lane from Idaho Falls, Idaho. Danny grew up fishing in the ponds around Boise as a child and became fascinated with fly fishing early on. After leaving his hometown for a change of pace, he finally found himself in the fly shops and rivers of Eastern Idaho, when his wife’s job brought them to the banks of the Henry’s Fork River. Danny was guiding shortly after and is a signature fly tier for Umpqua...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Danny Lane from Idaho Falls, Idaho. Danny grew up fishing in the ponds around Boise as a child and became fascinated with fly fishing early on. After leaving his hometown for a change of pace, he finally found himself in the fly shops rivers of Eastern Idaho, when his wife’s job brought them to the banks of the Henry’s Fork River. Danny was guiding shortly after and is a signature fly tier for Umpqua Feather Merchants. In Part O...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Kubie Brown from Southwest Montana. Kubie grew up with an obsession for fishing that often led to solo fishing excursions in the streams, rivers, and lakes of Vermont and New York. His literature and creative writing studies led him to work as a reporter and later an editor for a local newspaper. Kubie quit his job as editor to take a job as a sales associate at Orvis, which later led to casting and fly ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Kubie Brown from Southwest Montana. Kubie grew up with an obsession for fishing that often led to solo fishing excursions in the streams, rivers, and lakes of Vermont and New York. His literature and creative writing studies led him to work as a reporter and later an editor for a local newspaper. Kubie quit his job as editor to take a job as a sales associate at Orvis, which later led to casting and fly tying instructing. When the...

In this episode we Wade Back into some of 2024s most memorable conversations. These impactful dialogues are a combination of tactics, stories, conservation, and personal journeys that represent the best of what fly fishing can give us and what we can give back. If you’ve been a long time listener of the show, my intent is that these highlights remind you of why you listen and what WadeOutThere tries to unpack by sharing each guest's story of why fly fishing is special… for them. If yo...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Casey Callison, from Springfield, Missouri. Casey moved to the Ozarks from St. Louis when he was a small boy and has been hunting and fishing there ever since. When Casey was twelve he was introduced to fly fishing. He spent nearly every day in the summers of his youth on the banks of Lake Taneycomo, below Table Rock Dam, fishing and learning from a local fly fisherman that became a friend and mentor. Casey has wrtiten several articles ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Maxine McCormick, from San Francisco California. Maxine began fly fishing as a child with her father, and spent summer vacations with family, on the McCloud River, catching fish and learning from her dad. When Maxine was introduced to competition fly casting, her new found passion for casting helped her enjoy the fishing aspect of the sport more as well. Maxine was competing nationally at age nine and won a gold medal at the world champ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jack Kingsborough, from New Zealand. Jack moved from Australia to New Zealand to pursue a life at sea in commercial fishing, and soon found a passion for fly fishing. Now Jack works as a ship’s engineer for months at a time, and spends his off months hiking and backpacking in New Zealand’s mountainous backcountry in search of trout and adventure. He sometimes travels twenty kilometers in a day for the chance to sight fish to one or two ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Christy McReynolds from Jonesborough, Tennessee. Christy grew up learning to fish with her father in the lakes and rivers of East Tennessee. In 2011, after a devastating car accident left Christy with a broken neck, Christy turned to fly fishing and fly tying to help regain mobility and strength in her hands and arms as well as build up strength in her neck. Casting streamers quickly became her way of physically and mentally dealing wit...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jon Messinger, from Denver, Colorado. Jon grew up on a ranch in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where time on the river was part of everyday childhood play. He fell in love with fishing the small streams around his home, and targeting hard to reach trout he found on the San Juan River. Eventually, Jon moved to Bozeman where he began creating music and continued to fly fish. Now, Jon is back in Colorado where he guides for Colorado Trout...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Devin Olsen, from Midvale, Utah. Devin grew up fly fishing from age nine and has been casting and catching fish ever since. He has a degree in fish ecology and a master’s degree in fisheries science, has worked as a fisheries biologist, fly fishing guide, and is now the creator and owner of Tactical Fly Fisher where Devin shares gear, videos, and articles designed to help fly fishers follow in his tactical footsteps. Devin has participat...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Josh Gallivan, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Josh was born and raised in Jackson Hole, and started working in a fly shop while in high school. He knew early on that he wanted to be a fly fishing guide, and got plenty of practice on the oars fishing with his uncle, who helped him buy his first drift boat. Josh is a full time guide at Grand Teton Fly Fishing, on his home waters, the Snake River, and hosts several fly fishing trips annually...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Chelsey Christy, from Denver, Colorado. Chelsey started fly fishing on Colorado’s South Platte River and immediately caught the fly fishing bug. She was spending so much time fly fishing and in her local fly shop, that they asked her to start guiding. Chelsey soon began searching for a way to connect with nature and the river on her own, further from some of the pressured waters of the front range. Her searching took her to Southw...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with James Mugele from Livingston, Montana. James started fly fishing while attending college in Vermont. After befriending a retired fishing guide from out west, James found his introduction to fly fishing grounded in tying big flies and casting for Muskies. James’ dream became to move to Montana and fish big Western rivers with his black lab Bo as his faithful companion. After school he had saved enough to drive to Montana and stay w...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Peter Stitcher, from Littleton, Colorado. Peter fell in love with fishing at age four in Knoxville, Tennessee. His teacher introduced him to tying flies in 5th grade to help keep him focussed and calm during school. His education went on from there to degrees in theology, counseling, and finally aquatic biology. When Peter realized he spent all his free time on the water chasing trout, he finally recognized his future lay in fly f...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Dave McCoy, from Seattle, Washington. Dave grew up in Oregon, in a family of fly fishers. From both parents, to grandparents, to great uncles. Fly fishing was not just family vacations, it was a way of life. After fishing the storied watersheds of his home state, Dave left home for Colorado, where he worked as a ski race coach. In need of a summer job, Dave put his knowledge of the river and rowing to use as a fly fishing guide.&n...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jason McReynolds from Jonesborough, Tennessee. Jason began fly fishing in East Tennessee during the late nineties. When his wife, who also enjoyed fly fishing, was seriously injured in a car accident, the couple began fishing streamers almost exclusively, because the larger flies and larger weighted rods was therapeutic for his wife Christy’s recovery. They fell in love with streamer fishing, and since they were going fishing so much al...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jon Ray from Traverse City, Michigan. Jon grew up riding his bike to the river and fishing conventional tackle until he witnessed his first caddis hatch and fly fisherman. He’s been fly fishing ever since, although he continues to incorporate and appreciate the knowledge and tactics of his conventional fishing peers. Jon is a guide for Mangled Fly Guide service and has been guiding in Northern Michigan for over twenty years. We ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jon Easdon, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jon grew up in Colorado fishing with his father, who took him to a fly shop when he became fascinated with fly fishing as a boy. Jon has been fly fishing his entire life since then, and now guides in that same fly shop, Anglers Covey. There, he continues to follow his passion on the water and off the water, welcoming new folks to the sport he loves. We discuss presentation while nymph...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Alice Owsley, from West Yellowstone, Montana. Growing up in Ohio, Alice learned to fly fish the same year she learned how to ski. She moved out west at the age of twenty two after falling in love with the mountains of Wyoming and became a ski instructor and a guide who was always focussed on saying yes to opportunities to teach and grow. Now, Alice is a fly fishing guide and outfitter in Yellowstone National Park and on the Madison Riv...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our discussion with Matt Grajewski from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Matt grew up hunting and fishing on his local lakes and on trips to his family’s cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his parents and three siblings. It was in the UP, that he learned to fish for steelhead, and fell in love with river fishing for trout. But as Matt grew older he began to appreciate the challenges of inland lake fishing more and more. I...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our discussion with Matt Grajewski from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Matt grew up hunting and fishing on his local lakes and on trips to his family’s cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his parents and four siblings. It was in the UP, that he learned to fish for steelhead, and fell in love with river fishing for trout. But as Matt grew older he began to appreciate the challenges of inland lake fishing more and more. In...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Dana Lattery from Calgary, Alberta. Dana grew up hunting and fishing with his father, where he learned to appreciate the journey over the reward, after many cold and arduous trips into the mountains. When Dana’s dream of continuing to play professional hockey was abruptly cut short due to injury, he found solace in his new ability to go back on the hunting trips that brought him so much joy early in life. Dana’s passion for the outdoors...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Tim Landwehr from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tim grew up fly fishing as a young person in Wisconsin for smallmouth and trout. After college Tim quit a job that left him unfulfilled and unhappy, and moved to Montana where he started instructing casting and guiding. Tim eventually moved back to Wisconsin with his wife and opened the fly shop, Tight Lines Fly Fishing Company. Over the years the shop has shifted its focus from trout to sma...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Larry Paradis from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Larry grew up in Connecticut and was introduced to the outdoors through his local hunting and fishing club. There he began tying and later fly fishing. After September 11th, Larry joined the Air Force and was stationed in Alaska where he continued his passion for fly fishing in the legendary trophy salmon and trout streams of his youth. Larry brought fly fishing and fly tying with him th...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part 2 of our conversation with Brad Hansen, from Helena, Montana. Brad grew up in Utah and fell in love with the feeling of fighting big fish as a child fishing for lake rainbows with his cousins. He started fly fishing while attending college at Utah State and later moved to Montana and began guiding on the Missouri River. We discuss how to break down big water into digestable pieces, tactics for fishing the Missouri River, and Brad t...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Brad Hansen from Helena, Montana. Brad grew up in Utah and fell in love with the feeling of fighting big fish as a child fishing for lake rainbows with his cousins. He started fly fishing while attending college at Utah State and later moved to Montana and began guiding on the Missouri River. We discuss how to break down big water into digestable pieces, tactics for fishing the Missouri River, and Brad also tells several stories of how ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Nick Conklin from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Nick grew up fishing lakes and rivers around his family’s place in Upper Michigan. At eight years old he decided to, in his words, “get serious about fly fishing.” He told his parents when he grew up, he wanted to be a fisherman and write books. He’s doing it. Nick is a fly fishing author who has been published in numerous magazines. He is also currently working on his first bo...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Adam Bowe from Dillon, Montana. Adam grew up in Florida and was introduced to fly fishing for saltwater species and later bass. When his family moved to Montana, he began fly fishing on the Big Hole River and small mountain creeks that surrounded the property that his family eventually restored and transformed intoThe Silverbow Club; a guest ranch for fly fishing and other outdoor activities. Adam now fly fishes every chance he gets whi...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Russ Maddin from Traverse City, Michigan. Russ grew up fly fishing and fly tying as a child in Southern Michigan. His first job was in a fly shop as a teenager. At eighteen he had his guide license in Northern Michigan, where he also attended college and continued to fly fish. Russ grew his love for streamer fishing in his home state and has created many well known fly designs. We discuss opening up your focal point while ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Rick Hafele, from Salem, Oregon. Rick grew up on a farm, with a fascination for the outdoors and his surroundings, including bugs. He began fly fishing in Missouri at the age of twelve, and fell in love with the trout he caught in the Ozarks. When the time for college came, Rick headed west and to Western Washington and later Oregon State where he earned a masters degree in aquatic entomology. He is the author of several fly fishi...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Dylan Tomine, from Washington State. Dylan was one of those children who always loved fish and fishing. He developed a love of steelhead at an early age and has spent most of his life fly fishing. He is a passionate angler, Patagonia ambassador, conservationist, and writer. His books include Headwaters: The Adventures, Obsession and Evolution of a Fly Fisherman, and Closer to the Ground: An Outdoor...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Dylan Tomine, from Washington State. Dylan was one of those children who always loved fish and fishing. He developed a love of steelhead at an early age and has spent most of his life fly fishing. He is a passionate angler, Patagonia ambassador, conservationist, and writer. His books include Headwaters: The Adventures, Obsession and Evolution of a Fly Fisherman, and Closer to the Ground: An Outdoor...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Thi Nguyen, from Salt Lake City, Utah. As long as Thi can remember he has had a love of all kinds of games. Thi was raised in California, studied philosophy in school, and moved to Utah to work as a philosophy professor at the University of Utah. He started fly fishing to help counteract some of the negative aspects of the new remote teaching environment that arose during the pandemic, and fell in love with the sport and its congruence with hi...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Rob Griggs from Boise, Idaho. Rob’s fly fishing journey has taken him from Tennessee, to Colorado, to Idaho, where he still lives today. He started guiding in Colorado after attending a guide school to improve his skills and continued guiding after the move to Boise. We discuss how the ego presents itself in fly fishing, the Boise River, and why keeping fly fishing “fun” might just catch you more fish. To learn more about Rob and the t...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Chris Coole from Toronto, Ontario. Chris grew up fishing with his uncle for walleye, bass, and musky as a child until the mystique of fly fishing captured his imagination. About the same time Chris got his hands on a fly rod, he picked up a banjo. That was over thirty years ago, and they’ve been part of his life ever since. Chris’s love of fly fishing makes its way into many of the songs and tunes he writes in the forms of places ...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jeff Feczko from Baja, Mexico. Jeff grew up in Ithaca, New York where his grandfather was his earliest teacher and supporter in fishing. He picked up a fly rod at an early age and had a knack for casting and tying, with a love for the functionality of the new art he was creating on the vise. As he got older Jeff went to Alaska to fish and eventually ended up guiding there, spending his time during the off season in exotic locations chas...

In this Episode we WadeOutThere with Tim Hepworth, from Central Alberta. Tim was raised in a pastor’s home with nine siblings. Hunting and fishing was a way of life, and a source of sustenance. He picked up fly fishing as a teenager, and used the sport to help him find balance in his job as a paramedic. But it wasn’t until the birth of his daughter, that Tim dove deep into fly fishing. They learned together, and eventually, Tim became a guide on the Bow River a...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Eric Grajewski from Southeast Michigan. Eric grew up fishing the banks of Lake Saint Clair in Southern Michigan with his siblings. When his family decided to get away from the city and moved further north, Eric continued to fish, exploring new species and different waters. The family also spent time fishing together every summer on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where Eric eventually attended college and dove even deeper into fly fishin...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jim Misiura from North Eastern Pennsylvania. Jim’s journey into fly fishing began with catching trout in his beloved hometown stream with a plastic cricket from the toy box, a size 6 hook, and an old fly rod he bought from a friend. Since that day Jim has been tying and fly fishing on that Pennsylvania trout stream for over fifty years. He originally began tying out of necessity as a youth in need of flies, but when his sister asked him...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Russ Beck, from Logan, Utah. Russ was introduced to fly fishing later in life after his friend and creative writing contemporary initially refused to take him, thinking he was all talk. But Russ persisted and eventually began fly fishing in the fall and through winter in Northern Utah. He fell in love with the sport and now not only fishes every chance he gets, although less so in the dead of winter, Russ also writes about fly fishing, ...