Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast

Joe Jackson (nom de plume is Sgt. BassFisher. No pun intended) returns to join Rob for his second episode. They first crossed paths at The Fly Fishing Show prior to the pandemic, and shortly after that encounter, Joe was featured on the show. You can listen to that previous episode below. In Rob's kitchen, there's a realistic deer hair hummingbird fly crafted by Joe, which is displayed in the mout...

Dr. James Suleski joins Rob to discuss his passion for fly fishing at night. This is the doctor’s third appearance on the show. He is in his car on his way home from a long day of treating maladies. In this episode you will learn about the solitude of fishing at night. James explains his three tenants for tying flies for night fishing, why you should avoid everyone on and around the river at night...

Welcome to the 16th year of The Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast. Rob, Misty, and Producer Jason embarked on a day excursion to The Gunpowder River located near Baltimore, Maryland. The climate was chilly and arid, featuring a predominantly clear sky. Their objective was to locate trout that were rising to insects and aim for those fish using a selection of dry flies. This marks the first occasion f...

Meteorologist Matt DiNardo has been passionate about fishing and weather for as long as he can remember. Together with Rob, they delve into the realms of weather and fishing, exploring whether Matt's weather knowledge gives him a fishing edge. They recount tales from their excursions to the Salmon River over the last three decades and discuss how the impact of lake-effect weather has evolved durin...

Catalogs have been a major source of fly fishing information for Rob since he picked up his first fly rod. Orvis has ended its fly fishing catalog production which is a major loss to older fly anglers. Rob discusses the history of the mail order catalog and talks about the death of the fly fishing catalogs. The fly fishing catalog has been a staple in the fly fishing industry for over a century an...

Producer Jason finishes out his annual steelhead trip which leaves Rob all by his lonesome. Follow along as the weather warms and Rob and Producer Jason fish their last day together. They ended fishing on Monday afternoon which led Jason to pack and head home and Rob to tie several black stonefly and egg patterns for the next day. Having a 'confidence fly' that you believe in will do you mighty go...

Join Rob as he heads north from Harper’s Ferry to join Producer Jason in Altmar, New York in November 2024. It has been a dry year and the river is the lowest in years. The guys discuss strategies and tactics for fishing low water, shore lunches full of nitrates, and the horrible smell of rotting salmon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Producer Jason chronicles his trip up to the Salmon River and his first day of fishing. Along the way, he discusses fishing buddies of all kinds, whether they be people, places or things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob's introduction to fly fishing literature started with a copy of Sex, Death, And Fly Fishing while on vacation in The Galápagos Islands during the summer of 1993. The writings of John Gierach inspired Rob to pursue a lifetime of trout fishing, fly tying, travelling to Colorado, writing, and telling stories. Rob wanted to be a trout bum before he could drive a car. Rob talks about his fondness f...

Rob published the entire episode on 11/6. If you only heard the first 1hr5min please finish the show. Rob and Caitlin drove the Xterra north to New York for a wedding over the Labor Day weekend. This was a destination wedding that happened to be on one of the most famous trout streams in the world. Rob has read about this fishery since childhood. This is his first time visiting the Hancock area an...

Steve Duda is a Midwesterner turned west coaster. He describes writing as the only thing he can do. Currently, Steve is Head of Fish Tales at Patagonia. His work has appeared in numerous magazines, websites, and newspapers. Anglers know him as the former editor of The Fly Fish Journal. His new book titled River Songs is his first ‘solo album’ that consists of short stories from his travels and obs...

You will need a sea lamprey and a ten pound bowling ball for this episode. Rob was inspired to dedicate an entire podcast episode about lamprey after reading Cory Brant‘s Great Lakes Sea Lamprey: The 70 Year War on a Biological Invader. These bizarre fish would not have a full podcast episode dedicated to them, however their presence in the Great Lakes effects anglers across all the lakes. Rob sen...

Boat ramps can be intimidating, especially on a busy day. Rowing on a crowded river or a river with obstacles can be nerve racking. Do you really need to bring complete picnic lunch with you for a half day trip? Rob has been there, done that, and seen a few things over the years. This is his list of boat ramp and drift boat fly fishing things to think about before your next trip. Rob covers a few...

Justin Hardie is a freshman at Allegheny College. Before he moved into the dorm he was winning gold at The 21st annual FIPS-Mouche Cortland World Youth Fly Fishing Championship was held in Vyssi Brod from August 11th through August 17th, 2024. Rob checks in with Justin to find out how he started fly fishing, how he found out about competitive fishing aka "comp fishing", and the intricacies of a fl...

Rob joins his girlfriend's family for a road trip to her aunt's house near Myrtle Beach, SC. Of course he brings his fishing gear as any travel near water requires fishing. Unsure of what to expect, he searches Google Earth for fishy places along the Atlantic Ocean and Inner Coastal. There is not much online about fly fishing locations in this area. Listen as Rob describes his packing list and gea...

Gregg Rockett visits the Fly Fishing Consultant studios to share anecdotes from his past careers in hospitality and his rewarding life of fishing in retirement. Gregg learned the art of fly fishing across the pond. His fly fishing has led to a special fondness for blue lining and brook trout. Although he has extensively studied Virginia brook trout, he's struggled to find similar literature on bro...

Rob met Vic on a tributary of New York's Salmon River in March of 2024. Vic is a retired lawyer. He lives with his wife in her home town not far from some amazing New York angling opportunities. While Vic strung up his rod he and Rob struck up a conversation and Rob instantly knew this was going to be a future podcast. Part one of the episode is Vic Kopnitsky telling Rob about his life growing up...

Curtis Knight has worked for CalTrout since 2000, he is currently their Executive Director. He has been working on removal of obsolete dams along the Klamath River which will open up fish passage to over 400 miles of potential spawning and rearing habitat. In this episode you will learn about the Klamath dams and their history and why the dams need to be removed. You will hear about Mcloud river f...

Rob recorded his June 6, 2024 talk at his local Trout Unlimited chapter. The subject was urban fishing in Northern Virginia. Locations were chosen based on their unconventional locations. Three locations are next to sewage treat meant plants. One spot is an urban waterfront along the Potomac, another is a tidal creek you wouldn't notice without Google Maps. Rob talks about each location, the gear...

Author and electrical engineer Tim Schulz joins Rob for this informative episode. Our first podcast interview about Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Tim live's in the snowiest part of Michigan, on a peninsula, surrounded by fish. The first half of the episode is Tim's stories of fishing his unique home waters which include numerous species including lake-run migratory brook trout. Part two is all about...

Rob takes a deep dive into the life history of the cutthroat trout. This episode contains everything you need to know about cutthroats except how to catch them. You do not need to be an angler to enjoy this episode. Rob starts off with introducing new terminoogy and then dives deep into the confusing taxonomy of these fish. The podcast continues with the history, physical description, and range/ge...

Rob and Caitlin venture to the Salmon River of New York for a few days of rest, relaxation, and drop back steelhead. This is their travelogue. They stop in Binghampton on the way up for Caitlin to record a few songs at Business District Recording. There are other non-fishing adventures in this trip. They enjoy some legendary food, epic winds, and meet up with Rob's cousin. What exactly is a drop b...

Allen Rupp is Rob's new favorite fly tyer. Allen’s Fly On The Water specializes in custom hand tied flies. coldwater, warmwater or saltwater. He ties the flies fish want. Allen is the most meticulous fly tying guest on this podcast. His standards for hooks, scissors, vises, and feathers will change how you tie flies. Rob is a bit dismayed that Allen can tie all of these flies, dye materials, and s...

Rob speaks with Ralph Valle from The Maryland Fly Fishing Show. The Maryland Fly Fishing and Collectible Tackle Show is one of the East coast's premier shows. It will be held Saturday, March 23, 2024. This event unites fishing aficionados from the mid-Atlantic region with top tier fly-fishing vendors for a day filled with gear exploration, sales, expert fly-tying demonstrations, insightful seminar...

Rob first came across the work of Dr. Jacob Katz in the book Upstream by Langdon Cook. The chapter was titled “Make Way for the Floodplain Fatties”. Cook detailed research by CalTrout that showed salmon grew larger when feeding in flooded rice fields along the Sacramento Delta. Jacob Katz holds a PH.D. in ecology at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He currently directs CalTrout’s Centra...