Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast

Julie Mattson was born and raised in Montana. At the age of ten, Julie met Joan Wulff, and her life in fly fishing began. Julie has guided in Montana and Alaska. She currently lives and guides near Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow, Oklahoma, on the beautiful Lower Mountain Fork River. We’ll hear stories from Julie’s life as a guide, competitive angler, and dubbing addict. She talks about sna...

Tom Rosenbauer joins Rob to discuss fly fishing for bonefish. Tom has worked for Orvis for several decades. Be sure to click the link on his name for his biography. Rob jumps right into bonefish talk and skips over Tom's background. Tom has numerous contributions to the world of fly fishing. Rob forgot to ask him about introducing bead head flies to America. While at Orvis Tom has authored numerou...

Live from the 23rd Annual Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival. The Virginia Fly Fishing Festival is the largest event of its kind in the country and attracts fly anglers from across the United States and the Mid-Atlantic in particular. Nowhere else can anglers learn about the quiet sport in such a beginner-friendly environment. Their unique event combines fine wine tasting, microbrewery beer, and...

Is that fish tungsten worthy? Are you willing to lose ten dollars worth of beads to catch that trout? Which bead to use for spring creeks? Which bead do you need for plunge pools? Rob breaks down the different reasons to weight your flies and the methods used. This episode covers cones and beads to putty and dumbells. You will learn what they are made from, their mass, and current market price. So...

The end of 2023 is a few weeks away and Rob has some suggestions on gear and items for gifts for yourself or others. A listener sends in a net endorsement. Rob breaks his list down into 'small items', those under $100 and 'big items' that cost a bit more. Please contact Rob for any questions on the brands or items. Use code 'snowhite' at Turtlebox. Produced by Jason Reif  Support This Podcast  Lea...

Part three of this year's steelhead trip. Rob recounts the events of his excursion north to the Salmon River of New York. He discusses the tactics used, the decisions made, the large and small flies tied, and the ups and downs of the trip. Rob further discusses the oddities of the Salmon River fishery and the the reason people drive there for steelhead. The episode branches off into gear reviews o...

Part two of this year's steelhead trip. The annual fall migration to New York's Salmon River. Rob meets Producer Jason in Pulaski, New York for a weekend of steelhead fishing. Rob discusses his fly choices and what has been working, the types of water the fish are hiding in, and serious case of the meatloaf sweats. Rob and Jason host some friends from Maine for an interview and experience their fi...

Part one of this year's steelhead trip. The annual fall migration to New York's Salmon River. Rob meets Producer Jason in Pulaski, New York for a weekend of steelhead fishing. This is Jason's first time back to the river since the pandemic. Listen as Rob recounts the weekend's events from the packing and preparing for the trip to stream updates and interviews. They meet friends old and new on the...

Rob invited John Fall to discuss the Legends of The Fly tournament on this latest episode of The Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast. Rob and John discuss the history of the tournament, attendees, legends, beneficiaries, and the itinerary for the tournament. You’ll get a chance to bid on a bottle of ‘Pappy 23. Now that I have your attention, Legends of the Fly “was conceived in 2013, as a way to raise...

Rob invited Mike Heck on the show to discuss all things spring creek trout. Rob first met Mike in 1999 during a Saturday morning talk at Orvis Tysons. You have heard Mike on a variety of podcast episodes throughout the years from special events. This is his fully dedicated episode. Mike is a busy dude in South Central Pennsylvania. He is a full time guide. He authors articles and wrote a book. He...

The DC Metro area has been in a drought for months. The Potomac River has been at the lowest levels in years. The gauge at Little Falls recently reported a low of 2.4'. Rob decided to take advantage of the low water to explore a low dam that is normally submerged. He and his friend Dan followed the shoreline right up to the dam. The water was extremely low, the wind was howling, and the smallies w...

Rob met a disciple of Wooly Bugged on the Salmon River of New York in 2022. He did some research online and invited the founder of Woolly Bugged onto the podcast to learn more. Michael Evanko has been documenting his life in fly fishing for the past decade on blogs, YouTube, and social media. In this episode Michael and Rob discuss the learning curve for fishing great lakes migratory salmonids. Th...

In this episode Rob tells stories about the various boat’s he has owned over the years and the evolution of personal watercraft for fly fishing. This is Rob’s life with boats from what he has owned, been given, found, bought, upgraded, and destroyed. The podcast is interrupted by a caller and they discuss the tough fishing conditions from this summer. Rob introduces us to his newest boat and talks...

Rob returns to a very private quarry somewhere outside Washington D.C in search of stillwater smallmouth. The deep, cold water is full of fish, submerged trees, and abandoned mining equipment. Listen as Rob packs gear that he didn’t have the last time he visited this unique body of water. He tries a variety of flies and talks about hooking into some truly amazing fish. There’s a quick visit to the...

RJ Hosking is the chief executive officer of RareWaters. He is an industry leader that has worked formerly within the outdoor and experiential industries with Patagonia, Zamp Solar, Dometic Outdoor, and Airbnb. Rob catches up with RJ near the shore in Ventura, California. RJ starts off the conversation with his life and career in the outdoors and then transitions to RareWaters.  RJ discusses the t...

Rob discusses common mistakes made by novices at the vise - specifically those at a fly tying classes. Some of the most common mistakes are not holding the bobbin correctly, purchasing the wrong materials, and tying feathers in backwards. You will learn something new whether you are a life long fly tyer or someone thinking about taking up the hobby. We hope you enjoy this episode full of tips and...

Rob interviews Josh Caldwell, the director of Mending The Line from Blue Fox Entertainment. The movie is a story about finding something to make living worthwhile. A wounded veteran returns to the States carrying the demons of war. In Montana, he meets a surly, headstrong fly-fisherman more than twice his age, and Lucy, a talented photographer turned librarian. Both damaged in their own way. While...

This episode is about fixing rivers as fast as we can in the face of climate change. Rob invited author and angler Steve Hawley to discuss his latest book - Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World. This is another beautiful production from Patagonia Books. Steve Hawley is an environmental journalist who writes about rivers, dams, and the ecological impacts they have on salmonids in the...

Rob had no idea what it took to maintain a boat and trailer when he purchased his first drift boat. He's learned a lot. Rob breaks down the ins and outs of maintaining a boat trailer. His first drift boat and trailer were destroyed by a drunk driver. His new trailer has had some wild adventures too. These are the tools and gear Rob carries with him when trailering his Stealthcraft drift boat. List...

Phil Rowley is known as one of the two stillwater guys from Canada. That means he’s an expert at fly fishing for trout in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Rob and Phil are not going to talk about stillwater fishing. Every podcast Phil goes on talks about Stillwater fishing. These guys will talk about something else. Phil will tell us how he offers tips regarding strategies and tactics, fly tying advi...

The 8th Annual Project Healing Waters Fly Tying Marathon was held at The National Museum of the Marine Corps Museum in Triangle, Va.  Rob interviews museum employees and attendees. Fly tiers from Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders, District Angling, Northern Virginia Chapter Trout Unlimited, and the National Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited were in attendance.   You can donate flies to your local chapter...

Rob starts off discussing the possible effects of allowing your pets to enter streams after being treated with flea and tick medicines. Please refer to Dave Goulson for more information. Brian DeLoach called up Rob to do some fishing while he and his wife visited the Washington DC metropolitan area during their spring break. Rob met Brian at Four Mile Run and immediately knew he was different than...

“WE HAVE MORE FUN THAN ANYONE” is the credo the Sistesrs On The Fly (SOTF). A group of women that socialize, mobilize and recreate together. Maurrie Sussman is Sister Number 1, founder, and president of this amazing organization. Maurrie tells us stories about her childhood which led her to Montana – her people and her home. We learn about formation of SOTF, what happens at their events, their cam...

Big Hunting Creek is a favorite day trip destination for Washingtonians seeking cold water full of trout. Anglers visiting this stream have included several presidents. The stream’s proximity to Camp David has kept presidents and their guests entertained for decades. President Biden flies over Rob as he heads toward the Eagles playoff game. You can't make this stuff up. This is not a secret fishin...

Rob recently woke up before sunrise with hopes of catching trout. He drove to the Hagerstown Valley which sits atop miles of underground limestone caverns a little over an hour from Washington DC. The unique physical geography of the area supports Maryland’s largest spring creek. Rob has heard and read stories about the big brown trout lurking in these waters. Listen as he walks the stream and mak...