The Struggle Is Reel

Short Leash Good Grief 05.11.2026 1:01:43 ↓

Ep. 52 Zach is back in his splint with his split-open knuckle, and he keeps falling asleep whenever he sits down. Matt is recording from a friend's house because he forgot it was his idea to pod that night. Eric then tells a long story about a brutal run of steelhead guiding days. Matt tells a story about the conference he went to where he stole a high end lunch. They finish with trip plans for th...

Animal Farmed 28.10.2026 1:31:36 ↓

Ep.51 In this episode, the group gives Adrian Cortez a shoutout as a listener who genuinely loves the show and treats it like therapy. Eric goes off on an internet personality, Andrew Wilson, arguing that smugness matters more than the actual takes because it makes the guy unbearable to watch. Zach tells a steelhead story about a client who got knucklebased on a huge fish and broke off 12-pound li...

Shia Le Boof 21.10.2026 1:28:46 ↓

Ep. 49 In this motherfucking economy Matt Thornton, Eric, and Zach cover a wide-ranging shop-and-river conversation that jumps from steelhead fishing updates to guide-life logistics, gear etiquette, podcasting, and a few deeply questionable side quests. It’s mostly a three-way hang, but the fishing talk is real: winter steelhead conditions, skater presentation, boat choices, and the weird politics...

Wind Dicksock 16.10.2026 1:12:35 ↓

Ep. 48 This episode is a loose, funny catch-up with Eric, Zach, and Matt centered on recent steelhead trips, a knuckle injury, and the kind of river stories that only happen when a camera crew shows up. It mixes practical guide talk, trip logistics, and a few real-deal moments about resilience, community, and keeping a season moving. We discuss the chaos of filming with a home-studio setup, Zach’s...

Eatsy 07.10.2026 1:01:32 ↓

Ep: 47

SuidSize me 30.09.2026 1:00:23 ↓

Ep. 46

Countdown To Skynet: Might As Well Go Fish 23.09.2026 1:02:57 ↓

Ep. 45 Steelhead, pattern recognition, and accepting what you can’t controlEric, Zach, and Matt spend most of this episode unpacking the weird psychology of steelhead fishing, especially how much of it comes down to patience, consistency, and accepting randomness. They also compare steelhead to other species, talk through a memorable last-minute catch for a friend, and wrap with travel updates, a...

I'm Fly Fishing? 07.09.2026 1:12:59 ↓

Ep. 44

Lord Give Me A Lobotomy 26.08.2026 1:16:45 ↓

Ep.43

Your Dads A Numbers Guy 19.08.2026 59:14 ↓

Episode 42 Matt, Eric, and Zach catch up on river life, trailer-backing disasters, and the eternal debate between bead fishing and “real” fishing. The episode moves from neighborhood parking rage to steelhead and trout tactics, with Zach sharing what it’s like guiding the Deschutes post steelhead closure. In this episode, Matt opens with the running joke that “the struggle is real” before the conv...

The Gang Goes Bonkers 12.08.2026 1:29:05 ↓

Episode 41

Rage Relapse 05.08.2026 47:29 ↓

Episode 40

Beads B4 Bros 29.07.2026 1:04:38 ↓

Episode 40

King Of The Beaver Bar 22.07.2026 1:23:33 ↓

Episode 39

Shadow Sides 15.07.2026 1:02:21 ↓

Episode 38

Ziggy Starlink 08.07.2026 52:34 ↓

Episode 37

THEY who? 01.07.2026 42:16 ↓

Episode 36

Jeff Arnold Chronicles Vol.2 24.06.2026 1:14:00 ↓

Episode 35

Bass>Bass 17.06.2026 54:07 ↓

Episode 34

Jeff Arnold: Alaska Chronicles Vol. 1 10.06.2026 58:38 ↓

Episode 33

Countdown To Matt’s 12th Season in Alaska. 03.06.2026 49:06 ↓

Episode 32

Back To The Future 27.05.2026 1:02:30 ↓

Episode 31 We thought we lost an episode. But then found it. So yes. This episode was prior to Matt going to Belize. That’s on us. We fucked up, it’s on us. We fucked up it’s on us. We fucked up. We’re taking accountability 1000% we’re not gonna play games.

It’s a Reservation, dawg 20.05.2026 43:56 ↓

Episode 30

Spey Clave 13.05.2026 1:04:00 ↓

Episode 28

American Lipo 06.05.2026 48:39 ↓

Episode 27