Anchored with April Vokey

Join me for a quick conversation with Charles Gaines, an iconic outdoor writer, and the ingenious creator of paintball. In this episode, we delve deep into the pages of Charles' extraordinary career, exploring his contributions to outdoor literature and the unexpected twist of fate that led to the birth of the worldwide sensation, paintball. From his early days as an outdoor enthusiast to becoming...

Matt Harris is a London-based photographer who started his angling journey at an early age — now at 58, he’s more hooked than ever. Matt's love for fly-fishing has led him on hundreds of extraordinary adventures across the globe, from Russia's Arctic Circle to the Amazon jungle, Australia’s Northern Territories... there’s hardly a fly fishing destination he hasn’t visited. In this episode of the A...

In this episode of Anchored, I had the pleasure of hosting Lucy Bowden, the visionary founder of Fishing For Everyone, established in 2005. Hailing from Britain, Lucy is not just an angling coach but a passionate angler who discovered her love for the sport at the tender age of five. What sets Lucy apart is her unwavering belief that fishing should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age, rac...

Do you remember the first time you saw Hank Patterson on screen? I certainly do. I didn’t know what exactly I was watching, but I was laughing and left wanting more. Travis Swartz’s character, Hank Patterson, is a self-proclaimed world renowned fly fishing guide and instructor who exudes confidence in scenarios he knows very little about. His comedy pokes light-hearted fun at some of the more deba...

Dave Zielinski has fished periodical and annual cicada emergences for decades on waterways in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. He recently released his book, Cicada Madness, which is the first book dedicated to the patterns, techniques, and more importantly, the science of locating the best hatches of these insects. In this episode of Anchored, we lear...

Jack Dennis is a long-time guide, author, television personality, and one of the early pioneers of fly-fishing. In the second part of this two-part episode with Jack, we discuss making money in the fly fishing industry, rookie anglers, the evolution of fly fishing’s accessibility, A River Runs Through It, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Dennis is a long-time guide, author, television personality, and one of the early pioneers of fly-fishing. In this two-part episode with Jack, we discuss how he got his start in the fly-fishing industry, some of the most famous names in the business, his television series, the annual One Fly competition, his renowned Humpy fly, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Jake Jordan is a renowned fly-fishing guide and instructor who’s been in the fishing business for over seventy years. Founder of STH Reels and World Class Angler, an early fly shop in the Florida Keys, Jake has been at the forefront of many changes in the big game world. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss how he got his start, fly fishing for tarpon before it became overly popular, fishing fo...

Dec has been on my podcast guest list since before I even launched the show. A full-time steelhead guide from the 80’s and the author of one of my favourite books, A Passion for Steelhead, Dec certainly has a story to tell. In this episode of Anchored, we get to know more about Dec—the person—and his life before, during and after guiding. We discuss fishing in the PNW in the 80’s and 90’s, the int...

I first heard of Johnnie McClure when I announced our 2023 member’s trip to Montana. I’d committed to dates that aligned with our filming of Kelly Galloup’s Masterclass for Anchored Outdoors (which I hope most of you are already members of). As word spread through our community, so too did the request that I get Johnnie on the show. Thankfully, I was able to steal an hour with Johnnie once we were...

Conway Bowman has been on my list of podcast guests since this show first began. Nine seasons later, it’s finally happened! In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Conway to learn more about his adventurous lifestyle, how he became known as THE fly fishing guide for mako sharks, why Mako’s may just be the ultimate gamefish and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Devin Olsen has been a member of Fly Fishing Team USA since 2006, winning individual bronze and team silver in the 2015 World Fly Fishing Championships in Bosnia. Once a salmon and steelhead biologist in Joseph, Oregon, Devon is a wealth of knowledge. In this episode of Anchored we discuss how he got in to competitive fly fishing, how it’s structured, and how he used it to become the angler he is...

Al and Gretchen Beatty have become fan favourites in our Anchored Outdoors membership. Long-time fly tiers, instructors and authors, the duo is a class act who oozes depth, precision and professionalism into everything they do. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with them to learn more about their personal story, Al’s time working for Whiting Farm, hairwing flies, and tips and tricks that wil...

Karin Miller is the owner of Zen Tenkara, a Colorado company that designs, manufactures and sells Tenkara rods, lines and accessories. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Karin to hear more about how the company was founded, how she handles innovation and criticism, angles while fighting fish, Tenkara’s history, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Zeb Hogan is a research biologist at the University of Nevada, Reno and the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species Scientific Councilor for Fish. He has a doctoral degree in ecology, was a visiting Fulbright scholar at the Environmental Risk Assessment Program at Thailand’s Chiang Mai University and has served as a World Wildlife Fund Senior Freshwater Fellow. Zeb also hosts the popula...

George Daniel has an impressive resume… he started fly fishing when he was a young boy before trying out — and qualifying — for Fly Fishing Team USA. George is a two-time US National Fly Fishing Champion and was ranked as high as 5th in the world. He’s also the author of multiple best selling fly fishing books, as well as the director and lead instructor for the Pennsylvania State University Fly F...

Ann Miller is an aquatic biologist and the author of the popular book, Hatch Guide for Upper Midwest Streams. I’ve been a longtime fan of Ann’s… from her work with entomology to her founding of Fly Girls in 1996. In this episode of Anchored, Ann and I sit down to discuss how her experience in a tricky economy helped to shape her career into what it is today. Join us as we dive into the nitty gritt...

For decades, Mike Tayloe has been involved in pre-hospital emergency care focusing on remote and wilderness medicine. As director of operations and co-founder of Finns West he’s provided remote medical services from Mount Everest to Antarctica. Tayloe guides for several fly fishing outfitters spanning Colorado to Chile. In this episode of Anchored, Tayloe shares how his passion for fishing paired...

Eric Paulson started his fly-fishing career in the Pacific Northwest. Growing up in an outdoor oriented family, Eric spent his time fishing and hunting in waters and terrain ranging from the Pacific Coast to Western Montana.   In 1989, he moved to Bozeman, Montana to chase a college football dream with Montana State University. This dream was short-lived, but he found the passion for exploration o...

Tommy Lynch is the first person who comes to my mind when I think about night-fishing for huge brown trout. Having guided over twenty years in Michigan, Tommy has earned a reputation for being one of the fishiest guys in the area. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with him to discuss the ins and outs of night-fishing, and learn some other fun facts along the way. I wanted to take a moment to...

Born and raised in Sicily, Italy, Enrico Puglisi learned to fish by watching his father catch dinner in the Mediterranean Sea. They even used feathers from their own chickens, unintentionally seeding the concept of fly fishing in Enrico’s mind. But it wasn’t until Enrico received a bill for his favourite tying material that he accidentally fell into the fly fishing industry. In this episode of Anc...

Rich Stuber is a native Montanan who worked in the inflatable business, specifically manufacturing Water Master Rafts, for years before eventually taking over the company. In this episode of Anchored, Rich and I sit down to discuss what to look for in an inflatable raft, how to make the most out of your time on the water, and more. If you haven’t checked out our latest mini-course on Raft fishing...

Tim O’Neill had big shoes to fill the day he took over Norvise Fly Tying Vises in 2018. A machinist by trade, he’d already worked with the company’s founder, Norm Norlander, for a decade prior to the takeover. An unfortunate illness would ultimately hinder decades of Norm’s hard work and passion, making Tim the company’s new CEO. In this episode of Anchored, Tim and April talk about Norm, the busi...

Chris Dombrowski is a poet, author, teacher, and river guide who works and lives in Missoula, Montana. His latest book, The River You Touch, was recently released and I was keen to hear more about its behind the scenes. In this episode of Anchored, Chris and I discuss poetry, why it matters, our relationship with water, and how each of us process our inner conversation differently. This episode is...

Dan “Rooster” Leavens is unforgettable. Today he’s the head guide and owner of Stonefly Outfitters, but there’s a whole lot more to the Montana local. Dan’s early career in the Coast Guard took him away from New England and put him on the pacific coast, where he developed an addiction to steelhead. After years of guiding in Washington and Alaska, he fell in love with a little fly shop in Montana,...