Anchored with April Vokey

Jac Ford took up fly fishing in elementary school. By the fifth grade, he was tying his own flies and before graduating from high school, he was an avid fly-tier and fly-fisherman. Jac started fly fishing for steelhead in 1972 before getting the travel bug and setting off to experience other fisheries—including Montana, where he made quite a name for himself.  Jac is a longtime guide, outfitter an...

Tim Arsenault has a laugh you won’t forget and a cast you’ll want to master. An avid angler and competitor at the popular Spey-o-Rama casting event, he has made a much-deserved name for himself as one of North America’s top casters. Tim is the founder of Bridge Fly Lines and the manager of Vancouver’s Michael and Young Fly shop. In this episode of Anchored, Tim shares the story of how he started f...

Derek Bird grew up fly fishing Rocky Mountain streams in British Columbia’s Kootenay region. His passion for catching trout has taken him to some of North America’s most remote destinations. He is the author of two books and is the founding editor of Fly Fusion Magazine, where you can find his regular column, Stream Lines.  In this episode of Anchored, we cover his life as a writer in an ever-chan...

Jessie Krebs is a former US Air Force SERE specialist who believes that skills combined with preparation allow for a deeper connection to the wilderness. Sere stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape—all things that sound mildly terrifying to the average person. But Jessie is the opposite of those things. She is warm, patient, thoughtful and kind… most of all, she’s inspiring.  In this...

Drew Chicone has made a name for himself as one of the industry’s top fly tiers… and rightfully so. The author of 15 books and a stream of impressive patterns, Drew keeps his finger on innovation, all while continuously providing education and value to his followers and readers.  In this episode of Anchored, Drew and I discuss putting scent on flies, UV materials, the infamous crab, and the ingenu...

Champion cyclist Emily Rodger’s ascent to the podium was twice derailed by near-fatal collisions. Her journey to overcome injury and PTSD lead her back to the pastime of her childhood and her love for fly fishing. In this episode of Anchored, she tells her story and shares how she discovered not only her own peace but also a path for others facing a personal crisis and unexpected life change.  Thi...

As a young boy, Trevor Covich knew he wanted to be a fishing guide. Born and raised in Washington state, he’s always had a love for anadromous fish. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss fishing for chinook salmon, water columns, fishing lanes, following the fish migration, and Trevor’s controversial outlook on current fishing stocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

Katie Fiedler-Anderson has been guiding for 13 years. Based in Colorado, before becoming a fishing guide, she worked as a raft guide, video kayaker, rock climbing instructor, and high ropes instructor. Teaching and the outdoors is in her blood. A certified USCG Captain, Katie takes fly fishing everywhere she travels. She competes in the invite-only Women’s Tarpon Fly Fishing Tournament in the Flor...

Larry Dahlberg is a guest I’ve been keen to have on the show for some time now. You may know of him as the man who created the Dahlberg Diver, but he is also the inventor of Flashabou and various other fishing innovations. In this episode of Anchored, Larry and I discuss his long-running television series, The Hunt for Big Fish, how he got his start, and his thoughts on fishing the thermocline, id...

Steve Ramirez is a writer, educator, master naturalist, philosopher, and outdoor adventurer who lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country. Steve has had an interesting career… from working alongside President Bush to University Professor. I was intrigued to hear more about his life. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss his books, time in the Marine Corp, living life to the fullest and more. Th...

Marcelo Pérez is the founder and CEO of Untamed Angling. An architect and passionate angler, Marcelo grew up in Argentina, where he fine tuned his fly fishing skills and gravitated toward the illustrious golden dorado. This fascination would eventually lead him to open a number of wilderness fishing operations that are modelled around teaming up on a 50/50 partnership with indigenous jungle tribes...

In June 2019, Marina Gibson launched The Northern Fishing School at Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire, where her and her team teach fly fishing while connecting as many people as possible to the great outdoors. In this episode of Anchored we discuss finding a home base, why working in fishing can feel so exhausting, growing pains and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

They don’t make ‘em quite like Rob Smith anymore. Rob is a native southerner and true outdoorsman who’s been obsessed with fishing for almost sixty years. I’d heard of Rob—aka The Moustache— through various mutual acquaintances, but only after an introduction from one of our members was I able to finally invite him to be on the show.  In this episode of Anchored, Rob shares how he went from game w...

Mia and Marty Sheppard are two of the most well-known steelhead guides in the Pacific Northwest, and for good reason. Marty grew up on the banks of the Sandy River in Oregon, landing his first steelhead by the age of five. Mia grew up in Tennessee, chasing trout and hiking the Great Smoky Mountains. In this episode of Anchored we discuss how they met, Marty’s thoughts on fishing out bad casts, whe...

Mickey Finn, born Michael Shanahan, didn’t find guiding… guiding found him. Mickey spends his days guiding in Australia’s Snowy Mountains. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss brown trout, using UV in flies, anxiety, building a raft and more. This episode of Anchored is brought to you by Great Fishing Adventures of Australia. The diversity of Australia’s fishing experiences is as vast as the co...

Ryan Heitz has worked at Michael and Young Fly Shop for over twenty years. For me, Ryan was the "shop guy" I looked up to when I first started fly fishing. He was—and is—an incredibly knowledgable angler who rarely boasts about his accomplishments, yet offers an open ear to those looking to share their enthusiasm and stories. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Ryan to ask him what it’s r...

Skip Morris is the author of over twenty fly-fishing books and hundreds of fly-fishing articles. He’s been a well-known personality in the fly-fishing industry long before my time and I was genuinely excited to get to know him better. In this episode of Anchored, Skip shares his journey as a professional fly tier.  This episode of Anchored is brought to you by South Dakota and its incredible Pheas...

Dr. Max Holmes is Acting President and Executive Director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center. He studies rivers around the world, leading the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory, the Global Rivers Observatory, and the Cape Cod Rivers Observatory. Max is a life-long angler who’s thrilled to be bringing his scientific and fly- fishing passions together with Science on the Fly. In this episode of An...

You may know this week's guest as @NorthWestFlyGirl or you may even be a part of her Facebook group, United Women on the Fly, but you may not know Heather Hodson. In this episode of Anchored, Heather and I talk about her start in fly fishing, her passion for education, and her thoughts on inclusion in fly fishing and online communities. You’ll be inspired by Heather’s love of learning and desire t...

Carl and Kathryn Martens own Aventuron, a grassroots, family-owned business in Sheboygan, Wisconsin that was built on belief and sheer determination. In this episode of Anchored, they share their story about making the dive into retail, how they manage the pressures of the big-box stores, and how things aren’t always as they appear. This episode of Anchored is brought to you by South Dakota and it...

Gill Steele was born to fish. The daughter of respected angler and shop owner, Dave Steele, she grew up in the fishing industry where she continues to flourish to this day. Gill is an avid angler, conservationist and community leader who faces challenges head on. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss the realities of growing up in a fishing family, the psychology behind anglers, and how the futu...

Tom Morgan Rodsmiths evolved from a dream of Tom's while owning the R. L. Winston Rod Company from 1973 to 1991. He always wanted to build a limited number of superior graphite rods for appreciative anglers—rods not limited by cost or materials, fine-tuned until their actions were perfect. Sadly, Tom passed away in 2017 of pneumonia. While he is no longer with us, his legacy in rod design will con...

Jeff Hickman and David Moskowitz are no strangers to wild steelhead. Jeff Hickman is a longtime steelhead guide, lodge owner and advocate. His passion for protecting wild species and places consistently take priority over financial gain, making him one of the most trusted voices in the fishing industry. David Moskowitz is Executive Director of the Conservation Angler. He has held leadership positi...

Phil Rowley is a stillwater icon. Author, presenter, fly tier and instructor, Phil has shared his knowledge and paved the road for countless anglers. I was excited to finally have him on the show to learn more about his introduction to the fly fishing industry. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss chironomids, triploids, feeling boxed in, and how went from working in an insurance office to work...

When I think of the perfect Trout Bum story, Justin Crump comes to mind. Justin fell in love with fishing at an early age, before dedicating his entire life to the pursuit. In this episode of Anchored, Justin and I discuss how his willingness to go with the flow introduced him to a lifetime of adventure, a successful career, and even the love of his life.  We discuss the highs and lows of working...