Anchored with April Vokey

Natalie Bogwalker is the founder and director of Wild Abundance, where she teaches carpentry, permaculture, primitive skills, and so much more. I met Natalie when we teamed with her for our online Hide Tanning class, and she has continued to blow my mind ever since. I’m currently in middle of her online gardening school and feel like a kid in a candy story with all the new skills I’m learning! In...

Al Perkinson is someone I’ve looked up to for a long time. For seventeen years, he was the CFO of Costa Sunglasses, where he led brand strategy, marketing, ecommerce and more. Al is an avid fly fisherman and conservationist who has a long resume of philanthropic work. On this episode of Anchored we discuss the benefits of polarised sunglasses, Al’s departure from Costa, the struggles of starting o...

Karen Brooks is a guide and outfitter based in Tasmania, Australia. She and her husband, Peter, share a unique story in that they both started guiding later in life upon finding matching drift boats for sale in North America. On this episode of Anchored, Karen and I enjoy a light conversation about fishing for trout in Tasmania, loch-style fishing, what it’s like to start over and more. Also, exci...

Christian Schauf is the founder of Uncharted Supply Co. His company specialises in kits built for unexpected survival situations. He started the company after seeing dozens of motorists stranded on the side of the highway during a blizzard in Colorado. On this episode of Anchored, we discuss the first 72 hours of survival, Christian’s experience on Shark Tank, and marketing without evoking fear. A...

Brian O’Keefe started fly fishing as a young boy. He started taking fish photos in an attempt to prove that he wasn’t making up stories about the fish he was catching. He would go on to become one of the most well-known names in fish photography. On this episode of Anchored, we discuss his incredible evolution as an angler, photographer, world traveler and industry pro. This episode of Anchored is...

The Saltwater Guides Association is a coalition of forward-thinking guides, small business owners and like-minded anglers who understand the value of keeping fish in the water. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Willy Goldsmith and Tony Friedrich to discuss the health of the East-coast striper fishery. To add you name to our Once a Year Premium Plus Masterclasses Waitlist, click here. Le...

Josh Nugent started his successful guiding operation, Out Fly Fishing Outfitters, in 2003. He recently purchased a fly shop in Calgary, Alberta, adding to his already impressive resume. I met Josh years ago during a filming project on the Bow river. He was my first guide and single-handedly changed how I looked at professionalism in the fishing industry.  Not only am I proud to announce Josh as on...

Donnie Vincent is an explorer, biologist, conservationist, and sportsman. These days Donnie is best known for his inspirational films and passion for story-telling, but Donnie’s journey started long before the cameras started rolling. On this episode of Anchored we discuss his passion behind the outdoors, his experiences with wild wolves, keeping our cool under pressure and so much more. Learn mor...

Clint Goyette is a Twelve time Canadian National Fly Fishing Championships competitor. He is also a guide and certified casting instructor who operates out of Squamish British Columbia. I recently hired Clint to teach our Czech Nymphing Masterclass over at AnchoredOutdoors.com and I was horrified to learn how many fish I’ve been passing up all these years. In this episode of Anchored, we discuss h...

Kaitlin Barnhart and Jess Westbrook are the founders of The Mayfly Project, an organization that uses fly fishing to help mentor and support children in foster care. The Mayfly Project introduces children in foster care to their local fisheries, with the hope that it will connect them to a rewarding hobby, ultimately providing them the opportunity to have fun, build confidence, and develop a meani...

Steven Drake is a hunting photographer whose work has helped to redefine how the hunting industry is perceived. An avid elk hunter, he frequents some of the most rugged and physically demanding terrain in the USA. In this episode of Anchored we discuss new hunters, the rut, moose pee and more. This episode of Anchored is brought to you by Brownells. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

For many of us, Kelly Galloup is a household name. His innovative fly-tying and unique angling approach has earned him his place in the fly-fishing industry. Kelly is the owner of the popular Galloup’s Slide Inn Lodge on the Madison river, but his story begins long before he moved to Montana.  In this episode of Anchored we discuss fly-tying materials, presentation, the industry, and of course the...

Travis and Tiffany Bader are both passionate hunters, anglers, foragers and foodies. They make their livings by sharing their passion with others through their company, Silvercore. Silvercore is Canada’s largest company of its kind, providing industry-leading training to all levels of government, private business and the general public. In this episode of Anchored, Travis and Tiffany help answer m...

Kristine Fischer @MidwestFishergal grew up fishing and playing in the outdoors. What she didn’t realise at the time, was that she’d soon become one of the most well-known anglers in the national kayak bass tournament scene. The recognition isn’t unwarranted… Kristine boasted 3 national level wins and a 2nd in the 2019 season, and she added another big win and several top tens in 2020. One of these...

Keith McCafferty is the Survival and Outdoor Skills Editor of Field & Stream, an author of eight books, winner of numerous literary awards, and just an all-round likeable guy. In this episode of Anchored, we hear the story behind Keith’s impressive history with Field and Stream, as well as the inspiration behind his novels and how he maintains his enthusiasm. Outline of This Episode [3:15] Keith’s...

Woniya Thibeault has spent her life studying ancestral skills. As the owner of Buckskin Revolution, she teaches classes and workshops, sharing her belief in the coexistence of humans and nature. In this episode of Anchored, Woniya and I discuss the desire to live off-grid, tanning deer hides and her remarkable experience on the popular tv show, Alone. Outline of This Episode [3:15] Woniya has spen...

Jim McLennan was one of the first fly-fishing guides on Alberta’s Bow River. A well known writer and speaker, Jim has authored four books and written countless magazine articles. In this episode of Anchored we discuss why we fish, how Jim got his start in the fishing industry, what the Bow river used to be like and how we change as we get older. Outline of This Episode [2:35] Jim was born in Edmon...

Yarrow Willard is an herbalist and philosopher who lives in British Columbia, Canada. Yarrow was born into a family of foragers who have changed thousands of people’s lives over the years. I was excited to sit down with him to pick his brain about mushrooms, wild foraging, pollens and more. Even if you’ve never foraged a day in your life, you're sure to walk away from this episode looking at the o...

Nanci Morris Lyon and Nelli Williams have been working for over a decade to safeguard Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine. Nanci owns Bear Trail Lodge on the famed Naknek River, and was one of the first female fishing guides in Alaska. Nelli is the Alaska Director for Trout Unlimited in Anchorage. Both Nanci and Nelli are mothers, avid anglers, and spokespeople for a cause that needs us more than eve...

Chad Brown is a decorated US Navy veteran who struggles with PTSD. A failed suicide attempt eventually led Chad to found a non-profit organization called Soul River Inc. Soul River brings together at-risk youth and veterans who act as mentors. Together they visit threatened wild spaces and embark on mission-driven experiences based around advocacy and outdoor education. In this episode of Anchored...

***Check out our Bow Drill Masterclass here!*** Brad Salon and Sarah Corrigan own the Roots school in Vermont. They teach a variety of skills, including self-reliance, survival, tracking and naturalist studies. In this episode of Anchored we discuss instinctive shooting, mushroom identification, basketry, foraging, hide tanning and more.  If these sorts of skills interest you, be sure to check out...

Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational speaker and founder of the Pride and Joy Foundation. When she reached out to me to see if we might be able to connect for a podcast, I wasn’t sure how her story linked back to the outdoors. So I tuned in to her TED talk, only to be taken aback when I learned that fly fishing changed her life. In this episode of Anchored I sit down with Elena and her partner K...

John Dietsch is perhaps best known in fly fishing circles for supervising all of the fly fishing scenes on the OSCAR winning film "A River Runs Through It", where he also conceived and executed the famous final fishing scene doubling for actor Brad Pitt by swimming a rapid while playing a fish. In this episode of Anchored we discuss John’s new book "Graced by Waters" and the healing properties of...

Hank Shaw is a celebrated chef, author and outdoorsman who runs the award-winning website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. In this episode of Anchored, Hank and I walk through his timeline, stopping along the way to discuss how we age game-birds, our favourite edible weeds, dandelion wine and more. This episode of Anchored is brought to you by Great Fishing Adventures of Australia.  Outline of This Ep...

Jay Johnson has a mission of instilling a passion for the outdoors in others. You may have seen Jay Johnson on the Trout Bums diaries, Geo Bass, or most recently, the Fisher Guy series on Animal Planet. Jay had a challenging background that molded him into the multifaceted person that he is today. In this episode of Anchored, you’ll hear about Jay’s early life, how he got into fishing, and why he...