Anchored with April Vokey

Jenna McRae is somewhat new to taxidermy, but she is full of passion, knowledge and talent. Although she has only been practicing for a year and a half, she has a natural ability for the craft and her artistic talent shows in her work. In this episode of Anchored I find the answers to all of my questions, including how to choose a taxidermist, if there any animals Jenna won’t work with, and how to...

Have you ever wondered if freediving and spearfishing are as peaceful as they seem? My guest today describes them as transcendent. Born and raised in Hawaii, Kimi Werner is a chef, an award-winning artist, motivational speaker, a U.S. National Spearfishing Champion, and most recently, a new mother. Join us for a conversation about life as a new mother, freediving, spearfishing, and hunting. Listen...

Over the last few years, a surprising amount of troll accounts have emerged on social media platforms. While some are humorous and light-hearted, others thrive on the mistakes and misfortune of others. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with the person who runs Copper Plated Sixes, an account that focuses on the fishing and hunting industries. We discuss why he feels the need to run such an a...

Erin Block works as a librarian and freelance writer. She is the author of countless articles and 2 books including, The View from Coal Creek and By a Thread. But of course, Erin is more than that, she is an angler, hunter, and forager. In this episode, we dive into Erin’s life and she reveals how she got into fly fishing and hunting for food and why she has chosen to step away from fly fishing. Y...

Fly tying expert, Brita Fordice, joins me on this episode of Anchored to discuss tying flies, life, and much more. Fishing has always been a part of Brita Fordice’s life. Growing up in Washington she fished for steelhead, trout, and salmon. She even started tying flies at 10 years old. As an accomplished angler and guide in Puget Sound, her custom patterns are loved by fly fishers everywhere. List...

Hoagy Carmichael is a producer, director, author and bamboo rod builder. Growing up as the son of one of America’s most cherished songwriters, Hoagy is no stranger to the pressures of passing on legacies. In 1968, he met bamboo rod builder Edmund Everett Garrison, where he would eventually chronicle the work of one of fly fishing’s greats. You can find this video in the Members section of Anchored...

The whole point of catch and release fishing is to ensure those fish live to swim another day. But sometimes, even with our best intentions, that prized fish won’t get to live much longer. Anglers and fisheries scientists, Dr. Andy Danylchuk and Sascha Clark Danylchuk are working hard to change that. Their nonprofit KeepEmWet Fishing (soon to be KeepFishWet) strives to give anglers better practice...

Captains For Clean Water started out as a group of fishing guides who were fed up with Florida’s water management practices. The organisation advocates for the elimination of harmful, large-scale freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the east and west by restoring the natural flow south into the Everglades and Florida Bay.  In this episode of Anchored, I meet with captains Chris Wittman an...

Kirk Deeter is the vice president of media at Trout Unlimited and the editor of TROUT Magazine. He’s also an editor-at-large for Field & Stream and the editor-in-chief of Angling Trade. To say he’s busy is an understatement. The workload isn’t new to Kirk—he’s been working in the fly fishing industry since 2000 and is no stranger to the long hours of journalism. In this episode of Anchored, I meet...

Daniel Galhardo was born in Brazil, but came to the States as an exchange student, where he fell in love with trout fishing. When Daniel accidentally stumbled on the topic of Tenkara fishing, he was immediately intrigued. Tenkara is an ancient, Japanese form of fly-fishing that uses only a rod, line and fly, but no reel. Daniel committed himself to learning more about its history and in 2009 he fo...

***Take our Josh Niland Masterclass here!*** Josh Niland is quite possibly the hottest chef on the scene right now. Owner of the Saint Peter restaurant and Fish Butchery in Sydney, he has risen to fame for using of an average 91% of every fish he buys. This September, Josh released his “Whole Fish Cookbook”, which serves as a guide for chefs, home cooks, and anglers who are also looking to waste l...

Meredith McCord is a keen angler, professional trip host, and world traveler. Today she holds 180 records through the IGFA, and she shows no signs of slowing down. Meredith has worked her entire career to make it so that she can fish as often as possible. In the second part of this two-part episode of Anchored, we wrap up Meredith’s timeline and discuss tipping guides, mellowing out, being lonely...

Meredith McCord is a keen angler, professional trip host, and world traveler. Today she holds 180 records through the IGFA, and she shows no signs of slowing down. Meredith has worked her entire career to make it so that she can fish as often as possible. In Part One of this two-part episode of Anchored, we discuss chasing records, how she got into the fishing industry, and the rumors she’d like t...

Land Tawney is the President and CEO of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. The organisation is a non-profit sportsmen's group based in Montana.  In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Land to get a better understanding of what he and BHA do. We discuss public land, taking action, handling criticism and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Gierach is one of the most iconic fishing writers of all time. Having published 20 books and countless articles, it’s been said that John may be the only fly fishing writer who’s made a decent living at the craft. It’s not hard to believe—John’s talent for bringing words to life is something only time and dedication can master. In this episode of Anchored, I meet with John for the first time...

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) is the sole trade organisation for the fly fishing industry. Over the years, AFFTA has worked hard to grow the industry, all while balancing the tricky task of sustainability and diversification.  In this episode of Anchored, I meet up with Ben Bulis, the organisation’s president, and Matt Smythe, the communications and membership director. We dis...

Jen Ripple is the owner and editor-in-chief of Dun Magazine, an international women’s fly fishing publication—the first of its kind. I met Jen about six years ago when she was just getting Dun off the ground. I found her perspective on the fishing industry refreshing, so I was excited when our paths crossed and we could sit down to record a conversation. In this episode of Anchored, Jen and I disc...

Jude Mayall is a chef, industry advisor, and author of the Outback Chef Cookbook. I first learned of Jude while looking for new reading material at the library. I was immediately intrigued by her knowledge and appreciation of Australia’s native ingredients, so I reached out to see if she’d be willing to sit down with me. In this episode of Anchored, Jude and I discuss the history of native plants...

For this week’s episode of Anchored, I went back through the archives of a television show I used to host. While sifting through files, I found one of my favourite interviews that never made it to air. It’s a fascinating discussion with author and salmon aficionado Topher Browne.   Topher and I discuss how fly size selection relates to the speed of water, how the barometer affects salmon and steel...

I’m often asked how Anchored came to be. The short answer is that it stemmed from a television series I used to host. Limited airtime meant my interviews were cut into soundbites, leaving some truly wonderful history sitting on the editing floor. This week, I thought it might be time to dig into the archives and share some interviews that took place at a time when I’d never even dreamt about start...

Nigel Millgate grew up in the rural community of Dubbo, New South Wales. He’s a proud Karulkiyalu man of the Ngemba Nation, with deep roots to his ancestral lands. For the last ten years, Nigel has worked within indigenous communities across Australia, where he empowers people through culture, education, employment, and youth suicide prevention. He’s also an avid bowhunter who spends the majority...

In this episode of Anchored I’m joined by Catherine Laflamme and Tim Arsenault from Michael and Young Fly Shop to revisit the discussion about choosing a first fly fishing setup. Both Tim and Catherine are accomplished anglers, casters and salespeople, so I thought they’d be perfect to answer questions from a someone who is new to fly fishing. We discuss fly line composition, taper, weight, functi...

When John Gierach mentioned Bill Fitzsimmons in “Trout Bum,” he wrote about Bill’s professionalism, skill, and deliberate efforts to avoid the camera. So, naturally, I was delighted when Bill agreed to share more of his story here on Anchored. From Christmas Island in the early 1980s, the early days of fly fishing for tarpon, and owning a fly shop in Basalt, Colorado, Bill knows the fishing indust...

Tyler Kushnir has been fishing for trout and steelhead since the 1960s. A retired high school teacher and well-known fishing personality, he’s been at the heart of steelhead advocacy for as long as I’ve known him. Tyler put in 18 years of guiding on B.C.'s Haida Gwaii before hanging up his hat and becoming vice president of the Steelhead Society of B.C. Tyler is a skilled float fisherman, though i...

Oliver Ngy has been fishing since he was a kid. A self-taught angler from Southern California, he learned the values of commitment and dedication at an early age. Since then, Oliver has become a familiar face in the bass scene and is renowned for catching monster fish. In this episode of Anchored, Oliver and I sit down to discuss how he targets big fish, his thoughts on patterning, and how he abso...