Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast

Rob's introduction to fly fishing literature started with a copy of Sex, Death, And Fly Fishing while on vacation in The Galápagos Islands during the summer of 1993. The writings of John Gierach inspired Rob to pursue a lifetime of trout fishing, fly tying, travelling to Colorado, writing, and telling stories. Rob wanted to be a trout bum before he could drive a car. Rob talks about his fondness f...

Rob published the entire episode on 11/6. If you only heard the first 1hr5min please finish the show. Rob and Caitlin drove the Xterra north to New York for a wedding over the Labor Day weekend. This was a destination wedding that happened to be on one of the most famous trout streams in the world. Rob has read about this fishery since childhood. This is his first time visiting the Hancock area an...

Steve Duda is a Midwesterner turned west coaster. He describes writing as the only thing he can do. Currently, Steve is Head of Fish Tales at Patagonia. His work has appeared in numerous magazines, websites, and newspapers. Anglers know him as the former editor of The Fly Fish Journal. His new book titled River Songs is his first ‘solo album’ that consists of short stories from his travels and obs...

You will need a sea lamprey and a ten pound bowling ball for this episode. Rob was inspired to dedicate an entire podcast episode about lamprey after reading Cory Brant‘s Great Lakes Sea Lamprey: The 70 Year War on a Biological Invader. These bizarre fish would not have a full podcast episode dedicated to them, however their presence in the Great Lakes effects anglers across all the lakes. Rob sen...

Boat ramps can be intimidating, especially on a busy day. Rowing on a crowded river or a river with obstacles can be nerve racking. Do you really need to bring complete picnic lunch with you for a half day trip? Rob has been there, done that, and seen a few things over the years. This is his list of boat ramp and drift boat fly fishing things to think about before your next trip. Rob covers a few...

Justin Hardie is a freshman at Allegheny College. Before he moved into the dorm he was winning gold at The 21st annual FIPS-Mouche Cortland World Youth Fly Fishing Championship was held in Vyssi Brod from August 11th through August 17th, 2024. Rob checks in with Justin to find out how he started fly fishing, how he found out about competitive fishing aka "comp fishing", and the intricacies of a fl...

Rob joins his girlfriend's family for a road trip to her aunt's house near Myrtle Beach, SC. Of course he brings his fishing gear as any travel near water requires fishing. Unsure of what to expect, he searches Google Earth for fishy places along the Atlantic Ocean and Inner Coastal. There is not much online about fly fishing locations in this area. Listen as Rob describes his packing list and gea...

Gregg Rockett visits the Fly Fishing Consultant studios to share anecdotes from his past careers in hospitality and his rewarding life of fishing in retirement. Gregg learned the art of fly fishing across the pond. His fly fishing has led to a special fondness for blue lining and brook trout. Although he has extensively studied Virginia brook trout, he's struggled to find similar literature on bro...

Rob met Vic on a tributary of New York's Salmon River in March of 2024. Vic is a retired lawyer. He lives with his wife in her home town not far from some amazing New York angling opportunities. While Vic strung up his rod he and Rob struck up a conversation and Rob instantly knew this was going to be a future podcast. Part one of the episode is Vic Kopnitsky telling Rob about his life growing up...

Curtis Knight has worked for CalTrout since 2000, he is currently their Executive Director. He has been working on removal of obsolete dams along the Klamath River which will open up fish passage to over 400 miles of potential spawning and rearing habitat. In this episode you will learn about the Klamath dams and their history and why the dams need to be removed. You will hear about Mcloud river f...

Rob recorded his June 6, 2024 talk at his local Trout Unlimited chapter. The subject was urban fishing in Northern Virginia. Locations were chosen based on their unconventional locations. Three locations are next to sewage treat meant plants. One spot is an urban waterfront along the Potomac, another is a tidal creek you wouldn't notice without Google Maps. Rob talks about each location, the gear...

Author and electrical engineer Tim Schulz joins Rob for this informative episode. Our first podcast interview about Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Tim live's in the snowiest part of Michigan, on a peninsula, surrounded by fish. The first half of the episode is Tim's stories of fishing his unique home waters which include numerous species including lake-run migratory brook trout. Part two is all about...

Rob takes a deep dive into the life history of the cutthroat trout. This episode contains everything you need to know about cutthroats except how to catch them. You do not need to be an angler to enjoy this episode. Rob starts off with introducing new terminoogy and then dives deep into the confusing taxonomy of these fish. The podcast continues with the history, physical description, and range/ge...

Rob and Caitlin venture to the Salmon River of New York for a few days of rest, relaxation, and drop back steelhead. This is their travelogue. They stop in Binghampton on the way up for Caitlin to record a few songs at Business District Recording. There are other non-fishing adventures in this trip. They enjoy some legendary food, epic winds, and meet up with Rob's cousin. What exactly is a drop b...

Allen Rupp is Rob's new favorite fly tyer. Allen’s Fly On The Water specializes in custom hand tied flies. coldwater, warmwater or saltwater. He ties the flies fish want. Allen is the most meticulous fly tying guest on this podcast. His standards for hooks, scissors, vises, and feathers will change how you tie flies. Rob is a bit dismayed that Allen can tie all of these flies, dye materials, and s...

Rob speaks with Ralph Valle from The Maryland Fly Fishing Show. The Maryland Fly Fishing and Collectible Tackle Show is one of the East coast's premier shows. It will be held Saturday, March 23, 2024. This event unites fishing aficionados from the mid-Atlantic region with top tier fly-fishing vendors for a day filled with gear exploration, sales, expert fly-tying demonstrations, insightful seminar...

Rob first came across the work of Dr. Jacob Katz in the book Upstream by Langdon Cook. The chapter was titled “Make Way for the Floodplain Fatties”. Cook detailed research by CalTrout that showed salmon grew larger when feeding in flooded rice fields along the Sacramento Delta. Jacob Katz holds a PH.D. in ecology at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He currently directs CalTrout’s Centra...

Julie Mattson was born and raised in Montana. At the age of ten, Julie met Joan Wulff, and her life in fly fishing began. Julie has guided in Montana and Alaska. She currently lives and guides near Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow, Oklahoma, on the beautiful Lower Mountain Fork River. We’ll hear stories from Julie’s life as a guide, competitive angler, and dubbing addict. She talks about sna...

Tom Rosenbauer joins Rob to discuss fly fishing for bonefish. Tom has worked for Orvis for several decades. Be sure to click the link on his name for his biography. Rob jumps right into bonefish talk and skips over Tom's background. Tom has numerous contributions to the world of fly fishing. Rob forgot to ask him about introducing bead head flies to America. While at Orvis Tom has authored numerou...

Live from the 23rd Annual Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival. The Virginia Fly Fishing Festival is the largest event of its kind in the country and attracts fly anglers from across the United States and the Mid-Atlantic in particular. Nowhere else can anglers learn about the quiet sport in such a beginner-friendly environment. Their unique event combines fine wine tasting, microbrewery beer, and...

Is that fish tungsten worthy? Are you willing to lose ten dollars worth of beads to catch that trout? Which bead to use for spring creeks? Which bead do you need for plunge pools? Rob breaks down the different reasons to weight your flies and the methods used. This episode covers cones and beads to putty and dumbells. You will learn what they are made from, their mass, and current market price. So...

The end of 2023 is a few weeks away and Rob has some suggestions on gear and items for gifts for yourself or others. A listener sends in a net endorsement. Rob breaks his list down into 'small items', those under $100 and 'big items' that cost a bit more. Please contact Rob for any questions on the brands or items. Use code 'snowhite' at Turtlebox. Produced by Jason Reif  Support This Podcast  Lea...

Part three of this year's steelhead trip. Rob recounts the events of his excursion north to the Salmon River of New York. He discusses the tactics used, the decisions made, the large and small flies tied, and the ups and downs of the trip. Rob further discusses the oddities of the Salmon River fishery and the the reason people drive there for steelhead. The episode branches off into gear reviews o...

Part two of this year's steelhead trip. The annual fall migration to New York's Salmon River. Rob meets Producer Jason in Pulaski, New York for a weekend of steelhead fishing. Rob discusses his fly choices and what has been working, the types of water the fish are hiding in, and serious case of the meatloaf sweats. Rob and Jason host some friends from Maine for an interview and experience their fi...

Part one of this year's steelhead trip. The annual fall migration to New York's Salmon River. Rob meets Producer Jason in Pulaski, New York for a weekend of steelhead fishing. This is Jason's first time back to the river since the pandemic. Listen as Rob recounts the weekend's events from the packing and preparing for the trip to stream updates and interviews. They meet friends old and new on the...