Outdoors with AJ

My great buddy Frank Ciccone joined me on the podcast to talk about his origins in fly fishing, the outdoors, and why he started a youtube channel to document his adventures with his friends and family. Frank has always been an inspiring guy to be around and it really comes through in this episode why that is.  Frank loves to be around his friends and to provide amazing days in the places that he...

Bryan Walker, the owner of River Rat fishing rafts, joins Outdoors Podcast to talk about what makes his rafts the most approachable fly fishing boats on the market. Joining the conversation is long time friend of the channel, Fish Hands Franky, who just so happens to own a River Rat boat. We talked about: Why Bryan started the company What makes their boats such a great option for a wide range of...

Piper Bates, or UrLocalLumberJill on Instagram and Tiktok joins the show to talk about her background in the outdoors and her career as a professional timber faller & tree climber. We talked about how she got her first job in the industry, what a day in her life looks like in both roles, and how she has progressed in the industry. Piper is such a fun person to talk to, and she was just a joy t...

Scott Jensen, CEO and Founder of Near Zero Outdoors joins the podcast to talk about a whole bunch of exciting news from Near Zero. We talked about Scott's youth, growing up as an Eagle Scout, and the outdoor skills that he learned through the program. Scott spent the first 15 years of his career in corporate supply chain in the medical device and aerospace industries, which gave him exposure to gl...

Chris McKleroy, Founder and CEO of NOCS Provisions joins host AJ Eads to talk about his background in the outdoors and the events that lead him to starting a Binoculars company that is shaking up the industry.  NOCS Provisions got its start in the Bay Area of Northern California and now operates near the outdoor haven of Lake Tahoe.  Chris and the team have taken a very different approach to most...

Nicole, the host of Dope Kitchen on Youtube, Tik Tok, Instagram and all of the other social media channels joins the show to talk about her love of backpacking and the outdoors in general.  She shared some incredible stories about harrowing tales from different backpacking adventures including being flooded out of a campground, running from wildfires and escaping mountains via helicopter.   I had...

Adam Hudson grew up fishing for bass with his family in northern Alabama, where traditional gear fishing is king...hell it's practically religion.  Thanks to an uncle who brought a fly rod on a family trip to the smokies, Adam fell in love almost instantly and changed the course of his life forever. A couple decades later, Adam and his friend Steve, opened Blue Line Co Flies and started offering s...

Maddie, the host of Beer In Beautiful Places on Youtube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook joins the podcast to talk about her recent through hike of the John Muir Trail (JMT) in Northern California and her upcoming adventure through hiking the Appalachian Trail.  

Chef Corso, owner of OutdoorEats and outdooreats.com sits down by the campfire in St. Genevieve Missouri at Hawn State Park for a conversation about his career in cooking. We talked about his love for food and the family members that helped him along the way. Chef Corso dove into the culinary school experience and his different jobs in the food industry. After leaving a career in the test kitchens...

John Lagow, professional fly fishing guide out of the historic Ark Anglers Fly Shop in B.V. Colorado joins the show.  I had an absolute blast getting to know yet another incredible guide, with another super unique story.  John found his way to guiding after coming to Colorado to paddle her storied waters at the young age of 19.  We had a super lively conversation about his love for the Arkansas Ri...

Erica Haller is who we should all aspire to be in the outdoors; adventurous, curious, humble, educated and enjoyable.  Erica is exactly who I have wanted to meet since the day I started this podcast, several years ago. We spent time talking about her background in the outdoors, her passion for public lands and teaching people about the incredible landscapes that we, as Americans, get to explore. ...

Dan, or DC Outdoors on Youtube joins the show to talk about our mutual love for the outdoors and making films about our experiences outdoors. Dan's channel, one of my favorite on youtube, IG and Twitter, is all about helping people understand more about hunting, fishing and camping. I've gotten to know Dan over the last two years on social media and we finally got a chance to talk face to face, ov...

Chris Conant, owner of Morning Dew Fishing Company in Southwest Florida joins host AJ Eads on episode 21 of Outdoors Podcast.  Chris and I had an absolute blast talking about his career as a professional fly fishing guide.  Chris is currently guiding for saltwater fish like tarpon, snook and redfish but just as recently as 2020, he was leading the fly shop at South Fork Lodge on the south fork of...

Ali Boundy is a wedding photographer that specializes in destination weddings.  She’s based out of Lake Tahoe, and travels regularly for her projects.  We found her work through a former podcast guest and mutual friend.  Our wedding went just about perfectly, and according to our simple plan.  Ali was a big part of our success.  We got to spend nearly three days together and I feel like I got to k...

Craig Stephens has been the single most impactful character in my fly fishing career.  We all know the greats, the Kelly Gallops, The Flip Pallots, The Lefty Krehs…but in St. Louis, I associate two names with fly fishing, Tom Hargrove, the namesake of the store, and it’s manager Craig Stephens. Craig is just about the nicest guy I know and one of the most welcoming humans I’ve ever had the chance...

Instagram's PuristOnTheFly and I sit down for a conversation on Fly Fishing, Outdoor Ehtics, Conservation and the effect of the micro influencer world on our outdoor spaces. I learned a ton from our talk about Tailing Gloves, and their acceptable applications, why not to Fish Redds or spawning fish in general and what it means to be a "Steward of the land" as we talk about so much on this channel.

In the first episode of a new series, Campsite Conversations, my buddy and return guest, Casey Heeter and I talk all things outdoors live from our campsite in the Red River Gorge area of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Casey is a backpacking expert, having spent hundreds of nights in the woods, some of them being under -30 degrees for fucks sake. Casey, my fiance Sara and I along with Casey’s do...

In the next installment of Oar Stories, my series of interviews with professional fly fishing guides...Augy Knickmeyer joins the show. Augy is the owner and principal guide for Missouri Fly Life Guide Co on rivers just outside the St. Louis area in Missouri. Jack Donze and returning guies Ed Kimmill join the show to ask questions and provide a hell of a lot of entertainment. We talk to Augy about...

James Garrettson, owner of About Trout Fly Fishing guide service in Chama New Mexico joins the podcast to talk about his life and experience as a guide. James makes recommendations on how to find a great fly fishing guide no matter where you are going, how to be a great fly fishing client, what makes New Mexico special and emphasizes the importance of fishing where you are. For more information on...

Paul from Aptitude Outdoors is an AT alumni, a kayaker, a hunter and a fellow lover of all things outdoors. We had an incredible talk about how we got our starts on the trail, some in depth convo on hammocks and the ethics of hunting, and how more people could get involved. I think Paul and I are going to do a lot more episodes in the future together and I’m super pumped to meet him in person this...

Ed Kimmill is a backpacker, a hammock camper, a fly fisherman, a kayaker, and a father.  Ed and I talk about our obsessions with gear, hammocks, making stuff, quality fishing gear and more on a great conversation between two enthusiasts.

Casey and I talk all things backpacking, hammock camping, kayaking, camping with your dog and more. I met Casey through the Hammock Forums facebook group and we've been chatting through messenger ever since. He's got a ton of knowledge on the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky in the Daniel Boone Wildernerss and he's super into the cottage vendor hammock scene.

Katie N. (KTSue22 IG) and I chat all things John Muir Trail.  Katie is an absolute badass and attempted to tackle one of the most challenging hikes in the United States, 200 miles and 38,000 feet of elevation in only 14 days.

Nick with Triple Nickel Outdoors Joined me on the podcast to talk about his upcoming journey on the John Muir Trail (JMT).  Nick is a former member of the United States Air Force, and currently works as a firefighter in the state of New York.  We had a great conversation about the JMT and how Nick is preparing for the trip.   Nick and I met through hammock forums online and soon followed each othe...

Spring is in the air in the midwest marking the end of my local backpacking season and the beginning of summer float trip season.  I start off super basic, and give you the basics of what to expect on your first float trip, how to book a trip, how to plan for it, and how to maximize your fun once you are actually out there. We'll discuss: Planning Float Basics Types of water craft Gear to bring an...