Reno Fly Shop Podcast

"The more you limit yourself in tactics and techiques the less fun you are letting yourself have." - Cheech "You can't change the color of wire and call a pattern uniquely yours, most if not all new patterns are building upon the patterns that have come before it." - Curtis Curtis and Cheech never really "started" Fly Fish Food, it seemed to grow through their efforts and interests in tying top qu...

The last time Matt "Gilligan" Koles was on the podcast we chatted about what to do during a drought on the Truckee River. We thought it was fitting to get back together to talk about what it was like making it through the winter of 2017 living in Hirschdale along the banks of the Truckee River and most importantly how the system has responded to historic flows and a remaking of the river channel....

"The 2017 winter will impact Pyramid Lake in 3 main ways, 1) balance chemistry, 2) deliver nutrients and 3) boost bug life." -Mike Anderson Mike Anderson is a guide, shop staff and instructor at the Reno Fly Shop.  As a native Nevadan he has grown up fly fishing Pyramid Lake and the Truckee River. Mike spends many days each year at Pyramid Lake fishing, guiding, tying specialty flies and observing...

"The USFWS will engage all members of the community in making choices to manage LCT in the Truckee River" - Tim Loux, USFWS Welcome to episode 31 of the Reno Fly Shop Podcast. Leading up to this episode several listeners and customers around the shop have asked to find out more information about the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout of Pyramid Lake. I reached out to what I would consider a difinitive sourc...

"It isn't the experienced seasoned angler that says 'okay, now I will guide'. It is the enthusiastic passionate angler that makes the leap into the life of a fly fishing guide."  -Dec Hogan If you've ever met Dec Hogan you know that his love and passion for steelhead fly fishing is a constant part of his life and completely interwoven with chasing steelhead with two-handed fly rods. Dec is a maste...

"So often fly fishing is defined by the last story someone hears, when it should defined by their own personal experience." -Kelly Galloup Kelly Galloup (photo: slideinn.com) Here is the second part of my conversation with Kelly. The original recording was just too good to edit and cut up just to make it a manageable size. In this episode we get to find out Kelly's thoughts on synthetic vs. natura...

"If you want to catch big trout you should, stalk more and cast less." -Kelly Galloup Kelly Galloup (photo: slideinn.com) Before I get into the introduction of today's episode I wanted to bring to your attention a new way you can follow and interact with the Reno Fly Shop Podcast.  I have started the Reno Fly Shop Podcast Group on Facebook.  IN this group you will find a place to ask questions of...

"Simply stated, trout eat nymphs more than any other type of food source and European Style Nymphing is the most effective way to fish nymphs" - Lance Egan   Lance Egan is a self described fly fishing junkie. He has fly fishing since the age of 12 and has had the opportunity to travel the world representing the U.S.A. as a competitive angler and fly fishing ambassador.  Through his vast experience...

"The Truckee River with its year around fishing, huge trout and lake-run cutthroat will soon be second to none as a western trout fishery" - Travis Hawks, NDOW Fishery Biologist Travis Hawks grew up in Gardnerville, Nevada, acquiring a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Nevada, Reno and during that time worked seasonally for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). Immediately af...

"The expanse, variety of fish and diversity of water of fly fishing in the California Delta is like no other place in the country." -Captain Maury Hatch, Fly Fishing Guide, First Hatch Guide Service One of the common threads you will hear in our posts and many other anglers that live in our area is how lucky we are to have the amount of water to fly fish that we do.  In the Reno/Tahoe area with th...

"It took me years to realize how gently a huge Truckee River trout can eat a nymph." -Mike Curtis, Head Guide at the Reno Fly Shop Today we get to chat with the Reno Fly Shop Head Guide, Mike Curtis. Mike guides full time through the shop and has spent over 7 years guiding up and down the eastern Sierra both moving and still water. Mike Curtis' day off on the Truckee River. (photo Bailie Thys)  Be...

"The two most important characteristics of a fly rod are Action and Power" -Tim Rajeff Today's guest is none other that Tim Rajeff. Tim is a fly rod designer, instructor, national and world casting champion and owner of Rajeff Sports. Based out of Vancouver Washington Rajeff manufactures ECHO Fly Rods and distributes AirFlo Fly Lines in North America. We get to chat with Tim while he was at Kather...

"The Truckee River chose for itself to have really big fish over many fish" - Dave Stanley In this episode of the Reno Fly Shop Podcast I sit down with Dave Stanley who I consider to be emblematic with fly fishing, certainly in Reno/Tahoe and the eastern Sierras but also in much farther and greater impacts. Dave and Kate wishing they had their ladders in Mexico Dave has significantly contributed f...

"Fly presentation trumps fly selection everytime" - Phil Rowley Get ready for our second episode with Phil Rowley.  In this episode of the Reno Fly Shop Podcast Phil discusses the history of balanced flies and his contribution to the evolution of one of the fly patterns that have turned a new page in fly fishing stillwaters.  This can't be more obvious than at Pyramid Lake one of our home waters....

"The best thing you can do when traveling to a new fly fishing destination is to hand your rod to the guide and say 'show me'" ~Denis Isbister, host Wild Fish Wild Places Denis Isbister has a dream job.  Putting together Wild Fish Wild Places for the World Fishing Network Denis gets to travel the world fly fishing for some of the most exotic fish to eat a fly.  His travels have taken him to mosqui...

Nick Jackson is a true fly fishing trout bum.  Born in Park City, Nick was exposed at a young age to fly fishing in Alaska on a guided trip.  That trip proved to be life changing.  Nick at once wanted to be a fly fishing guide and spend his time chasing fish all over the world. Nick has been guiding full time for several years now and has been splitting his time between Alaska, Chile, Central Amer...

Leslie Ajari grew up in Truckee, California and was introduced to fly fishing by her father at a very early age.  She and her brother cut their teeth fly fishing the Truckee River, Little Truckee River and local lakes and she hasn't stopped yet. She guides over 100 trips a year on northern California rivers like the Trinity, Fall, Pit and Hat Creek.  Here true passion lies in spey casting to Fall...

I sat down with Kim Tisdale and Travis Hawks, both fishery biologists with NDOW, to discuss the survey results, their take on the 2015 drought and how NDOW adapted their management approach to our western rivers. We even got to discuss how the fishing is going to be this Spring/Summer.