Steelhead Alley Podcast

In Episode 7 of season two "Fish Stories"; Kyle shares the unforgettable story behind the most memorable wild brown trout of his life. What began as a perfect June morning, while exploring a new stretch of river quickly turned into a battle that neither angler nor fish seemed willing to lose. Through a series of unexpected twists, challenging conditions, and more than a little luck, ever...

In Part Two of the Trout Calendar series, Kyle and Pono dive into the second half of the trout year, focusing on fall and winter fishing. As water temperatures cool and the seasons begin to change, trout become more aggressive, streamer fishing heats up, and native brook trout and wild brown trout put on a spectacular fall display. The guys discuss how their tactics, mindset, and favorite fisherie...

In Episode 5 of Season Two, Kyle and Pono kick off Part One of a two-part series exploring the rhythms and seasons of trout fishing throughout the year. Starting with the transition from winter into early spring, the guys break down how trout behavior, water conditions, insect activity, and angler expectations evolve from March through August. From cold early-season flows and the excitement of ope...

In Episode 4 of Season Two, Kyle takes a step away from the usual format to tell a lasting fish story — one centered around a series of missed opportunities that became impossible to forget. What began as a memorable encounter quickly turned into an obsession, leading to multiple trips, heartbreaking losses, and the kind of emotional investment that only serious anglers truly understand. Through m...

In Episode #3 of Season Two, Kyle and Pono dive into the contrast between urban and rural fishing — two very different experiences that shape the way anglers approach time on the water. From local creeks near town, crowded access points, and quick after-work sessions… to scenic backroads, longer drives, wild water, and the solitude that often comes with getting farther away, this episode explores...

There are two very different experiences when it comes to trout fishing — and most anglers spend time in both. In Episode #2, Kyle and Pono dive into the contrast between stocked streams and wild trout water, and how their perspectives have evolved over time. From early days fishing stocked creeks and opening day traditions, to exploring smaller streams in search of wild fish, this conversation is...

Season Two starts here. Episode #1 After a full winter spent chasing steelhead, it’s time to turn the page and shift gears into spring trout fishing. In this episode, Kyle and Pono break down the transition from the chaos of winter steelhead to the more technical, detail-oriented world of hunting trout on the fly. From changing water conditions and rising temperatures to evolving bug life and fish...

In Episode #12, Day Two of their final winter trip recap — and the Season 1 finale — the crew heads back into brutally cold conditions for one last push. Kyle is joined by longtime friend Pono, they break down Day Two of a trip that tested their patience, gear, and ability to adapt. With temperatures plummeting overnight, the rivers were once again iced up to go along with frozen guides, and const...

In Episode #11, Kyle dives into day one of the final trip. The day started slow and cold, with locked-up banks, shelf ice to break, and a lot of water that looked right but didn’t give much back. We spent the early hours searching — clearing ice, testing runs, and staying mobile, knowing winter steelhead days don’t always reveal themselves quickly. Late in the morning, we made a key decision to pu...

In Episode #10, Kyle and the crew wrap up their winter steelhead trip with a payoff that made every cold mile worth it. This episode picks up on Day Two as they hike into picture-perfect winter water, breaking shelf ice, pushing through snow, and methodically working runs to find fish. With cold temps shaping conditions, success came from slowing things down, covering water thoroughly, and dialing...

In Episode #9, Kyle is joined by Beaver and Dave for Part One of the recap from their second steelhead trip of the season — a trip that tested patience, preparation, and grit right from the start. Brutally cold temperatures locked up many streams with ice, forcing the crew to grind through a long first day searching for fishable water. From breaking shelf ice to hopping between tributaries, this e...

In episode #8, part two of our trip recap, Kyle and Zack pick things up on day two as they continue searching for better water and clearer conditions across Steelhead Alley. With flows still less than ideal, we switch streams, put on the boot miles, and grind it out—moving fish here and there while trying to unlock the next window of opportunity. That persistence pays off when they finally move in...

In episode #7, Kyle and Zack break down the full story of their latest run up to Steelhead Alley — a trip that started with a curveball before they even packed the truck. With the forecast shifting, they ultimately made the call to head up a day early in search of a prime fishing window.  This episode covers those first two days as the crew bounced between streams, split up to gather recon, and tr...

In episode #6, Kyle and Zack pick up where they left off in part one of their steelhead trip preparation series — shifting from weather, flows, and layering into the gear and rigging details that make or break a successful trip. This episode dives into the nuts and bolts of getting your setup dialed in: preferred leader builds, terminal tackle choices, and why tying a fresh batch of flies before y...

In episode #5 of the Steelhead Alley Podcast, Kyle and Zack kick off a two-part deep dive into preparing for your next steelhead trip. Part one is all about comfort, safety, and being ready for whatever the Alley throws at you. From checking weather forecasts and monitoring stream flows and CFS levels, to staying warm with the right base layers, outerwear, and waterproof gear — the guys break down...

In episode #4 of the Steelhead Alley Podcast, Kyle and Zack break down one of their favorite topics — the difference between trout and East Coast steelhead. From lake-run migrations and fresh chrome arrivals to the transformation steelhead go through as they hold in the tribs, the guys dig into what truly sets these fish apart. They cover how these changes influence fly selection, presentation, an...

In episode #3, Kyle and Zack dive into what makes fall trout fishing so special on the East Coast. As summer fades, cool nights and steady flows wake up the rivers, and trout shift into an entirely different gear. Brown trout get aggressive and territorial, chasing streamers with attitude, while brook trout light up in their brilliant spawning colors — and with winter steelhead just around the cor...

In episode #2, hosts Kyle and Zack dive into the classic debate of chasing big fish versus going for numbers. This conversation starts with a broader look at trout fishing, where the trade-off between size and numbers is often front and center, before shifting into steelhead, where the stakes—and the fish—get even bigger. Is it just the mood you’re in when you hit the stream, the stage you’re at i...

In this kickoff episode, your hosts, Kyle Ale and Zack Vanderslice, sit down to share fishing experiences that shaped their love for chasing trout. We start by looking back at our roots—those early days of spin fishing as kids—and trace the path that eventually led us to the fly rod. Throughout the conversation, we explore how our techniques, approaches, and perspectives have evolved over time, fr...