Tailwaters Fly Fishing Podcast

Join us as we talk with local guide and purveyor of bucktail, Ellis Ward. We’ll be discussing: How Ellis Ended up in East Tennessee How we got connected Streamer Fishing, Night Fishing, and Bug Fishing (sometimes in the same trip) Musky Fishing Long Sales Cycles in Guiding Bucktail Processing Fishing with Ellis Before Starting a Fly Shop   Connect with Ellis, book a trip, purchase flies, or look f...

Join us as we talk with Blake Hall. Blake is the Captain of the USA Fly Fishing Youth Team and will be competing at the world championships in Ireland this July. When he’s not competing or in class, you might see Blake guiding on our local waters. Tonight we’ll be discussing: How Blake got into flyfishing and competitive flyfishing Making the USA Fly Fishing Youth Team Competing in three World Cha...

Join us as we talk with local guide and Founder of Trophy Water Guide Service, Justin Shroyer. We’ll be discussing: Growing up in a fishy family Applying an Environmental Biology & Ecology Degree from App State East Tennessee fly fishing history and Appalachian Angler River etiquette then and now Changes to our tailwater fisheries over the last 20 years The switch from rafts to hard boats Figu...

Join us tonight as we talk with guide, and owner of Asheville Fly Fishing Company, Galen Kipar as we discuss:   How Galen got into flyfishing and guiding in this part of the world His background in music and throughlines into flyfishing and guiding Making it through Helene as a small business owner Galen’s work with the Blue Ridge Guide Association and other conservation oriented groups Galen’s fo...

Join us as we talk with local guide and owner of Appalachian Outdoors, Korey Hartley, as we discuss: How he got into fly fishing and fly tying His early trips to the South Holston Transitioning from a hectic corporate job to guiding What some of those early trips were like Some memorable moments on the South Holston and Watauga Appalachian Outdoors and everything you wanted to know about his tungs...

Join us tonight as John and Mandy talk about: Our most recent South Holston and Watauga River fishing report How we’re doing New faces in the shop Tailwaters Fly Company hard and fast rules Tying events Trying to fill fly bins thoughtfully What’s cool in the shop Classes Needing help with content production!   Check us out at https://tailwatersflyco.com/    Before you step in the shop, check out t...

Join us tonight as we talk with local guide Matthew Guinn as we discuss: Diving into flyfishing and learning on your own in East Tennessee Battling with addiction and coming out the other side Tying over 20,000 flies in a year Tips for fishing the Sulphur hatch on the South Holston Reading clients and putting them at ease Fishing opportunities that complement our tailwater trout in East Tennessee...

Join us tonight as we talk with local guide John Stunkard as we discuss: Current fishing conditions on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers What it takes to become a guide Saving up for a drift boat one fly at a time What those first few trips are really like Using humor to provide clients with feedback Tying flies as part of the daily routine Connect with John or follow him on social media here:...

Join us today as we talk with local guides Drayton Moore, Braydon Wilhoit, and Corey J Smith about all the small details that go into a successful day on the water for their clients on the South Holston and Watauga Rivers.  We’ll discuss: How have the South Holston and Watauga been fishing? How many flies is it common to lose on a day out on the water? What are some of the major costs for guides b...

Join us today for a special episode as we celebrate our first year of being open! We laugh, talk, and tell stories about: Our most recent trip and fishing report on the South Holston River Why we started Tailwaters Fly Company Finding the perfect place to open a shop What it’s like to fill your house with boxes of fly shop inventory The trout mural on our building Hanging slatwall Hurricane Helene...

Join us today as we talk with Houston Brown, an East TN native and life-long angler who we at Tailwaters Fly Company consider to be a local legend (even though he’s only 25 years old!). We’ll discuss: Houston’s background and how it shaped his passion for fishing Some of the best and biggest fish Houston has caught on the Watauga and the South Holston The joy of targeting a variety of species Hous...

Join us today as we talk with local guide Clint Waddell as we discuss: The most recent South Holston and Watauga River fishing report Clint’s near death experience and how it helped him become a guide Clint’s wheelchair accessible drift boat and his ability to take people fishing with disabilities and mobility issues Some of Clint’s most rewarding client experiences, including catching fish with s...

Join us as we discuss a recent study on trout feeding behavior and size of food. We discuss: The motivation for conducting this study Collecting trout from the South Holston How many cockroaches a trout will eat Trout difficulties in switching between food sizes Potential impacts of biodiversity on trout feeding behavior Check out the research paper “Prey Detection by a Stepwise Visual Template Ma...

Join us for a book review (or endorsement) of Dave Zielinski's "Cicada Madness." Dave brings clarity to an often misunderstood flyfishing opportunity, periodical cicadas. Listen as we talk about: How this Book Helped me Climb the Cicada Learning Curve Highights from Dave's book My Process for Tackling Brood XIV Finding Cicada Success with the Family Grab a copy of Cicada Madnes...

 Join us for our discussion with Caleb Corona of Reagle Beagle Fly Fishing  Caleb’s East Tennessee Fishing Roots Life Cycle Details  Requirements When Buying a Meat Thermometer to Measure Ground Temps Tips on Locating Periodical Cicada Emergences  Gear, Flies, and Tactics  Useful Periodical Cicada Resource  Caleb’s Cicada Patterns and Favorite Materials  Contact Caleb at about periodical cicadas,...

Sit in on our discussion with Matt Reilly as we talk periodical cicadas. Few fishermen or guides have as much experience chasing the periodical cicada hatch as Matt. Listen as we talk about: Matt's Experience Fishing and Guiding the Periodical Cicada Hatch Life Cycle Basics Tips on Locating Periodical Cicada Emergences Timing Gear, Flies, and Tactics What it Takes to be Successful Fishing thi...