The Destination Angler Podcast

Our destination is the massive Upper Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia, with football-field-sized back eddies, hydraulics that'll flip drift boats, and rainbow trout that'll bend your rod like a bonefish.    Joining me is veteran guide, Kelly Laatsch, general manager of St. Mary's Angler, Cranbrook, BC, who's spent three decades mastering these waters. Today, Kelly opens his playbook...

Our destination are the technical trout waters of the Truckee River with Mike Anderson, head guide at the Reno Fly Shop.   Mike gives us a detailed rundown of the Truckee, along with stories of ornery wild horses, giant browns, and a trout so big it scared the pants off a client.   As a bonus, we dive into the legendary Pyramid Lake—home to monster Lahontan Cutthroat trout and one of the best shot...

Our destination is the remote backcountry of Bristol Bay, Alaska—where the bears are fat, the rainbows are wild, and the guides row, cook, clean, and occasionally yank a size 8 hook out of their own finger.    Joining me is Zach Nemelka with Hooked on Alaska.   Zach grew up in Utah, but has been coming to Alaska since he was 5.    After a stint in college, he moved for Alaska to specialize in mult...

Our destination is the legendary South Fork of the Snake River, a world-famous Blue-Ribbon fishery in eastern Idaho.   Joining me is Sage Unsworth, regional fisheries biologist, expert angler, and fifth-gen Idahoan, who gives us the skinny on the South Fork from top to bottom covering the top sections anglers need to know about, selective trout strategies, and the science behind fish counts.   Als...

Our destination is Abell Ranch, a 1,500-acre slice of trout heaven on Colorado's South Platte River with former guide and fifth-generation Coloradan, Clint Packo, who just might have the coolest job around: running Abell, restoring trout streams, and brokering some of the West's most iconic ranches. Abell is known for its three miles of gin-clear water, rare solitude, and some of the best hopper f...

Our destination is the fabled Smith River with Evan Youngblood, Livingston, Montana. The Smith is a remote, permit-only float in central Montana that offers fly anglers a truly unforgettable multi-day experience. Winding through a stunning limestone canyon, the river holds healthy populations of eager wild brown and rainbow trout.      Evan unravels the mysteries of fly fishing success on the Smit...

Episode 143 of the Destination Angler Fly Fishing Podcast – May 8, 2025 Our destination is SW Montana and Yellowstone country veteran outfitter and dry fly aficionado, Walter Wiese, Yellowstone Country Fly Fishing, Livingston, Montana.   We explore the aftermath of the massive 2022 flood and how it's changed—or not—some of the most iconic rivers in the West, like the Yellowstone, Lamar, and Slough...

Our destination is a whirlwind tour of the world's top fly-fishing adventures with seasoned traveler, expert fly angler, and founder of Got Fishing, a hosted travel company that connects anglers with unforgettable destinations.   We'll explore legendary spots  including Jurassic Lake in Argentina, Alaska, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Christmas Island, and Ascension Bay in Mexico.    Along...

Our destination is Part 2 with legendary Colorado guide, author, and trout teacher Pat Dorsey—owner of the Blue Quill Angler and perhaps the foremost expert on the South Platte. Pat dials it up a notch or two in this episode, sharing his go-to fly patterns, fly design insights, and strategies for fly fishing new water. We dig into questions like: How fast should you fish? Why does Pat love indicat...

Our Destination is Part 1 of our deep dive into top tailwaters in Colorado with 30-year veteran guide and author, Pat Dorsey, Blue Quill Angler, Evergreen, Colorado.   With 30 years on the water, Pat knows these rivers inside and out—including the South Platte, Blue, Yampa, Williams Fork, Taylor, Frying Pan, and Gunnison Gorge. Pat breaks down the technical side of tailwater fishing, answering big...

Our destination is the Idaho backcountry with Chris Hunt—award-winning author, seasoned fly angler, and expert blueliner from Hatch Adventure Travel. Chris literally wrote the book on finding hidden trout water: Fly Fishing Idaho's Secret Water . Today, he breaks down his process for discovering overlooked streams and shares some of Idaho's fishiest backcountry areas.   You'll get tips on fooling...

Our destination is the world-famous Henry's Lake in eastern Idaho, known for hard-fighting hybrids (Cutbows) the size of your leg, unpredictable windstorms, and breathtaking scenery.   With retired Idaho Fish & Game biologist and guide Damon Keen, with Eagle Ridge Ranch, Island Park, ID Damon grew up in Idaho, eventually landing the coveted role of state biologist for Henry's Lake with Fish and Ga...

Our destination is Colorado and the Upper Rio Grande River with fly shop owner, Rick McGuire and guide, Presley Garcia, Wolf Creek Anglers, South Fork, CO.    Fly Fisherman Mag called the upper Rio Grande a hidden gem with gorgeous scenery, aggressive trout, and amazing hatches that'll keep you on your toes.      Rick is a retired football coach turned fly shop owner and guide with a passion for h...

Our destination is the land of fire and ice--Iceland with Tim Cammisa, author and owner of Trout & Feather, and Matti Hákonarson, guide and owner of Iceland Fishing Guide. With its stunning scenery, friendly people, and waters teeming with plentiful Atlantic salmon, hard-fighting arctic char, and massive sea-run and resident brown trout, Iceland is among the most incredible places in the world for...

Our destination is Colorado's Conejos River with expert fly angler and guide Spencer Seim of Zia Fly, Taos, New Mexico. The Conejos has it all—a hidden gem starting high in the San Juan Mountains with breathtaking views, every water type you could imagine, and trout so wise they'll challenge the best of anglers. Growing up in Lubbock, Texas, Spencer's fascinating odyssey includes train hopping, me...

Our destination is Michigan's Grand River with expert fly fishing guides Tom and Max Werkman, the father-and-son team behind Werkman Outfitters, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and RiverQuest Charters. The Grand is Michigan's longest river, and it's loaded with steelhead, salmon, and smallmouth. The Grand's story is one of ruin to recovery, and today,  it's fishing better than ever.   Tom and Max share th...

Buenos Dias!    2,000 miles south of Bueno Ares deep in the heart of Patagonia lies a remote and pristine lake famous for wind, rocks, and prehistoric-sized rainbow trout, considered some of the largest in the world.    Our destination is Lago Strobel, also known as Jurassic Lake in Patagonia, Argentina with Lucho Alba, owner of Estancia Laguna Verde fishing lodge. Lucho explains the allure of thi...

Our destination is Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for striped bass on the fly with Patrick Cassidy, expert saltwater guide and owner of  Cape Cod on the Fly . The Cape offers some of the most extensive flats fishing in the world, where anglers can test their meddle against the revered striped bass, along with bluefish and false albacore. Patrick has been fishing these waters for over 30 years and explai...

Our destination is the Berry Islands in the Bahamas for trophy bonefish and permit with guides Percy Darville, Freddie Dames, Travis Sands, and Soul Fly Lodge owner Kyle Schaefer.    The Berry Islands are known for miles and miles of undisturbed, beautiful sand flats, large fish, and plenty of solitude.     About our guests, 28 years ago, Freddie worked on a lobster boat for weeks at a time until...

Our destination is wild and rugged West Virginia with master storyteller, Curtis Fleming, founder and host of the hit TV and YouTube series Fly Rod Chronicles. Often overlooked, West Virginia boasts hundreds of miles of wild trout streams offering endless opportunities to discover those hidden gems every angler dreams of. Born and raised in WV, Curtis is living the dream, having fished and filmed...

Our destination is the remote Tsimane region of Bolivia in pursuit of the savage and powerful Golden Dorado with Marcelo Perez, founder, and CEO of Untamed Angler and the Tsimane Lodge.   The Tsimane region sits at the base of the Andes mountains, hundreds of miles from civilization, where mountain streams run clear and fast, and fly anglers can sight-cast for voracious Dorado reaching upwards of...

Our destination is the legendary Bighorn River with expert fly angler and guide, Scott Brown, owner of Brickhouse Browns, Sheridan, WY.   The Bighorn has had its ups and downs, but the Bighorn is back in a big way, fishing better than ever.    Here anglers will find great numbers of big trout who often feed like there's no tomorrow. Scott was born and raised in Sheridan playing sports, hunting, an...

Our destination is the untamed Upper Peninsula of Michigan with expert fly angler, author, and guide, Tim Schulz, who tours this vastly underrated corner of the US.   With over 12,000 miles of trout streams, the UP is a fly fishing mecca waiting to be discovered.   Tim's been wetting a line here for 30 years and gives us a whirlwind tour of the Two Hearted, Escanaba, Ontonagon, Otter, and Huron mo...

Our destination is the famed South Holston River with expert fly angler and guide, Jason McReynolds, owner of Flying So Ho Guide Service, Bristol, TN.   The South Holston is considered one of the top tailwaters in the country, known primarily for trophy brown trout and stripers but also world-class hybrids and smallmouth.   Using a streamer fishing strategy that has been dialed in over 30 years, J...

Our destination is Roosterfish on the fly, from the beach, with expert saltwater fly angler and guide Jeff Feczko of To the Gills fly fishing, Baja Mexico, and professional chef and fly fishing guide Josh Schwartz of Travel Creel Hospitality.   Josh and Jeff have combined forces to offer the finest in fly fishing, hospitality, and food.    Roosterfish may be the pinnacle of all sportfish on the fl...