The Fly Culture Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Episode 313 - James Gilbraith - Fishing Plans, Social Media, Fly Tying and Life We've had this nice little tradition going of me speaking with Boo just before Christmas and whether he'll get through it OK. I thought it might be nice to see if he came through the other side OK and what he is planning for this fishing year. We also discuss the season that has passed, socia...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 312 - Winter Grayling with Ed Thomson It's between Christmas and New Year and I get a message from Ed asking if I fancy going fishing. The answer, of course, is yes. We eat a big breakfast and head to the river. It is always a pleasure to hear about a piece of water that means so much to them and this episode is no exception. Ed has a long association with it that you...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 311 - Jani Himanko - Surf Board Streamers, Dry Flies and Big Trout My guest, Jani Himanko, is based in Finland. He tells me about the fishing in the area including the incredible story of the huge trout that leave the lakes to feed on the coarse fish that come into the river to spawn. I hear about the patterns he and his friends have devised to tackle these fish. I also le...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 310 - A New Chapter I don't really like talking about myself, I find other people much more interesting.  In recent months though, my life has taken a big change in direction and I really wanted to share with you what has happened and why I made this decision. In this special, turning the tables on Pete Tyjas, I talk with Ben Jailler about why I took the job as editor...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 309 - Richard Gorodecky -  The Meteor, The Ditch & The Very Big Trout This week we have a take over from author Richard Gorodecky who reads a section from his book - Throwing Feathers in the Wind. He was so popular last time that it only felt right to have him back. The piece he reads is from a chapter called - The Meteor, The Ditch & The Very Big Trout It is the s...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 308 - Jack Westbury on Grayling Fishing Those clear, cold days aren't far off now and with that in mind, I caught up with angler Jack Westbury to pick up some tips regarding fishing for grayling. I learn a lot as he tells me about leader set up, spacing of flies, controlling the drift and manipulation of flies. We also cover tackle choices and his preference for longe...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 307 - Friends, Grayling and Falling Barometers Grayling days are sociable for me. They start with breakfast, fishing talk and catching up with friends. On this episode, I fish with my friend Paul Procter. We were planning to fish and just chew the fat.  At the last moment, I ran back to my van, grabbed my mic and we captured the day and our thoughts exactly as it happened....

Send us Fan Mail Episode 306 - Chris Galvin - Michelin Stars and Fly Rods I catch up with Chris Galvin to learn about his amazing life so far along with his passion for fly fishing. He has been transfixed by water after seeing trout in a stream in Cornwall as a child. He tells me about how he first picked up a fly rod and where it has taken him over the years. He is also an extremely successful re...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 305 - Philip Pinney - A Fly Fishing Life and So Much More There are times when you meet someone, hear their story and are amazed by the life they have led. Philip was born in New Zealand and had a fly rod in his hand from an early age. Fishing tiny streams with his friends he was never far from a river. On leaving school, he joined the RAF basing himself in the UK as the s...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 304 - Charles Jardine - Big News, Fishing and Life I talk with Charles Jardine about some big news he has shared regarding the work he and his team have done with Fishing For Schools. It could prove to be life changing for anyone deciding to follow the path they are laying out. We talk about how he has found fishing the rivers and lakes in his new backyard in Wales and loo...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 303 Hannah Arends - Black Forest Trout In this episode I speaks with Hannah Arends, an enthusiastic fly fisher from Germany, who shares her journey into the world of fly fishing.  She tells me about her best fishing season yet, the balance between family life and her passion for fishing, and the importance of mentorship in her growth as an angler.  Hannah talks about fly t...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 302 - A Leap of Faith with Johannes Bulfin. I welcome Johannes back to the podcast to learn about his new guiding venture, Watershed Fly Fishing, based in Ireland. We'll hear about how his first season has gone and what he has learnt from it. Having fished with Johannes I know how talented he is as an angler and learn how he translates this into his guiding along with...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 301 - End of Season Reflections It's the end of the season on my home river, the Taw. The hours are counting down before I leave it for 6 months and wait until March comes round once again. I fish it for trout one last time and talk to you from the river about what is happening, how I am feeling along with how I've been approaching the water. This is a completely...

Send us Fan Mail Special 300th Episode with Jason Borger Wow, where has that time gone? Thank you to everyone who has been a guest, written to say they've enjoyed the podcast and to everyone who has listened. I couldn't have done this without you. For this small landmark episode I catch up with Jason Borger to talk about fishing, casting and life. We look at his film work and talk about...

Send us Fan Mail The Fly Culture Podcast - Episode 299 Simon Francis - The Wild Trout Trust and a Passion for Fishing I catch up with Simon Francis to talk about his fishing career, his home water including his love of the pocket water of the East Lyn in the West Country. We look at what fishing means to him and where it has taken him. He has also recently become Chairman of The Wild Trout Trust a...

Send us Fan Mail The Fly Culture Podcast Episode 298 Fly Culture trip to Trentino, Italy I'm really pleased to be back in the mountains of Trentino with another group of anglers. There was a mix of returnees and 3 new members of the team who'd not been before. In this episode, I take you on the water, talk with the guides and those on the trip to give you a feel of the varied fishing we...

Send us Fan Mail The Fly Culture Podcast - Episode 297 John Boon Fishing, Casting and Life A few years back John came down to Devon to do a season of guiding with my fishing school. It was a lot of fun and after a day of guiding out we'd fish, cast or just talk fishing. He is a supremely talented fly caster who passed his masters exam at the age of 20. We look at his home water, the Welsh Dee...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 296 - Sarah Rønholt - Spey Casts, Salmon and Wilderness I catch up with Sarah as she speaks to me from her farm close to her home river, the Skjern in Denmark. I learn about the work that has been done to improve this river so that salmon are once more running it again. We look at the places she has visited both near and far and the impact they have had on her as an angler...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 297 - Todd Moen - A Life With a Camera and Fly Rod I catch up with Todd to talk with him about his fly fishing life and of course learn about the many fly fishing films he has made. From Montana to pretty much the rest of the world he has helped capture and shape how many of us view fly fishing. He tells me about his fly fishing career and how he first picked up a camera t...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 295 - Richard Gorodecky - Throwing Feathers in the Wind In this latest episode I talk with Richard Gorodecky about how he has found home in Ireland and the fishing he has discovered there. We discuss what fishing means to him and what he has taken from it. He has also recently published a book called Throwing Feathers in the Wind that he tells me about and reads a section...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 294 - The Fly Fishing Duo I meet up with Ewan and Millie to fish the River Wye in Derbyshire and talk about what fly fishing means to them. They are young and hugely passionate about our pastime and spend their working hours dreaming about going to the river. I get the chance to see fly fishing through their eyes and how it looks to them. They are both skilled anglers who...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 293 - Pete Cockwill - The Fish, The People and Places Pt5 In the latest episode of the podcast take over with Pete Cockwill he takes us salmon fishing for king salmon in Alaska, talks about his love of grayling and takes us to the streams of Devon and Cornwall. As ever, it is delivered in a beautiful manner packed with fun stories and some poignant moments too. I hope you...

Send us Fan Mail I got the chance to walk and fish an amazing piece of water at Mottisfont on the famous Test in Hampshire. Mike and Neil tell me about their policy towards the water and what they have done to improve the habitat for the wildlife and fish there. It is a really interesting story and as they get ready to offer the fishing on a day ticket basis in 2026 I hear about how they plan to m...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 291 - Jon Harris Home Water I catch up with Fly Culture contributor Jon Harris to talk about his home water and what it means to him. We also look at what fly fishing means to him and where it has taken him. I learn a little about his fishing time line and how he likes to fish. We discuss how fly fishing is looking right now and are we a pastime populated by a small but pa...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 290 - Richard McHattie - River Don, Competitive Fishing and Fishing Tips I speak with Richard about his love for his home river, the Don near Aberdeen a place where his fishing career began. I learn about how he started competition fishing that included him representing Scotland on both river and stillwater disciplines before going on to captain his country too.  We look a...