Dads On The Fly

In this episode, we're on location at Deerwoode Reserve in Brevard, NC, for the Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival. We got the chance to chat with several guests about their areas of expertise and experience in fly fishing in Western NC and around the world.

We speak with Wanda Taylor. Wanda has been a professional guide and fly-casting instructor since the 80's. She’s been a feature angler or host in magazines, on radio, television, video computer fly fishing games, and podcasts from coast to coast. Her passion is teaching independent fly casting/fishing to women and girls, as well as pursuing fins with a fly around the world.

Find Wanda online at: https://wandataylorflyfishing.com/ on Instagram @the_souths_1st_lady_of_flyfish or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanda.h.taylor

We then chat with the hosts of the event, Brett Meany and Hannah Myers Overgaard of Headwaters Outfitters.

Learn more about Headwaters Outfitters and their great events in Western North Carolina at: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/

Lastly, we speak with Kevin Howell of Davidson River Outfitters. Kevin has been guiding the streams of western North Carolina since the early eighties and knows most of the fish on a first-name basis. He has been managing DRO for almost 30 years and has fished all around the world. He's an incredible fly tyer with many patterns produced by some of the leading fly companies. He is also an accomplished author including his newest book on the favorite flies for the Great Smoky Mountains.

Find Davidson River Outfitters online: https://www.davidsonflyfishing.com/

Check out Kevin's newest book: https://a.co/d/c7YKrJp

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

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Eli Iorg is a former Major League Baseball first-round pick turned fly fishing enthusiast. After chasing all of the things that culture and society tell us we should chase and seemingly having all that he needed, he felt the nudge to sell it all and take his family on an adventure. Now, having spent over a year living out of a camper on the road, he has learned more about his family, especially his seven-year-old daughter Isla. Isla is now an avid angler herself and can row a raft with the best of them. In this episode, we chat with Eli about his story and learn more about exploring life and the river with his family.

Follow Eli on Instagram: @fly_high_eli

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FLYHIGH_Eli

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

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https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode, Joshua and Caleb chat with Jeremy Turner of Fetch-A-Fly. Fetch-A-Fly is a veteran owned small business out of Blowing Rock, NC. They create stainless steel telescopic rods that can extend to 6 feet and collapse to 10 inches. These rods are designed to help anglers retrieve flys that get stuck in trees, under rocks, and anywhere else. Jeremy tells his story of why fly fishing has been so great for him and his family and how he hopes to use Fetch-A-Fly as a way to support new anglers.

Check out Fetch-A-Fly online: https://fetchafly.com/

Follow them on Instagram: @fetchafly

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

Sitting on the porch with bellies full of steaks and fresh catches of flounder and sea trout, with the sounds of waves and wind coming up the Intracoastal Waterway, Joshua and Caleb recap an extraordinary Dads On The Fly Weekend getaway.

Three dads and one father-son combo joined us for a weekend in Cedar Point, NC, staying right on the Intracoastal Waterway. We spent three days and two nights chasing False Albacore and anything else we could with a fly rod off the shores of Eastern NC. Tyler Hudgins of Drumroll Charters and Jason Cook, one of our dads on the trip, join us to recap a phenomenal weekend.

A big thank you to all who joined us on the trip, especially Tyler and Travis of Drumroll Charters, for their incredible hospitality.

If you're looking to fish off the coast of North Carolina, we cannot recommend Drumroll Charters enough. Check them out online:

https://www.drumrollcharters.com/

Instagram: @drumrollcharters

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode, Joshua and Caleb sit down with Scott Loftis to learn about one of the most epic gamefish in North Carolina. Muskellunge or “Muskie” as most people know them,  are one of the most sought after and yet elusive species in Western North Carolina. As Joshua and Caleb hope to chase after these fish in the future they sit down to learn all they can about these apex predators. They discuss: 

And much more. 

Learn about NC Muskie: https://www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Species/Fish/Muskellunge#5243621-overview

Check out and join the WNC Muskie Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/788931051192261/

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode we flashback to one of our earliest episodes. A conversation about essential gear.

Joshua and Caleb have a lot of fun in this episode as they talk about what they believe to be the essential gear for beginning fly fishers and dads. They share some of their humorous stories of mistakes they've made with gear in the past and talk about what they believe to be one of the best essentials for being a dad. 

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode, Joshua and Caleb highlight a very fishy summer and some of the lessons they've taken with them. Also, we look forward to what we're excited about this fall.

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode, we chat with Ben Sittig, the Huge fly fisherman. Ben started fly fishing at 13 years old and never turned back. Several years ago he started his own YouTube channel @HugeFlyFisherman and he creates some of the best instructional and entertaining fly fishing videos out there, but with his own special and authentic twist. We talk with Ben about why it's important not to take ourselves too seriously out on the water and how fly fishing is supposed to be fun, so let's enjoy it.

Huge Fly Fisherman Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hugeflyfisherman/

Website: https://hugeflyfisherman.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HugeFlyFisherman

How To Take Kids Fishing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXaGXJ4pn6E&list=PLxWRzw3H0t5loEKLON1ooyUgvkjc6vDey&index=3

Family Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxWRzw3H0t5loEKLON1ooyUgvkjc6vDey

Ben Mentions us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxGpi0Fo3hk&t=1s

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode, we speak with a guest unlike any other we've had before. Movie director Joshua Caldwell explains everything that goes into directing and creating a phenomenal movie with fly fishing at its heart. "Mending The Line" is a story about wounded veteran John Colter, who returns to the States, still carrying the demons of war, hauntingly disturbed by the everyday expectations of friendships and love interests. In Livingston, Montana, he meets Ike, a surly, headstrong fly-fisherman more than twice his age, and Lucy, a talented photographer turned librarian who reads aloud to veterans, both damaged in their own way. While getting treatment for his physical and psychological wounds, Colter wants only to re-enlist, to have something to die for. But the real challenge is finding something to live for.

In our conversation with Josh, we discuss all that goes into making a great film and hear some great behind-the-scenes stories.

"Mending The Line" will be available on Digital and On Demand starting September 26th.

Follow Josh on Instagram @joshuacaldwelldirector

Find out more about the upcoming Forks of the River Fly Fishing Festival: https://headwatersoutfitters.com/event/forks-of-the-river-fly-fishing-festival-2/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/ 

In this episode, Joshua and Caleb speak with Brandon Bailes of Panther Branch Bugs. Brandon is a NASA Engineering Technician by day and a fly-tying maniac at night. He resides in North Alabama with his wife and two sons, surrounded by countless small streams and cold and warm water creeks that they get to enjoy all year round.

Brandon grew up wading, fishing, and exploring these small hidden gems, and still, to this day, it’s his favorite type of water to fish due to the challenges it presents and the intimacy of being in close quarters with the quarry. He began fly fishing early but didn’t begin tying until he was an adult, mainly as a creative outlet to relax in the evenings. Brandon has become a master at tying spun deer hair poppers, amongst other amazing flies. He has been featured in Fly Tyer magazine and Field and Stream, where he was titled "The Michelangelo of Deer-Hair Flies."

In our conversation, we dive into Brandon's early love of fly fishing and go into depth on his process of creating beautiful deer hair bugs.

Find Brandon Online:

Instagram: @panther_branch_bugs

Field and Stream Article: https://www.fieldandstream.com/fishing/brandon-bailes-deer-hair-bass-flies/

Find Dads On The Fly online and sign up for our newsletter at https://www.dadsonthefly.com/

Support Dads On the Fly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=84380068

Check out our sponsors:

https://troutinsights.com/

https://catchcamnets.com/

https://turtleboxaudio.com/