Welcome to the 16th year of The Fly Fishing Consultant Podcast.

Rob, Misty, and Producer Jason embarked on a day excursion to The Gunpowder River located near Baltimore, Maryland. The climate was chilly and arid, featuring a predominantly clear sky. Their objective was to locate trout that were rising to insects and aim for those fish using a selection of dry flies. This marks the first occasion for Rob and Jason to fish this renowned river. Throughout his many years of fly fishing, Rob has never expressed interest in this specific river. Tune in as he shares stories about breakfast at Misty’s, finding Jason at the river, galavanting through the woods, and the lunch spot they found after navigating over boulders all morning.

Freestone Productions

Transformative Travel

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Meteorologist Matt DiNardo has been passionate about fishing and weather for as long as he can remember. Together with Rob, they delve into the realms of weather and fishing, exploring whether Matt's weather knowledge gives him a fishing edge. They recount tales from their excursions to the Salmon River over the last three decades and discuss how the impact of lake-effect weather has evolved during that time.

Aside from his responsibilities as a meteorologist, Matt also hosts "Off the Hook with Matty D," a segment of WRIC NOW’s live streamed content.

Matt's Instagram

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Catalogs have been a major source of fly fishing information for Rob since he picked up his first fly rod. Orvis has ended its fly fishing catalog production which is a major loss to older fly anglers. Rob discusses the history of the mail order catalog and talks about the death of the fly fishing catalogs. The fly fishing catalog has been a staple in the fly fishing industry for over a century and very few companies still produce these tangible packets of information.

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Producer Jason finishes out his annual steelhead trip which leaves Rob all by his lonesome. Follow along as the weather warms and Rob and Producer Jason fish their last day together. They ended fishing on Monday afternoon which led Jason to pack and head home and Rob to tie several black stonefly and egg patterns for the next day. Having a 'confidence fly' that you believe in will do you mighty good when fishing for lake run steelhead. The fish could be eating anything flowing past them and all you need is one good cast with the fly you believe in. Will Rob connect to more fish on his last day before he drives south? Find out in this final road trip episode.

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Join Rob as he heads north from Harper’s Ferry to join Producer Jason in Altmar, New York in November 2024. It has been a dry year and the river is the lowest in years. The guys discuss strategies and tactics for fishing low water, shore lunches full of nitrates, and the horrible smell of rotting salmon.

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Producer Jason chronicles his trip up to the Salmon River and his first day of fishing. Along the way, he discusses fishing buddies of all kinds, whether they be people, places or things.

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Rob's introduction to fly fishing literature started with a copy of Sex, Death, And Fly Fishing while on vacation in The Galápagos Islands during the summer of 1993. The writings of John Gierach inspired Rob to pursue a lifetime of trout fishing, fly tying, travelling to Colorado, writing, and telling stories. Rob wanted to be a trout bum before he could drive a car. Rob talks about his fondness for Gierach’s work and his inspiration which led Rob to talk into a microphone instead of tap stories onto a keyboard. John’s life of trout fishing ended in October 2024. His voice will be missed by the entire fishing community. Thankfully his words will last forever on paper. Be sure to read his collected works, short stories, periodical contributions from the past four decades. I will always think of him when I hear the bagpipes. 

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Rob published the entire episode on 11/6. If you only heard the first 1hr5min please finish the show.

Rob and Caitlin drove the Xterra north to New York for a wedding over the Labor Day weekend. This was a destination wedding that happened to be on one of the most famous trout streams in the world. Rob has read about this fishery since childhood. This is his first time visiting the Hancock area and fishing the Upper Delaware River. This section of the river is a tailwater and begins a few miles above the resort in the town of Deposit. The water flows cool, clear, and constant throughout the year. Emerald green and slow, the water speed is controlled by the dam release upstream.

The West Branch Angler and Resort were excellent hosts. The food, hospitality, and fire pit are unmatched. Rob plans on casting dries to rising fish, stripping streamers for big bad browns, and wiggle mice patterns across the riffles at dusk. Listen as Rob explores the river and its surroundings. He sneaks out of the wedding reception to fish. Be sure to contact Josh for casting lessons.

Produced by Jason Reif

Youtube slide show and videos.

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Steve Duda is a Midwesterner turned west coaster. He describes writing as the only thing he can do. Currently, Steve is Head of Fish Tales at Patagonia. His work has appeared in numerous magazines, websites, and newspapers. Anglers know him as the former editor of The Fly Fish Journal. His new book titled River Songs is his first ‘solo album’ that consists of short stories from his travels and observations. The book is full of history, science, nature, and anecdotes.

In this episode we learn about Steve’s youth as a sports fan, angler, and writer. The conversation was indented to focus on his book, however, these guys went off course quickly. Steve discusses his disdain for the semi-colon and farmed raised salmon. He tells stories about pranking his fising buddies, the ability to smell a school of fish moving in, and wild vs hatchery steelhead in the Pacific and Great Lakes. This podcast wouldn’t be right if the conversation didn’t lead to sandwiches.

Don’t be the person that catches the last wild steelhead. 

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You will need a sea lamprey and a ten pound bowling ball for this episode.

Rob was inspired to dedicate an entire podcast episode about lamprey after reading Cory Brant‘s Great Lakes Sea Lamprey: The 70 Year War on a Biological Invader. These bizarre fish would not have a full podcast episode dedicated to them, however their presence in the Great Lakes effects anglers across all the lakes. Rob sent out a few emails and was directed to Greg McClinchey at the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission (GLFC).

Greg is the GLFC Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs. Rob and Greg talk all things sea lamprey from the fossil record to current day. Sea lamprey are freakishly odd creatures that have remained mostly unchanged for the past several millions years. Learn what happens when they entered a new ecosystem and how their voracious appetite relates to you as an angler.

Sea Lamprey In Occoquan River | Channel 9 News DC

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