One of the most versatile, experienced saltwater guides of all time, Capt. Paul Dixon has spent decades fishing from Long Island to the Upper Keys, throughout the Caribbean and around the world. He caught his first striped bass in the 1970s in Newport Beach, California, he is a pioneer in East Coast sight-fishing for striped bass, a recipient of the 2022 Lefty Kreh Award for Lifetime Achievement in Conservation, and 2021 recipient of the Izaak Walton Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing.

One of our favorite stories in this episode is a retelling of when Flip Pallot, Bob Popovics, and Paul Dixon filmed an episode of "The Walker's Cay Chronicles" together. Three legends!

Dixon was also the technical advisor on the fishing scenes in the new movie "Looking Through Water," which is now streaming on Amazon, Apple TV, Google play, DIRECTV, and others. The star of the movie is Michael Douglas, but look for Paul Dixon and a cast of other famous fishing guides.

Mike Dawes is the managing partner of Westbank Anglers in Wilson, Wyoming near the town of Jackson, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Dawes has guided for decades, and fly fished the world for species ranging from trout to exotic saltwater fish such as barracuda. He is well-known for his dedication to permit fishing and conservation. Having won multiple permit tournaments, including the Del Brown Permit Tournament and the March Merkin, Dawes sheds light on what it takes to be a permit angler and some strange behaviors. He is also an active board member of the South Fork Initiative of the Henry's Fork Foundation, which conserves and protects the native cutthroat trout in the Snake River. He is also a part of Fish Camp, a collective of fly-fishing educational resources for beginning anglers to advanced.

Oliver White started as a guide then grew his career as a fly-fishing entrepreneur to build Abaco Lodge. He later co-founded the indigenous empowerment non-profit organization Indifly, and currently is co-owner of South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley, Idaho. He's been featured in many films, most notably the YETI Presents film "A Thousand Casts" that chronicled his adventure in Bhutan while searching for the golden Masheer. An active conservationist and environmentalist, White has influenced the outdoor culture for over a decade with his dedication to protecting wild fish and places while empowering native cultures to build sustainable businesses in their outdoor spaces through Indifly. He is a YETI and Costa ambassador that continues to explore the world wherever fish take a feather and a hook.

Tom Baltz is an Orvis Endorsed guide and recipient of the Orvis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He guides his home waters in the Cumberland Valley area of Pennsylvania and is a renown fly tier with patterns available through Montana Fly Co. He discusses his most well-known pattern, the Baltz's Paranymph, which has caught trout around the world. Yellow Breeches creek, LeTort Spring Run, and Big Spring creek are an integral part of the nation's fly-fishing history. Baltz dives into Cumberland Valley's rich history and his journey learning from the Limestone legends such as Vince Marinaro, Charlie Fox, Ed Koch, Ross Trimmer, and more. When it comes to fly tying, he is a master naturalist, developing his patterns through keen observation and decades of guiding.

Yvon Chouinard is a philanthropist, conservationist, climber, fly fisher, co-founder of 1% for the Planet, and founder of Patagonia. He has played a vital role in shaping the landscape of the entire outdoor community for over 40 years. He was named one of the "100 Most Influential People" by Time Magazine in 2023. He has authored numerous books such as Let My People Go Surfing, Simple Fly Fishing, and his latest book, Pheasant Tail Simplicity, co-authored with Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, and Italian angler Mauro Mazzo, is available in Octboer 2025. Chouinard finds clarity and a Zen-like perspective on tying flies that are simple in form, such as the Flymph, but are highly-effective with the proper technique and presentation.

"For me . . . perfection is achieved through simplicity, instead of complexity. If you can get your technique down to absolute simplicity by replacing all of that material with knowledge, it's really satisfying . . ." –Yvon Chouinard

Bob Rich is the author of five books, his latest "Looking Through Water" has been adapted into a major motion picture starring Michael Douglas and will be in theaters nationwide September 12, 2025.

Like its predecessor "A River Runs Through It," "Looking Through Water" is about family and how fly fishing can tear them apart or bring them closer together. Bob reveals the behind-the-scenes involved with making a movie, and the major difficulties involved with creating realism in a saltwater environment. You will love this conversation with a down-to-earth angler who has fished around the world, caught everything from panfish to 1,000-pound marlin, called President George H. W. Bush his friend, and is fondly known as "Bubba" by his many, many fishing friends. He is chairman and majority owner of Rich Products, a major donor and supporter of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust—we also take a deep dive into BTT, why it is important, and how they are making giant strides forward using science as a tool. Bob hails from Buffalo New York and we also jump into the topic of Buffalo wings. If you dip your wings in ranch, you are doing it wrong, and Bob will set you straight.

Monte Burke is one of the leading writers of this century and author of the new book "Rivers always Reach the Sea." Monte has fished all around the world with some of the most eclectic and influential people in the sport of fly fishing, people like Yvon Chouinard, Andy Mill, and Lefty Kreh—but he says one of his greatest privileges in life is spending a day each year fishing with "the greatest guide who ever lived" Capt. Steve Huff. In this episode of Loop to Loop, Monte spins fishing tales that range from midnight excursions with the denizens of a New York City jetty to fishing the tundra rivers of Russia's Kola Peninsula. Burke is also the author of Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World Record Tarpon; Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass; and the New York Times bestseller, Saban: The Making of a Coach, a biography of Alabama head coach, Nick Saban. After a 14-year stint as a reporter, staff writer and editor at Forbes, he is now a contributing editor at the magazine. He is also a contributing editor at Garden & Gun and The Drake.

Dave Zielinski stumbled into a periodic cicada hatch more than 20 years ago and has been chasing these massive emergences—as well as annual cicada hatches in the West—ever since. In this episode we recap the Brood XIV feasting that happened in 12 states in 2025 . . . and we look to the future. While there is no Magicicada hatch anywhere in 2026, the following year begins a 12-year "age of cicadas" where there is a periodic 13-year or 17-year cicada hatch somewhere every year for 12 years in a row! Zielinski is the author of the book "Cicada Madness," author of the Fly Fisherman magazine article "When Broods Collide," and is the world's leading Magicicada expert when it comes to finding where fish feed on these giant insects. We discuss his strategies for lakes and open water, his favorite flies and how to fish them, and the threats to the survival of the Magicicada genus. They feed on sap from tree roots for 13 or 17 years before they emerge, they depend on old forests for survival, and that's the first place you start looking when you want to take part in this incredible angling event. We also discuss swinging for steelhead, making your own wooden drift boat, and adventure DIY trips to B.C., so if you like chasing hatches, chasing steelhead, tying really cool flies, or building your own boat, tune into this one.

Mike Komara grew up competitive trout fishing, first with the US Youth Fly Fishing Team and most recently with the adult Fly Fishing Team USA where the team won a bronze medal at the 2025 world championships in the Czech Republic. But trout are only one piece of the puzzle for this young guide, educator, and owner of Innovative Angling. Mike also chases snakeheads in the Chesapeake, muskies in big rivers, and he's traveled all over Argentina on a DIY adventure for golden dorado. In this episode, Mike shares his dry-fly secrets, how he never uses rooster hackle, and how he made his CDC dry fly flies bounce, hop, and skitter at the world championships.

Josh Miller is author of the best-selling book "Euro Nymphing: Tips, Tactics, and Techniques" (2024), guide and owner of the Trout Yeah Guide Service, and head coach of the US Youth Fly Fishing Team that won gold medals in Bosnia (2023) and in the Czech Republic (2024). In July, 2025, the world championships are on the team's home turf in Idaho and the youth team is going for a three-peat. In this episode, coach Miller discusses his introduction to fly fishing, his journey through the ranks of competitive fly fishing, and digs into his simplified nymphing system. Josh carries only a few fly patterns indifferent sizes, weights, and colors. In his mind there's often no need to change the fly pattern, the better choice is to make a better presentation.