Episode 162 of the Destination Angler Fly Fishing Podcast – January 15, 2026

Our destination is the Upper Connecticut River—a remote tailwater in far northern New Hampshire that delivers outstanding fly fishing with remarkably light pressure.

In this episode, I'm joined by veteran guide Bill Bernhardt, a 20-year Orvis-endorsed guide and co-owner of Points North Outfitters in Pittsburg, NH. Bill explains why this system fishes more like a Western tailwater than classic New England water—and why it remains one of the region's true sleepers.

We talk trout and landlocked salmon, seasonal strategies, favorite fly patterns, remote ponds, and the miles of public access that make solitude easy to find for anglers willing to explore. Plus, tales of huge Atlantic Salmon, landlocks pushing 30", guiding a blind man, and mistakenly trespassing on Ted Turner's Patagonia paradise.

🎣 Is the Upper Connecticut River New England's best-kept fly fishing secret? You decide.

With host Steve Haigh

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Contact Bill Bernhardt:

• · Points North Outfitters
• · Facebook | Instagram @pointsnorthnh
• · YouTube

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Redd's Flies

Premium flies, tied with purpose. Redd's is a family-run company built around premium, hand-tied flies that actually hold up and flat-out catch fish, delivered to your doorstep in days, not weeks. A portion of every order goes directly to organizations protecting trout habitat and restoring rivers.

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TroutRoutes

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Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Nov 13, 2025

Episode 161 of the Destination Angler Fly Fishing Podcast – January 1, 2026.

Our destination is the Rangeley region of Maine — home to three world-famous rivers steeped in history and known for giant brook trout: the Rapid, the Kennebago, and the Magalloway. But how are they actually fishing today? And do they still live up to the hype?

Joining me is fisheries ecologist and lifelong Mainer Greg LaBonte, owner of Maine Fly Guys. Today we talk brook trout and landlocked salmon, muskies and black flies, head nets and Maine culture, and what not to do in moose country. Plus, Greg's five must-have fly patterns and the mind blowing truth about leaders, fly lines, and tippets.

With host Steve Haigh

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Message Greg on Instagram @maineflyguys or visit his website: https://maineflyguys.com/

Destination Angler Podcast:

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TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com

Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

Redd's Flies

Premium flies, tied with purpose. Redd's is a family-run company built around premium, hand-tied flies that actually hold up and flat-out catch fish, delivered to your doorstep in days, not weeks. A portion of every order goes directly to organizations protecting trout habitat and restoring rivers.

Facebook @ReddsFlies Instagram @ReddsFlies

***

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Oct 31, 2025

Episode 160 of the Destination Angler Fly Fishing Podcast – Dec 18, 2025

Today Our destination is the Upper Delaware River, a legendary tailwater often called the crown jewel of the East. This tailwater system is known for clear, cold water all year long and highly selective wild brown and rainbow trout – a graduate school for fly anglers where precise presentation and light tippets are the rule.

Joining me is long time guide, fly shop owner, and Upper Delaware expert, Joe Demalderis, Cross Current Outfitters in Hancock, PA. He's been fishing the Delaware since the 1970's, appeared in many national fishing magazines like Field & Stream, Trout, American Angler, and quoted in fly fishing books like, 50 Best Tailwaters to Fly Fish, and Paul Weamer's Fly Fishing Guide to the Upper Delaware River.

We cover important questions like, what are the major hatches and the most effective fly patterns, what's the character of the water from top to bottom, why is a downstream presentation a must along with stories of swimming porcupines, wild trout so selective they even refuse naturals, and some bougie shore lunch ideas.

With host Steve Haigh

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Contact Joe Demaldaris: Cross Current Outfitters

Destination Angler Podcast:

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Redd's Flies

Premium flies, tied with purpose. Redd's is a family-run company built around premium, hand-tied flies that actually hold up and flat-out catch fish, delivered to your doorstep in days, not weeks. A portion of every order goes directly to organizations protecting trout habitat and restoring rivers.

Facebook @ReddsFlies Instagram @ReddsFlies

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com

Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Oct 22, 2025

Episode 159 of the Destination Angler Fly Fishing Podcast – Dec 4, 2025

Our destination is Alaska's Brooks Range with fisheries ecologist Kevin Fraley. We explore this wild and remote landscape, Arctic species like Dolly Varden and sheefish, and the conservation fight over the Ambler Road project. Kevin shares adventures of bear charges, moose encounters, extended solo packrafting trips, and scenery so pristine it even smells that way.

With host Steve Haigh

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Contact Kevin Fraley:

Wildlife Conservation Society

Midnight Sun Fly Fishing

Destination Angler Podcast:

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Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com

Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Oct 14, 2025

Episode 158 of the Destination Angler Fly Fishing Podcast – Nov 19, 2025

Our destination is the legendary South Island of New Zealand – world famous for trophy trout, technical fly fishing, and friendly people – with 40-year Kiwi guide and conservationist Tony Entwistle. Tony shares the unvarnished truth about NZ today and offers sage advice on important questions like how selective are NZ trout today? What's the single most important skill for any fly angler arriving there? And, what are the odds today of catching a trophy trout NZ over 10 pounds?

We also hear what was it like guiding during the early days of heli-fishing and a great story of a first cast and a vanishing fly line! Stick around for the back half of the show where Tony stack mends a pile of technical tips on spotting fish, approaching water, and playing big trout.

With host Steve Haigh

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Contact Tony Entwistle: https://www.flyfishingwithtony.com/ | [email protected] | +64-27 473 2483

Destination Angler Podcast:

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Please check out our Sponsors:

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Oct 9, 2025

Our destination is wild Alaska and wondrous Argentina, two of the world's premier fly-fishing frontiers. For most anglers, a trip like this is once in a lifetime—so which do you choose?

To help us decide, we've brought together two men who know these waters well. Bob White is a renowned sporting artist, author, and former guide who for 40 years has led anglers from Alaska to Patagonia. Joining him is his good friend Steve Ramirez—Marine Corps veteran, writer, and author of the acclaimed Casting Series.

Together, Bob and Steve share their experiences and reflections on two unforgettable destinations—and what these wild places teach us about fly fishing and life.

With host Steve Haigh

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Contact Bob White: https://www.bobwhitestudio.com/

Instagram @BobWhiteStudio Facebook @bob.white.184

Contact Steve Ramirez: https://www.steveramirezauthor.com/

Facebook @steve.ramirez.39 Instagram @SteveRamirezAuthor

Destination Angler Podcast:

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• Instagram & Facebook @DestinationAnglerPodcast

Please check out our Sponsors:

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Sep 25, 2025

Our destination is the legendary Penns Creek in central Pennsylvania—Part 2—with Team USA world champion angler and guide Tess Weigand. Tess unleashes a flood of hard-won tips from years of guiding and competing to help you crack the code on one of the most technical trout streams in the East.

We dive into the chaos of the Green Drake hatch, Tess's go-to fly patterns, how to handle the crowds, read tricky currents, and stay calm when "everything is hatching at once." It's a masterclass in patience, stealth, and observation—with lessons stretching from Montana to Norway.

Stick around to the end when Tess shares a moving story about her gold-medal moment with Team USA in Idaho—and what it really meant to her.

With host Steve Haigh

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Destination Angler on YouTube

Contact Tess:

https://www.twflyfishing.com/

Instagram @tessweigand Facebook @tess.weigand/

Destination Angler Podcast:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram & Facebook @DestinationAnglerPodcast

Please check out our Sponsors:

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Sep 18, 2025

Our destination today isn't a river — it's the very ground beneath our wading boots. Across the West, efforts have resurfaced to sell off or weaken protections for our public lands — the same lands that hold America's greatest trout streams and wild places.

Joining me is Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. Today, we talk about the fight to protect our public lands — what's at stake for anglers, and why these battles keep coming back like cicadas emerging from the ground, and what you can do about it.

Stick around for the end for some fun as Chris shares stories from his coaching days. With host Steve Haigh

Take Action:

https://standup.tu.org/

Instagram @troutunlimited Facebook @TroutUnlimited

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Destination Angler Podcast:

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Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Oct 9, 2025

Our Destination is Part 1 of a 2-part series on the legendary Penns Creek in central Pennsylvania with Team USA world champion competition angler and guide, Tess Weigand. Tucked into the Pennsylvania woods, Penns Creek is hallowed water— it's PA longest limestone-creek, a bug-factory, and home to some of the most educated trout in the East.

Tess is a founding member of the women's Team USA and has represented the United States at world championships in Norway, British Columbia, the Czech Republic, and most recently, Idaho, where they took first place. Listen in as Tess shares her favorite patterns, her go-to competition tactics, and what separates the top anglers from the ones who get schooled.

With host Steve Haigh

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Destination Angler on YouTube

Contact Tess:

https://www.twflyfishing.com/

Instagram @tessweigand Facebook @tess.weigand

Destination Angler Podcast:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram & Facebook @DestinationAnglerPodcast

Please check out our Sponsors:

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Sep 18, 2025

Our destination is Canada's Lake Superior Marine Conservation Area for giant coaster brook trout—3,800 square miles of crystal-clear water and steep, rocky drop-offs hiding the biggest brook trout on earth. Joining me is author, guide, and Great Lakes expert Jerry Darkes, who gives us a whirlwind tour of fly fishing the Great Lakes and a deep dive into where, how, and when to find these genetically supercharged brookies.

Jerry's been fishing the Great Lakes for 50 years and this remote area for 15. Today he shares his strategies on sinking lines and tag-teaming for big fish, plus top flies and the logistics of getting there. And as a bonus, Jerry dishes out smallmouth hotspots, flats fishing for carp, and even lake trout and pike bulldogging in the shallows.

With host Steve Haigh

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Contact Jerry:

https://jerrydarkes.com/

Instagram @jerrydarkes Facebook @jerry.darkes

Destination Angler Podcast:

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram & Facebook @DestinationAnglerPodcast

Please check out our Sponsors:

TroutRoutes

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers. Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today. Get 1 Month Free

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet. Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com Facebook @highndryfishingproducts Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing

Comments & Suggestions: host, Steve Haigh, email [email protected]

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Sep 10, 2025