The Wadeoutthere Fly Fishing Podcast

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jan Axtell, from Livingston Montana.  Jan grew up in Wisconsin, and started fly fishing with a friend at sixteen years old.  His first experience on the river was on a spring creek in the Driftless Region, which he continued to fish through high school and college. 

After school, Jan moved to Vermont and started guiding.  He fished spring creeks in Vermont and Pennsylvania until a job opportunity took him to Livingston, Montana.  By then, Jan’s love for spotting and stalking trout in spring creeks was deeply rooted, and even though Jan also guides on the Yellowstone River, and in Yellowstone National Park,  his passion remains the challenging spring creeks in the Yellowstone Valley.  Jan is also a commercial fly tier. 

We discuss finding success in casting through angles, spring creek observation and sight fishing tactics, how to tie flies fast, and fishing through the learning curve.

Learn More:
Nelson's Guides and Flies.com
Hatchfinders Fly Shop
Instagram: @jandaxtell
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Slow is Smooth.  Smooth is Fast.
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Eight Reasons the Zebra Midge is the Perfect First Fly to Tie
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | River to Fly Strategy (R2FS) - A Fly Tying Process for the Beginner's Success

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Heidi Lewis from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Heidi started fly fishing when her two daughters were little as a way to get out of the house and spend time in nature. 

After taking a women’s fly fishing class at her local fly shop, she immediately fell in love and became a dedicated student of the sport, spending most of her free time on the river and in the fly shop. 

We discuss wade fishing, the Green River, techniques for swinging wet flies, and Utah’s cutthroat slam.  Heidi also shares her experience finding time to go fishing alone and with family.

Learn More:
Instagram: @heidiaqua
Email: [email protected]
UtahCutthroatSlam.org

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Jake Villwock, from Carlisle, PA.  Jake grew up in Maryland, on an island in the Chesapeake Bay surrounded by fishing.  His father was a commercial fisherman and professional bass fisherman. 

In college, Jake learned early on that he wanted a career in the outdoors and fishing.  After working a summer job at a sport and fly fishing lodge in Alaska, he moved to Pennsylvania to pursue his passion for fishing as a guide.  Jake soon fell in love with the solitude and exploration of the state’s many smallmouth bass fisheries. 

He has now been guiding smallmouth in Pennsylvania for over twelve years, is the author of the book “Smallmouth Bass Flies - Top to Bottom”, and owns and operates his own outfitter Relentless Fly Fishing. 

In Part Two of our discussion, Jake explains his problem solving process for designing smallmouth bass flies and tips and techniques for how to present them in Pennsylvania’s miles of smallmouth water. Jake also talks about fishing frog flies for trout.

Learn More:
RelentlessFlyFishing.com
YouTube: Relentless TV
Instagram: @relentlessflyfishing

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Jake Villwock, from Carlisle, PA.  Jake grew up in Maryland, on an island in the Chesapeake Bay surrounded by fishing.  His father was a commercial fisherman and professional bass fisherman. 

In college, Jake learned early on that he wanted a career in the outdoors and fishing.  After working a summer job at a sport and fly fishing lodge in Alaska, he moved to Pennsylvania to pursue his passion for fishing as a guide. 

Jake soon fell in love with the solitude and exploration of the state’s many smallmouth bass fisheries.  He has now been guiding smallmouth in Pennsylvania for over twelve years and is the author of the book “Smallmouth Bass Flies - Top to Bottom.” 

In Part One of our discussion, Jake shares tactics and techniques for observing and presenting to smallmouth bass in Pennsylvania.

Learn More:
RelentlessFlyFishing.com
YouTube: Relentless TV
Instagram: @relentlessflyfishing

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with David Payne, from Helena, Montana.  David grew up in Lewistown, Montana, fishing the small towns local stream, Big Spring Creek at age 8, with no fly shops and mail order materials, on a homemade vise.  That was in 1964 and he’s been fly fishing ever since.

In 1995, David started guiding on the Missouri River after moving to Helena in 1982, where he still guides today. 

We discuss spinner fall tactics on the Missouri River, why you should fish all four seasons of any river you are trying to learn, and how observing others in the boat can make you a better guide and fly fisher.

Learn More:
DavidPayneOutdoors.com
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | A Dozen Techniques For Getting Your Flies Down While Nymphing
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Tips for Fighting Big Fish From a Drift Boat

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Missy Sprouse, from Crowheart, Wyoming.  Missy learned to fly fish in East Tennessee after meeting her husband.  Together they moved to the remote Wind River Range of Wyoming to settle down and enjoy fishing and riding horses in the mountains. 

Missy is also a photographer and after falling in love with fly fishing, became excited about capturing the powerful experiences that women encounter through Casting for Recovery, an organization created to help women with breast cancer through fly fishing.  Missy also served on the organization’s national board for eight years. 

We discuss fly fishing in the Wind River Mountains, the special experience of reaching your trout stream on horseback, and building lasting communities of ladies through Casting for Recovery.

Learn More:
CastingforRecovery.org
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Why We Take Our Children Fly Fishing
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Eight Reasons the Zebra Midge is the Perfect First Fly to Tie
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | The Rendezvous - More Than a Fly Fishing Trip

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Ken Burkholder, from Boise, Idaho.  Ken grew up playing music and fly fishing.  Growing up in a musical family, with two older brothers to drive him to the river helped him live his early years doing what he loved: practicing the oboe, and fly fishing. 

After eventually earning his masters in the oboe at Northwestern University, the mountains called Ken back.  He put his passions to work as a member of the  Boise Philharmonic Orchestra in his hometown in the winter, and a fly fishing guide on the South Fork of the Snake River in the summer… living his dream for over thirty five years.  Ken is also a signature tyer for Fulling Mill. 

We discuss tying salmon flies and golden stones, problem solving on the vise for beginners, and the South Fork of the Snake River.

Learn More:
Ken's Fulling Mill Flies
Instagram: @kenburk55

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Pete Erickson, from Boise Idaho.  Pete grew up fly fishing in Washington state and exploring the surrounding mountain lakes.

After college, he became a guide on the Upper Green River, in Wyoming, while also teaching high school English.  Pete has been a competitor for team USA in the competitive fly fishing world and is a rod designer for Echo. 

We discuss Pete’s experience learning and fishing in Tuscany, Italy, the Upper Green River, line management tips for nymphing and dry fly fishing, and Pete shares his progress into the outdoor wellness space in the coming years.

Learn More:
OutdoorWellnessLifestyle.com
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Targeting the Middle of the Water Column and Alternatives to the Hopper Dropper

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Evan Keene from Livingston, Montana.  Evan fell in love with fly fishing after his father took him on a fishing trip to Alaska after high school graduation. 

From then on he was learning all he could about the sport while making the drive from his home state of Tennessee to fish the Little Red River in Missouri as much as possible.  Finally, Evan took a job in Montana, that got him out on the river more often, and eventually into the guiding business.  Now, Evan is in his first year of running his own fly shop, Hatch Finders, in the Yellowstone Valley, with his close friend and business partner. 

We discuss summer hopper fishing, adjusting to dramatic weather changes that bring snow and rain, as well the Yellowstone River.

Learn More:
Hatch Finders.com
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Embrace the Drive
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Fly Fishing with Confidence Part One. Why Confidence Catches Fish
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Techniques for Casting "With" the Wind

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Duane Redford.  Duane began his love of fly fishing and tying as a youth in the mountain lakes of Arizona.  He moved to Colorado in 1982, where he became a teacher and a coach, as well as an avid angler. 

When his coaching days were over, Duane became a full time guide for Minturn Anglers, in the Vail Valley, and immersed himself in his passion for the water.  Today, Duane continues to teach through fly fishing.  He has written several books and creates content for his YouTube channel. 

We discuss approaching a new river, interpreting and obs erving water, directional control throughout the drift, and the Eagle River.

Learn More:
Minturn Anglers.com
Duane Redford.com
Duane Redford YouTube Channel
Duane Redford: Hidden in Plain View: Recognizing the Obvious-Exploiting the Obscure in Fly Fishing
Duane Redford: Fly Fisher's Playbook: A Systematic Approach to Nymphing

READ: WADEOUTTHERE | The Fish Are Always Biting - Mindset
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Fly Fishing with Confidence. Part 1. Why Confidence Catches Fish
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | A Dozen Techniques for Getting Your Flies Down While Nymphing
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | Fish One River
READ: WADEOUTTHERE | The Two Best Times for Experimenting on the River

Visit TacticalFlyFisher.com and use Promo Code: wade15 at checkout for 15% off your next tactical gear purchase.

Sign up for Jason's free email newsletter (WadeOutThere Wednesday) at WadeOutThere.com/Wednesday