In this episode we WadeOutThere with Steve Schmidt, from Salt Lake City, UT. Steve moved to Utah to pursue his love of skiing while attending college. He quickly became a die hard fly fisherman, spending almost every free day on the Provo River, skiing in the evenings, and spending his summers on some of the west’s most storied fisheries.
Steve’s hunger to progress and learn fostered relationships with fly fishing mentors that not only helped him as a fisherman, but also opened the doors to a life and career in fly fishing. Steve opened his fly shop, Western Rivers Fly Fisher, in 1986 and although he’s recently retired, you can still find him in the shop helping others progress on their own fly fishing journeys.
We discuss dry fly tactics and why doing the hard work matters in all aspects of fly fishing.
In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mary Ann Dozer from Sisters, Oregon. Mary Ann started fly fishing in 1995 when she joined her husband after one of his fly fishing trips in Yellowstone National Park. She fell in love with fly fishing and was soon spending most of her weekends on the river.
Mary Ann also has a degree in organizational change and was working as an engineer in the technology industry when she decided it was time for a change herself. She began an early retirement and continued to pursue her passion for fly fishing. After a trip to Idaho volunteering with Casting for Recovery, Mary Ann soon found herself living and guiding summers in Salmon Idaho and later on the Lower Deschutes River.
Mary Ann has her Masters Casting Certification from Fly Fishers International, is the Technology Lead for the FFI Casting Board of Governors, and has helped pioneer virtual and video based fly casting instruction.
We discuss the Lower Deschutes River, habit patterns, and why less is more in fly casting.
Podcast
Dec Hogan Part 2. Swinging Flies for Steelhead on the Surface and Finding Art in Fly Fishing (Ep. 221)
In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Dec Hogan, from Midway, Utah. Dec grew up with an obsession for fishing that drove him to find water wherever he went. He was introduced to fly fishing and steelhead fishing while he lived in California, but it wasn’t until he joined the Navy and found himself stationed at Whidbey Island, in Washington State, that Dec finally immersed himself into what would become his passion and profession for decades to come… fly fishing for steelhead.
Dec is an accomplished author and spey casting instructor with decades of experience fishing and guiding for steelhead. His books and tactics have influenced countless anglers in search of steelhead on the fly.
In Part Two of our conversation we discuss tactics for swinging flies for steelhead on the surface, how fly fishing and tying can become art, and how fly fishermen and women can become artists in their craft.
In this episode we WadeOutThere with Pablo Signori, from Chicago, Illinois. Pablo found fly fishing on a friends bachelor party to the outdoors and immediately became obsessed with learning more about the sport, while fishing the lakes in the cities he lived in.
During the COVID pandemic, Pablo moved back to Los Angeles, continuing to fly fish, and eventually decided to combine his skillset in music production with his passion for fly fishing by creating a fly fishing podcast.
Pablo’s podcast, The Newb and the Knower, is a methodical and educational approach to learning the various aspects of fly fishing, during which Pablo has conversations with fly fisherman, author, and competitor Lance Egan.
Pablo is also a fly fishing film maker who recently started the North American Fly Fishing Outfitter, Criollo Camp Outfitters. Pablos’s outfitter emphasizes local culture and sustainability, and includes trips to Mexico and Argentina, among other destinations.
We discuss ideas about how to approach learning and studying fly fishing, the importance of knowing your “why’s on the water” and techniques and stories around urban fly fishing.
In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Dec Hogan, from Midway, Utah. Dec grew up with an obsession for fishing that drove him to find water wherever he went. He was introduced to fly fishing and steelhead fishing while he lived in California, but it wasn’t until he joined the Navy and found himself stationed at Whidbey Island, in Washington State, that Dec finally immersed himself into what would become his passion and profession for decades to come… fly fishing for steelhead.
Dec is an accomplished author and spey casting instructor with decades of experience fishing and guiding for steelhead. His books and tactics have influenced countless anglers in search of steelhead on the fly.
In Part One of our conversation we discuss Dec’s methodical approach to steelhead fishing, differences and similarities in reading water and presenting flies during summer and winter, and the importance of a “vulnerable” swing.
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.
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, Utah’s cutthroat slam, and finding time to go fishing alone and with family.
Podcast
Jake Villwock Part 2. Smallmouth Fly Design and Frog Flies for Trout in Pennsylvania (Ep. 216)
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.