Meet Tyler
In this episode we WadeOutThere with Tyler Mills from St.Paul, Minnesota. Tyler grew up gear fishing with his friends and family in upstate New York, spending nearly every day of the summer on the St. Lawrence River. It didn’t take long for Tyler to find fly fishing, which he took with him to Seattle where he worked in the snowboard industry.
When he lost his job during COVID, Tyler ended up finding himself learning a new fishery every three months while he visited his then girlfriend, and current wife, who was a traveling nurse. When they landed in Wyoming, Tyler left his life in Seattle and turned to fly fishing for the presence and peace that it brought him and others, while he supported his wife’s nursing career.
Tyler’s passion for fly fishing also brought him a new career in Minnesota, where he is a fly fishing guide and jet boat captain on the Upper Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers, targeting smallmouth.
Listen to the Episode
Episode Topics
- How fly fishing helps us all be more present
- How COVID gave Tyler the opportunity to grow as an angler by learning new fisheries
- Presentation techniques for hooking up with smallmouth on top of and below the water.
Quotes from Tyler
“I always say it on most trips, like, if you’re not snagging, you’re not trying… I want you to get close because they’re there… they’re under stuff, they’re in stuff, get it there.”
“I think it drives anglers to really get out of their comfort zone… I can catch a ton of fish swinging nymphs around… but I can’t do the same thing to go catch a panfish.”
“I’ve been surprised before on what little water they can be in. And they’re there, they’re under stuff, they’re in stuff, get it there.”
Learn More
Instagram: @cuffsfullofdustandfeathers
Explore WadeOutThere Art by Jason Shemchuk
Fly fishing holds special memories for us all. The fish we catch, the rivers we wade, and the people we fish with are all a part of our unique fly fishing journey.
My art is meant to capture these memories and remind us all to go back to the places that bring us joy.
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