Steve Ramirez explores the rivers, jungles, mountains, and windswept landscapes of Central and South America featured in A Season in Patagonia. From tarpon in Mexico and peacock bass in the Amazon to the legendary trout waters of Patagonia, Steve shares unforgettable encounters with remarkable people, diverse cultures, extraordinary wildlife, and world-class fisheries. Discover how travel, fly fishing, and a deep connection to nature can transform not only the way you fish—but also the way you see the world.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• Can you describe your book A Season in Patagonia?
• Can you give a more in-depth explanation of the book’s title and how it relates to the envisioned global trilogy of outdoor, nature, and fly-fishing literature?
• Was there a particular moment during your travels when you realized this book was becoming something much bigger than another fishing adventure?
• Of all the countries you visited, which surprised you the most, and why?
• The book opens in the Yucatán pursuing juvenile tarpon. Why did you choose Mexico as the beginning of this book, and what did that first destination set in motion for the rest of your travels?
• Your days in Campeche weren't just about tarpon—they were about immersing yourself in the culture. What was one encounter with the local people that changed the way you viewed Mexico?
• The Brazilian Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Was there a moment when you realized you were in an ecosystem unlike anywhere else you've ever fished?
• You caught peacock bass, searched for wolf fish, encountered electric eels, stingrays, and piranhas. Which Amazon species fascinated you the most—not necessarily as a game fish, but as a remarkable creature?
• The Amazon can feel both magical and intimidating. What moments reminded you that you were a visitor in one of the wildest places left on Earth?
• Patagonia has almost mythical status among fly anglers. What aspects of Patagonia actually exceeded the legends?
• Patagonia is famous for its wind. How does an angler learn to fish with the wind instead of fighting it?
• You spent time with people from very different cultures. What common qualities did great fishing guides seem to share regardless of where they lived?
• When listeners finish reading A Season in Patagonia, what do you hope inspires them first—to book a trip, to pick up a fly rod, or simply to spend more time paying attention to the natural world?

What is it about bonefish that inspires anglers to travel thousands of miles, endure endless flights, and return to the flats year after year? Frank Foster shares unforgettable stories, legendary guides, hard-earned lessons, and the adventures that fueled nearly four decades of chasing the elusive "grey ghost" from the Bahamas and Cuba to the Seychelles and beyond, Whether you're a seasoned flats angler or dreaming of your first bonefish trip, this episode will inspire your next adventure.

Listen in as Greg Vinci provides an unforgettable fly fishing road trip across California as we explore the waters featured in his book, The Complete Guide to California Fly Fishing. From the rugged Southern Cascades to coastal streams and the legendary rivers and lakes of the Sierra’s west and east slopes, Greg shares the destinations, tactics, hatches, and hidden gems every fly angler should know. Whether you’re planning your next adventure or simply love California trout water, this episode is packed with insight and inspiration.

What happens when world-class fly fishing meets unforgettable cuisine? Listen in while globetrotting fly fishing guide and chef Matthew Supinski explores the intersection of rivers, culture, and the table. We’ll journey from legendary trout streams to coastal waters around the globe—discovering how food, place, and angling traditions intertwine. If you’ve ever dreamed of chasing fish by day and savoring local flavors by night, this conversation will awaken your appetite for adventure.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• What inspired you to combine fly fishing, travel, and culinary experiences into A Fishable Feast?
• Of all the destinations in the book, which country surprised you the most both as an angler and as a food lover?
• How do you decide whether a destination is truly “fishable feast” worthy?
• Do you have any advice (or hard-learned tips) for traveling with a proper set of knives, spices, or other cooking tools? Especially when on a destination trip?
• What's good advice for those fishing overseas or traveling to new locations, and having a plan for the cuisine?
• YWhich destination in the book offers the most underrated fly fishing experience?
• Which location offered the most technically challenging fly fishing?
• What are the biggest mistakes anglers make when planning international fly fishing trips?
• How has global fly fishing travel changed over the last couple of decades?
• Where did the recipes in your book come from?
• Were there any destinations where the cuisine taught you something important about the local fishery or ecosystem?
• Which destination in the book offers the best balance of accessibility, great fishing, and incredible food?
• If you could revisit one destination from the book tomorrow for both the fishing and the food, where would you go and why?

Smallmouth bass aren’t just aggressive they’re strategic. Jake Villwock breaks down how to consistently catch more fish by targeting all three feeding zones: topwater, mid-column, and bottom. He reveals how modern fly design—from foam bugs to articulated baitfish and lifelike crayfish has transformed the game. Whether you’re chasing explosive surface eats or dialing in subsurface tactics, you’ll learn how to fish smarter, adapt faster, and unlock the full potential of smallmouth on the fly.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• What first drew you to smallmouth bass on the fly, and what keeps you obsessed with them today?
• What are good weights of fly lines and leaders for both topwater and wet fly fishing for smallmouth?
• What size leader do you use?
• What are the biggest mistakes anglers make when fishing surface flies for bass?
• For anglers new to bass on the fly, what are the top three surface flies they should always carry?
• Your book mentions how modern topwater flies have evolved from bulky deer hair bugs to more refined foam and articulated patterns. What drove that evolution?
• What about a dropper off a popper suspended 18”-24”. What depth of water would that be successful
• What conditions create the perfect topwater smallmouth bite?
• How important is observation when determining what bass are feeding on at the surface—mayflies, frogs, damsels, baitfish, cicadas, and so on?
• What are your favorite retrieves for poppers, sliders, and waking flies?
• Moving into the mid-column zone, can you explain what a “swim fly” really is and why this style has become so effective?
• When fishing mid-column flies, how do you decide between floating, sink-tip, and intermediate lines?
• Crayfish patterns are a major focus in your book. What makes crayfish such an essential forage for bass?
• Do you use a lot of crayfish patterns, and what about sculpin patterns?
• Looking ahead, where do you think smallmouth fly design and tactics are headed over the next decade?

What does it take to turn a simple camping trip into an unforgettable fly fishing adventure? Robert Streeter shares lessons from years on the road—from tent camping in remote waters to traveling in an Airstream in search of the next great fishery. Learn how to discover prime destinations, plan your trips, and create DIY fly fishing experiences that fit your lifestyle. Whether it’s a weekend getaway or an Alaska expedition, this conversation will inspire you to hit the road and find your own adventure.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• What inspired you to take your first true fly fishing road trip, and how did it shape future adventures?
• What defines a “successful” fly fishing road trip in your mind?
• What do you think most anglers get wrong when planning their first DIY road trip?
• What are the first three things someone should figure out before leaving home?
• How far in advance should anglers realistically plan a major trip like Alaska?
• You’ve gone from tents to an Airstream—how did that evolution change your trips?
• For someone starting out, how do they decide between tent camping, truck camping, or RV travel?
• What’s your process for finding productive water in unfamiliar areas?
• When you arrive at a new destination, what’s your first move as an angler?
• How can a guided day improve the rest of a DIY trip?
• What’s your strategy for staying organized with gear, flies, and equipment on the road?
• How do you plan overnight stays, especially in remote areas?
• What fly rods do you take for each type of fishing?
• Looking back on all your trips, what’s one lesson that consistently leads to a better, more memorable adventure?

Steelhead on the Trinity River aren’t accidental fish—and neither are the anglers who consistently find them. In this episode, professional guide Alex Ross breaks down the nuts and bolts of deep nymphing for Trinity River steelhead from a drift boat. We dive into reading flow-driven water, boat positioning, rigging for depth and control, fly selection by conditions, and the subtle adjustments that turn “good water” into hooked fish. If you want a practical, guide-tested approach to putting winter steelhead in the net on one of California’s most iconic rivers, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• For anglers who haven’t fished it, how would you describe the Trinity River compared to other West Coast steelhead rivers?
• How do dam releases and changing flows affect where steelhead hold?
• How do fish position differently in low flows versus high flows?
• What types of water on the Trinity consistently produce with deep nymphing?
• Are the techniques you use river specific, or do they work other places?
• How do you determine your starting depth?
• Do you prefer fixed indicators or adjustable systems from a drift boat—and why?
• What’s your philosophy on split shot vs. weighted flies?
• What are your go-to fly patterns for Trinity steelhead nymphing?
• What rod, reel, line, leader and tippet setup do you recommend?
• How can you tell if your weight is riding properly?
• How critical is boat control in deep nymphing success?
• What visual clues tell you a run will hold steelhead?
• what is the etiquette on back rowing and re-drifting a run?

When the sun goes down, big brown trout come out to hunt—and few flies trigger more violent takes than a well-fished mouse. In this episode, Michigan guide Tommy Lynch breaks down the art and science of fly fishing with mouse patterns. We cover mouse fly design, rods and lines, presentation tactics, reading water at night, and how to safely fish after dark. If you want to target your biggest trout on purpose, this episode delivers the playbook.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• What is it about mouse patterns that triggers such aggressive strikes from big brown trout at night?
• Are trout actually keying on real mice, or is it more about sound, silhouette, and disturbance?
• What time of year do you find mouse fishing to be most productive?
• Why do anglers target nighttime browns with mouse patterns, when subsurface steamers can be really effective at night and have much higher hook-up percentages?
• Are there particular geographic locations where nighttime mouse pattern fishing is most productive?
• What features do you look for in a great mouse fly—materials, buoyancy, tail, legs?
• Do you prefer foam, deer hair, or hybrid mouse patterns, and why?
• How does color matter at night—dark vs. light vs. natural tones?
• What’s your go-to retrieve when fishing a mouse pattern after dark?
• Do you prefer skating, waking, or subtle twitching—and when does each shine?
• What are the most common presentation mistakes anglers make with mouse flies?
• How do you “map” a piece of water during the day to fish it effectively at night?
• What rod, line, and leader setup do you recommend specifically for mouse fishing?
• What safety considerations should anglers think about before fishing at night?

Fishing pressure is at an all-time high—but smart anglers adapt. In this episode we're joined by Nick Conklin and Collins Illich to break down advanced tactics for fooling highly educated fish on crowded waters. From strategy shifts to subtle presentations, this conversation delivers practical insights you can apply to pressured rivers anywhere.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• How do you define “pressured water,” and what are the earliest signs anglers should recognize?
• How has fishing pressure changed over the last decade on popular Western rivers?
• Can you share with us some of the things that should concern anglers with time management?
• When and where should we fish to avoid highly pressured waters?
• What role does timing—time of day or season—play in beating pressure?
• On a river like the South Platte, below Cheeseman Dam, it looks like the coming months will be a combination of low water (>100 CFS), crowds, and low temps/snow pack (hopefully!). Any recommendations around that specific set of factors?
• If you come across a run where you saw another angler fishing, how long should you wait to fish that run?
• How important is stealth compared to presentation on crowded rivers?
• When fishing pressured water, how do you decide between changing flies versus changing tactics?
• Is it better to add more flies as droppers when fishing for smart trout?
• Do you find that you need to downsize your flies for pressured waters?
• Do you change leader/tippet for pressured waters, and if so, what do you recommend?
• What habits separate consistently successful anglers from frustrated ones?
• With the pressure continuing to get stronger what changes do you see coming in the next 20 years that will change the way we fish today or our access to fisheries?

Lake Champlain may be one of the most diverse fly-fishing waters in North America, and it remains largely underexplored by fly anglers. Professional angler Drew Price breaks down how to target the lake’s incredible mix of species—from explosive bowfin and prehistoric longnose gar to northern pike, bass, carp, freshwater drum, and even salmonids. Drew shares practical strategies on seasonal movement, sight-fishing tactics, fly selection, and reading complex habitat across this massive fishery. If you’re ready to go beyond trout and discover a truly wild, multi-species fly-fishing experience, join us and open your eyes to what Lake Champlain really offers.

Just a few of the questions asked and answered during the interview:

• Lake Champlain has a long and complex history—can you give us a brief overview of how the lake formed and how glacial forces shaped what we see today?
• What are the major geographic regions or “zones” of Lake Champlain, and how does fishing change as you move between them?
• Lake Champlain experiences strong seasonal changes—ice cover, spring runoff, summer stratification. How do these seasonal cycles impact fish distribution and angling strategy?
• What are the top species that fly fishers are interested in fishing for?
• What are the best seasons and water temperatures for fly fishing smallmouth bass on Lake Champlain?
• Which shallow habitats—bays, weed beds, marshes—produce the most consistent largemouth action?
• Where do pike stage during spring, summer, and fall, and how shallow do they really get?
• Is carp fishing on Champlain primarily a wading game, a boat game, or both?
• Where do bowfin typically hold in Lake Champlain, and what habitats should fly anglers focus on?
• When are gar most visible and accessible to fly anglers on Lake Champlain?
• Are drum a target species or more of an opportunistic catch while carp fishing?
• What fly patterns best match the forage base for landlocked salmon in the lake?
• Given all the species available to a fly fisher what are your recommendations on planning a trip to Lake Champlain?
• If an angler wants to target multiple species what would you suggest?