The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast Tom Rosenbauer, The Orvis Company

 
A couple months ago I did a podcast with Jason Randall [36:39] on trout vision, and it was so popular that I asked him to come back on the podcast to do one on a trout's sense of smell and hearing.  Can trout hear your metal studs on the bottom when you wade, or the tip of your wading staff?  Can they hear you talking?  Can they smell your flies, and does it make sense to add scents to your fly?  Can they smell hatches coming?  I explore these and other topics with one of our foremost experts on what trout perceive in their environment.
 
In the Fly Box this week, we have a great assortment of questions and tips from listeners, including:
What could I tie with size 16 and 18 Keel Hooks?
When working the same pool, should the nymph or streamer angler cover the pool first?
Where should you park when you see a stretch of unposted land?
A listener relates a fun story of his first carp on the fly
What would make me choose the more expensive textured Pro fly line over the Smooth version?
What is your rod, leader, and fly setup when fishing a small stream?
Is there a difference between a dubbing loop and the split thread technique?
Do Recons and Clearwaters go through the same process of improvements that Helios rods do?
I saw a lot of bugs but no trout rising.  Do you think they were overwhelmed by too much food?
If trout in the East don't eat adult stoneflies much, why does the Chubby Chernobyl work so well?
I find sunglasses in the evening a hindrance.  What should I do to protect my eyes after the sun goes down?

Captain Drew Rodriguez [27:23] is the only Orvis-endorsed freshwater guide in Florida and specializes in largemouth and peacock bass in the canals near Miami and also the Everglades. In summer, peacocks are his main target as they just love hot weather, the hotter the better. He discusses how to find them, what flies to pick, and what tackle he recommends. They are a year-round target in the Miami area and, according to Captain Drew, a 30-fish day is a slow one.
 
In the Fly Box this week, we have some interesting questions and great tips from listeners, including:
Can I fit my fly boxes, lunch, and a raincoat in the standard Orvis Sling Bag?
A tip from a listener on how college fly-fishing clubs can get involved with the Trout Unlimited Five Rivers program
A tip for taking notes on your phone to remind you of podcast questions
A tip for using desiccant packages in your fly boxes
Should I tether myself to my 7-year-old daughter when we are wading together?
A tip from a listener on "urban blue lining".
If I fall in, what steps should I take to dry out my gear?
What would be a recommendation for a basic surf fishing outfit for the East Coast, Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America?
How can I manage the fly line around my feet when it gets stuck on obstructions in the river?
Why don't they make longer fiberglass rods?
If I am catching more whitefish than trout, should I move?
What is the best way to fish nymphs without an indicator?
Is dry fly fishing on a lake better in calm or riffled water?
A hot tip from a regular listener on a great fly pattern

 
Brandon Dale [43:32] is a licensed New York State guide who specializes in fishing, of all places, Central Park in the middle of The Big Apple. You may not be interested in fishing for carp in Central Park, but Brandon offers some valuable tips on carp fishing in murky water, and has developed some innovative techniques that all carp fanatics will want to learn.
 
In the Fly Box this week, we have a wide variety of questions and tips from listeners, including:
Any tips on finding places to fly fish close to home?
A tip from a listener on how to get studs in wading boots to mount properly
What about kapok dubbing and wing burners?  What are your thoughts on using them?
How can I fish a small mountain stream when it gets murky?
Should I wear my wading jacket inside or outside of my waders?
How should I read the water in rivers for bass?
Is there an advantage to shorter rods when fishing for bass in rivers?
I caught two rainbows that looked exactly the same.  Could it have been the same fish?
Do graphite rods get slower over time?
What advice do you have for getting a fly rod for a 5-year-old?
How do fish get rid of flies when you break them off?
I fished a river and all I caught was creek chubs.  Is that a good or bad sign, and is it worth going back to that river?
I have problems when I cast bigger flies.  What should I do to practice with big flies?
Are prescription progressive polarized glasses worth the extra cost?

 
I feel that European stillwater anglers are far more sophisticated in their approach to stillwater trout fishing and have studied it in more detail than most North American lake anglers. As a result, they use some techniques that are unlike what you see on most trout lakes and ponds in North America and both the flies and methods they use are worth experimenting with. My guest this week, Chad Critchley [48:21], is a guide and stillwater angler (and a lapsed competition angler) who shares some of these methods with us.
 
In the Fly Box this week, we have these questions and more:
How should I retrieve Woolly Buggers for bass and panfish?
My knots to my flies are always slipping.  What am I doing wrong?
Do you have any tips on fishing larger rivers?
Any reason, when fishing a popper/drop[per rig for bass, that I can't tie my popper on a separate dropper instead of tying to the bend of the popper hook?
If daytime water temperatures are around 70 but night time temperatures when I fish are 65 degrees, do you think it's safe to fish for trout?
Why don't fly anglers use braided line for tippet—it's very supple.
Do you take fly tying materials with you on a fishing trip?  How do you decide whether to take them or not?
We saw huge schools of striped bass on a flat but they would not take any fly we presented to them.  Do you have any tips?
How do you recommend I clean my polarized sunglasses, and what to you recommend to keep them from fogging up?
What kind of mayfly spinner patterns should I carry in the Northeast?
What is the best way to keep trout hooked when fishing downstream with wet flies?
I am young but I still have trouble seeing small dry flies on the water.  What tips do you have for seeing them? 

This episode was originally posted on March 10, 2022.
Josh Nugent of Out Fly Fishing in Calgary has been doing a series of “Seven Deadly Sins” podcasts with me over the past couple of years and this one is chock full of great advice [38:38]. Josh is a very preceptive angler and thinks deeply about how flies behave in the water and how trout react to them, and in the interview we go off on a number of tangents—all interesting and all about nymph fishing—and all of them with great advice on how to make your indicator nymphing game more fun and productive. 
In the Fly Box this week, we have some great tips and questions from listeners, including:
A terrific tip on why tying tube flies is a great way to get kids started
What kind of other storage systems does Tom use around his roll-top desk?
Where can I learn more about fly fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass?
What do you suggest for preventing cutoffs by chain pickerel?
Can I use sitka or axis deer, antelope, or goat hair for fly tying?
A great tip on replacing wing cases on smaller nymphs with a drop of UV cure resin
Should I use my leader straightener?
Can I do longline French/Spanish nymphing with a two-handed rod?
How can I locate pinhole leaks ion my waders?
How do older series of rods compare to the modern ones? What is better about the more recent models?
I know your higher-end rods are made in Vermont, but where do the components come from?
Why do Americans shoot and kill birds?
What is a good two-line rotation for streamer fishing in Michigan?
I kept my fiberglass rod in a hot car and now I notice it has a kink in it. Could the hot car have been the reason?

Last week we looked at urban fly fishing in the Rockies.  This week we venture into the American south with Orvis Atlanta fishing manager Devin Lancaster for an expert look at how to find and catch interesting fly-rod species within your own city limits by using a method he calls Blue Dotting.  You'll need to listen to the podcast to find out exactly what that is.
 
In the Fly Box this week, as usual we have some interesting questions and helpful tips, including:
If I am fishing for smallmouth in a river that also hosts trout and the water temperature is 68 degrees, what should I do?
How can I cast to smallmouth in a river where I have almost no back-cast room?
In lakes with multiple species, when fishing from shore should I expect to find different types of fish at different times?
I have difficulty setting the hook on trout with a "trout set" and do better with a strip set.  Why is the 'trout set" recommended for trout?
Do you have any tips on fly fishing for walleye?
Why do some nymphs call for a partridge collar and other nymphs use a CDC collar?  Is there any difference?
A listener relates that the Ralph Cutter podcast on wading safety literally saved his life.
Are all the new Helios models four times as accurate, or just the 905?
Are there any dry flies tied with cork these days?
 How can I get my fly into a deep pool directly below a waterfall?
What do you know about the old PM-10 and T-3 Orvis rods?
Is a double or triple surgeon's loop better than a perfection loop in lighter tippets?
Does hook shank shape affect hooking qualities?
How can I swing wet flies in small streams?
A great tip from a listener on wearing wool socks underneath neo socks when wet wading to avoid sand between your toes.
Is a George Harvey leader the same as a braided leader?