Permit to Think — Episode 34 Tom Bie & Paul Puckett Host: Mike Dawes, Westbank Anglers Guests: Tom Bie (Editor at The Drake magazine) | Paul Puckett (Artist and Illustrator) Episode DescriptionSome of the best fly fishing stories start in a shop, not on the water — and in Episode 34 of Permit to Think, host Mike Dawes sits down with two guys whose careers trace straight back to Westbank Anglers. Tom Bie, founder and editor of The Drake magazine and a former Westbank guide, and Paul Puckett, the sporting artist behind decades of fly fishing illustration and the Flood Tide apparel brand, reconnect with Mike after a chance run-in at Westbank's 40th anniversary party sparked the idea for this episode. The conversation traces both guys' start in Jackson Hole — Tom guiding scenic floats and fishing trips before launching The Drake in 1998 (dreamed up, fittingly, while working as a lift operator at Deer Valley), and Paul talking his way into a job at the original Dallas Westbank Anglers store before eventually landing in Jackson himself. From there it's a wide-ranging look at what made — and still makes — that shop culture so magnetic: the tight-knit, competitive-but-supportive community of guides, artists, and writers who passed through Westbank's doors, and how those connections shaped both of their careers. Mike, Tom, and Paul also swap recent trip reports — tarpon and permit fishing in the Florida Keys and Mexico, and Tom's latest run on British Columbia's Dean River for big, ocean-hardened steelhead — before digging into Paul's evolution as an artist, from painting anglers' trophy fish for cash in the Westbank shop to his signature simplified, drippy compositions today. The episode wraps with a few can't-make-this-up shop stories (Dick Cheney's fishing license, presidential Secret Service detail included) and a genuinely interesting take on where fly shops, print magazines, and hand-painted art fit into a fishing culture that's about to be reshaped by AI. About the Guests Tom Bie is the founder and editor of The Drake magazine, which he launched in 1998 after a stint as a lift operator at Deer Valley and years working scenic floats and guiding trips out of Grand Teton Lodge Company and Westbank Anglers in Jackson Hole. Before The Drake grew into the quarterly it is today, Tom spent years in the broader outdoor magazine world as managing editor of Paddler, senior editor of Skiing, and editor-in-chief of Powder. He lives in Denver, Colorado. Paul Puckett is a sporting artist and illustrator known for his paintings and illustrations across the fly fishing world, as well as the Flood Tide apparel brand he built around his character-driven fish art. Paul got his start painting anglers' trophy catches while working at the original Westbank Anglers store in Dallas, later spending four years fishing, snowboarding, and (by his own account) barely painting in Jackson Hole before relaunching his art career in Atlanta and eventually settling in Charleston, South Carolina, where he's based today. About Permit to Think Permit to Think is a fly fishing podcast hosted by Mike Dawes of Westbank Anglers. Each episode digs into the people, places, and fish that define the sport — from technical conversations about gear and tactics to big-picture discussions on conservation and culture. New episodes available wherever you listen to podcasts. Westbank Anglers | Jackson Hole, Wyoming 🌐 westbankanglers.com
