520 Rivers, Rods, and AI: Tim Huckaby Explores Fly Fishing and Technology in the Outdoors 520

Dive into a one-of-a-kind episode this week as I sit down with software industry leader and passionate fly fisherman, Tim Huckaby. Tim’s career has led him to work with tech giants like Microsoft and hop on stage with legends like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, but it’s his adventures on the river and in the wild that truly inspire him.

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Show Notes

What Happened:
I didn’t mean to create a world-famous fly. Honestly, I just wanted something that wouldn’t fall apart mid-float.

It started with a cheat.

I jacked a foam-folding technique from Charlie Craven (legendary fly tier) and started riffing. I was fishing the Upper Kern, and those trout were demolishing grasshoppers. Like full-on buffet mode. So I tied up something massive—ugly from the top, perfect from below—and boom. The Kern River rainbows went nuts.

I named it the Huck Hopper.

Fast forward a few years: I’m fishing around the world. Behind guides’ backs, I quietly swap in my Frankenfly. Next thing you know, they’re demanding to know what it is. And I’m FedExing Huck Hoppers at 3 a.m. because some poor guy “needs ‘em for Patagonia.”

I even spun up an e-comm site. “Nobody will buy them,” I thought.

Wrong.

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Principle:
Sometimes, what sets you apart isn't how polished your idea is—it's how deeply it solves a problem only insiders truly understand. Real traction often comes from obsession and imperfection—not slick branding or mass appeal.

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Transition:
A lot of outdoor entrepreneurs and creators make the same mistake I almost did: thinking your thing has to be perfect or pretty before it’s worth sharing. Or worse—waiting for permission. The truth? Your “ugly” prototype might be someone else’s holy grail.