The Wadeoutthere Fly Fishing Podcast

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part 1 of our conversation with Alex Emery, from Livingston, Montana. Alex started fly fishing as a child with his father in New Jersey and continued during school at West Virginia University, becoming involved with the fly fishing club as well.  

After college, Alex’s search to continue his passion for fly fishing, and build a life and career connected to the outdoors brought him to Sweetwater Tr...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Loren Williams from Saratoga Springs, New York.  Loren grew up in Pennsylvania fishing with his father from the time he was three years old.  At seven, he found an old fly rod, his father’s fly tying vise and a book on how to tie trout flies by George Harvey.  

Loren transformed these tools into a life long love of fly fishing that spanned from fly fishing small ponds with homespun flies, to long...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Mike Schultz from Dexter, Michigan.  Mike grew up in Michigan fishing conventional gear on small ponds and lakes around his home, until he started driving and found the Huron River. On a trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he was introduced to fly fishing while being drawn to the rivers’ salmon and steelhead. He continued fly fishing back home on the Huron River while waiting for the salmon seas...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Dallas Eastman from Fountain, Colorado.  Dallas grew up mostly bass fishing in Minnesota but when he moved to Colorado in 2019, he quickly made some fishy friends that introduced him to fly fishing.  

Dallas works full time as a carpenter and is a part time guide for his own outfitter Trouts and Stouts, where he focuses mostly on the tailwater sections of the Arkansas River around Pueblo and back...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Jarob Ortiz, from Arlington, Virginia.  Jarob started fly fishing in 3rd grade, after being drawn to the delicate cast and presentation portrayed in the popular book and movie, A River Runs Through It.  He learned to cast from his uncle from Montana, and when he signed up for the Air Force out of high school, Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska was at the top of his list.  

When he wasn’t working in...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Bill Dell from Western Pennsylvania.  Bill grew up fishing the blue gill pond on his family’s farm in Pennsylvania as a boy, and continued to passionately fish through high school and college.  

It was his introduction to steelhead fishing in the Great Lakes that convinced him that his future was in fly fishing.  Bill takes an analytical mind to fly fishing.  Early on, he used his love of numbers...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with MacKenna Stang, from Denver, Colorado.  MacKenna grew up in Colorado hiking, camping, and fishing with her family.  

After multiple knee injuries cut her soccer career short, fly fishing became more and more important in her life, helping her move on from soccer and pour her passion into something new.  MacKenna credits her father for teaching her the basics of fly fishing, and for helping to cre...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for part two of our conversation with Frank Landis, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  Frank grew up fishing with his father, and used fly fishing when he thought it was the best tactic to catch fish.  By college he had completely crossed over and was fly fishing every chance he got.

Frank is a middle school teacher and became a part time fly fishing guide at his local fly shop after working on the floor f...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for part one of our conversation with Frank Landis, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  Frank grew up fishing with his father, and used fly fishing when he thought it was the best tactic to catch fish.  By college he had completely crossed over and was fly fishing every chance he got.

Frank is a middle school teacher and became a part time fly fishing guide at his local fly shop after working on the floor f...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Patrick Kilby, from Western Washington.  Patrick’s love of fishing started in Eastern Washington, fishing bobbers with his grandfather.  A photo of a rising trout in a magazine inspired a passion for fly fishing that soon had Patrick tying flies and driving from stream to stream as a teenager.  

After an initial career path in law enforcement didn’t feel like the right fit, he knew that he wanted...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Brad Petzke from Saint Joseph, Michigan.  Brad learned to fish from his father, targeting warm water species in the lakes and rivers around him and catching steelhead off the pier.  

As part of a college ski program, Brad took an internship in Colorado, driving snowcats at night, skiing during the day, and fishing for trout every chance he got.  After three years, Brad moved back to Michigan wher...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Martin Gerdin, from Aspen Colorado.  Martin grew up fishing with a spinning rig and a passion for fish that bled over into an early introduction to the world of glass art. 

As Martin began to learn the craft of shaping glass, a fish was first on his list to create.  Martin credits his later discovery of fly fishing for helping him maintain sobriety and for bringing clarity to his art a...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Chris Gallagher from upstate New York.  Chris started fly fishing during high school in Virginia, but it was after he joined the army and was stationed in upstate New York’s Fort Drum, that Chris found a connection that would carry him through his military career and beyond. 

His love for fishing the Adirondacks and Catskills helped him decide to make New York his home after twenty yea...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Colby Crossland, from Dutch John, Utah.  Colby grew up fishing with his grandfather in Utah’s Uintah Basin.  After being gifted a fly rod and vise, Colby took his love of fishing on the road, exploring the small streams in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho through high school and college, where he studied photography. 

A combination of having no photo sh...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Colby Crossland, from Dutch John, Utah.  Colby grew up fishing with his grandfather in Utah’s Uintah Basin.  After being gifted a fly rod and vise, Colby took his love of fishing on the road, exploring the small streams in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho through high school and college, where he studied photography. 

A combination of having no photo sh...

In this episode we Wade Back into some of 2024s most memorable conversations.  These impactful dialogues are a combination of tactics, stories, conservation, and personal journeys that represent the best of what fly fishing can give us and what we can give back.

If you’ve been a long time listener of the show, my intent is that these highlights remind you of why you listen and what WadeOutThere tries to unpack by sharing e...

In this episode we WadeOutThere with Willy Dietrich, from Stowe, Vermont.  Willy started fishing in the Boy Scouts and started fly fishing on a blue gill pond with his friends. 

It took him two years of self education, failure, and casting in the snow out back to catch his first trout on the fly rod, but once he learned the importance of presentation, he was off to the races.  Willy is a fly fishing guide that focuses not...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part Two of our conversation with Dave Hurley, from Detroit Michigan.  As a child Dave fished the local golf courses and waterways in San Diego, where he was born and raised, often getting chased away from his favorites spots.  

He was introduced to fly fishing on a trip to Utah, and on the banks of the Green River he found himself both humbled and determined.  His commitment to fly fishing was ce...

In this episode we WadeOutThere for Part One of our conversation with Dave Hurley, from Detroit Michigan.  As a child Dave fished the local golf courses and waterways in San Diego, where he was born and raised, often getting chased away from his favorites spots.  

He was introduced to fly fishing on a trip to Utah, and on the banks of the Green River he found himself both humbled and determined.  His commitment to fly fishing was ce...