The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast provides weekly tips from acclaimed fly fishing author and lifelong fly fishing enthusiast, Tom Rosenbauer. Get the most from your time on the water!

Episodes

January 5, 2026 84 mins

Want to get away from the crowds? Want a high mountain lake or stream all to yourself?  The best way to do this is to take a backpacking trip, but you need to prepare more than you would for a car trip or a trip to a lodge. What exactly should you take and what should you leave behind?  What kinds of flies and accessories should you bring? How can you save weight and still have enough gear for a fun fishing trip? Derek Bargaehr [37...

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This episode was originally published on July 14th, 2023.

I think most stream anglers are interested in foraging, since we're immersed in nature all day long and although we watch for fish and insects and birds, many of us don't pay attention to the plants. And there are many delicious plants along trout streams you can take home for dinner—most of which will be more nutritionally dense than what you buy in the store—and free. If y...

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This episode was originally published on August 19th, 2022.

Want to know how a bamboo fly rod is made? How long it takes to make one? How many different hands touch an Orvis bamboo fly rod before you (and your children and grandchildren) become its lucky owner. And finally, what's so great about bamboo fly rods? How are they different from fiberglass and graphite, and what will they do for you on the water? This week I interview Or...

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This episode was originally published on March 10th, 2023.

Learn how to decide between a canoe and a kayak, what kind to get, and how to maneuver and cast using these hard-sided watercraft (next week I'll be doing a podcast on inflatables). Ryan Lilly [47:30]  is a fly fisher and Old Town's expert on fishing from these craft, and has many great suggestions for how to make the most out of your canoe or kayak experience.

In the Fly B...

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My guest this week is photography expert and co-host of the Petapixel podcast Chris Niccolls [28:39]. Chris has access to nearly every kind of expensive camera in the world because he evaluates photo equipment for his day job. But when he is fishing, guess what he takes most of his photographs and videos with?  You guessed it—his iPhone. Chris shares tips on how to set up your shot, how to get a photograph and still have minimal fi...

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My guest this week is Captain Dan Andrews [37:51], co-founder and CEO of Captains for Clean Water, one of Orvis' most trusted conservation partners. Orvis has been aligned with this grass roots group since their inception and it's been a valuable partnership. Dan tells us what is going on with the Everglades restoration project, what progress has been made, how it has affected the fisheries, and current threats to progress. He is a...

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I am not a big fan of using split shot but after this interview with Dom Swentosky [36:41] of the Troutbitten blog and podcast, I'm going to use it a lot more. Dom's method of using split shot is simple and convenient, and he teaches us about placement, adding shot, and removing shot easily—and how to keep it from sliding on your tippet without placing it above a knot. Whether you fish nymphs or streamers, Dom has some great sugges...

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Confused about which floating trout line to pick when you need a new one? I'm not surprised as today there is a dizzying array of options and nearly everyone is confused. If you understand what the various options offer the decision is much easier, so I asked product developer Jesse Haller [41:00] to help all of us make this important choice. We talk about what you get in the more expensive lines that you don't get in the pric...
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    I've had requests in the past for a podcast about chasing coastal cutthroats, so this week my guest is author, "retired" guide, and all-around thoughtful angler Dylan Tomine [33:12]. He tells us where to find them, what kinds of tides and conditions are best, and what flies and techniques work well for these fish that are close to many cities in the Northwest.
     
    In the Fly Box this week, we have these que...
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    I've wanted to get Brian Flechsig of Mad River Outfitters [49:59] on the podcast for quite a while and we finally made it happen. Brian is the star of many great YouTube videos and he loves to get into the details of tackle rigging. He's a knotted leader expert and he explains his simple three-part system for tying saltwater and bass leaders. He also talks about his use of furled leaders and the now-extinct Orvis Braided Leaders. B...

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    You can catch salmon and steelhead on a fly in salt water before they enter rivers. The fish are bright and strong and may still be actively feeding but the problem is to find them in a big expanse of water. Reed Teuscher [41:01] of the Orvis Outfitters team tells us where to look for them, how to present the fly, what kinds of rods and lines you need—and of course what fly patterns seem to work best.
     
    I...
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    It happens to all of us, and sometimes it seems like every time we take a fishing trip, conditions are less than ideal. Water too high, water too low, water temperature too warm or too cold. Dirty water. You know the litany. James Spica [34:18], writer and fishing manager of the Orvis store in Royal Oak, Michigan, has some great tips on what to do when you encounter these situations—where to fish, how to fish your fly, and som...
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    This episode was originally published on October 11th, 2019.

    In today's podcast my guest is Shawn Combs, head of Orvis Rod & Tackle product development and Orvis rod and reel designer.  The topic is "16 Things I Wish I Knew About Trout Spey Before I Started". If you have been thinking about trying to swing wet flies or small streamers for trout with a two-handed rod, also known as "Micro Spey", this will be a valuable lesson for yo...

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    This podcast was originally published on December 28th, 2016.

    In this podcast Stefan Woodruff, Orvis-endorsed guide with Ellensburg Anglers in Washington State, reveals (some of) his secrets to catching steelhead, plus an overview of ths steelhead opportunities in his state. Trout anglers will also enjoy his tips on fishing the Yakima River, tips that should work anywhere. 

    In The Fly Box we range from tying gel-spun backing to fly...

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    This week my guest is—me [34:55].  I asked Reid Bryant of the Orvis Wingshooting Podcast to interview me because I have worked at Orvis for 49 of those 50 years and lived through the various stages of Orvis rods, plus I just spent the past two months writing a history of the Orvis graphite rods. You'll learn about some interesting things that went on during those times that have never before been published. Some of them are quite s...

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    My guest this week is Josh Jenkins [43:59] of Scientific Anglers and originally I wanted to interview him just on knotless leaders—their design, how they are made, and how to modify them. But we soon took an interesting sidetrack into line/leader connections and also a new product he's discovered for fixing cracks in fly line coating so you don't have to buy a new line if your current line is damaged. I get many questions on b...
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    Mary Orvis Marbury, daughter of Orvis founder Charles Orvis, is an important figure in the history of American fly fishing. She was the first person to catalog and standardize American fly patterns, but she led a sad and mysterious life. Historian Steve Woit [37:50] has written and expansive and spectacular book about Mary and the artifacts that helped her catalog flies and has also uncovered some little-known aspects of her life. ...

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    Before you write this one off if you don't tie flies, although this is a podcast on a fly tying material, there is much more in this one. Like how to fish small flies and how to see those tiny flies on the water. But we do talk about one of the most amazing materials in fly tying—pheasant tail fibers. And it's not only for nymphs. Learn about why pheasant tail is such a magical material, how to tie a durable pheasant tail body, and...

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    Mike Ward [46:32], owner of Adipose Boat Works, recently tied Del Brown's lifetime permit count with 513 permit caught on a fly rod. On a bamboo fly rod! Now Mike would be the first one to say he may not be the world's best permit angler, but he has put in the time and energy to catch more than anyone else in history. And along the way he's learned some tips that we could all benefit from. I asked Mike to share his tips with us and...

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    This episode was originally published on August 14th, 2018

    This week I have the pleasure of interviewing Jenny Mayrell-Woodruff [40:26]—the Orvis-endorsed Freshwater Guide of the Year for 2018. Jenny has recently relocated to Montana to run a lodge on Rock Creek and she took time out of her very busy schedule to share her knowledge of late summer terrestrial fishing. It's an educational podcast and a timely one.

    In the Fly Box this...

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