Loop to Loop

Tom Baltz is an Orvis Endorsed guide and recipient of the Orvis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He guides his home waters in the Cumberland Valley area of Pennsylvania and is a renown fly tier with patterns available through Montana Fly Co. He discusses his most well-known pattern, the Baltz's Paranymph, which has caught trout around the world. Yellow Breeches creek, LeTort Spring Run, and Big Spring creek are an integral part of the nation's fly-fishing history. Baltz dives into Cumberland Valley's rich history and his journey learning from the Limestone legends such as Vince Marinaro, Charlie Fox, Ed Koch, Ross Trimmer, and more. When it comes to fly tying, he is a master naturalist, developing his patterns through keen observation and decades of guiding. 

Yvon Chouinard is a philanthropist, conservationist, climber, fly fisher, co-founder of 1% for the Planet, and founder of Patagonia. He has played a vital role in shaping the landscape of the entire outdoor community for over 40 years. He was named one of the "100 Most Influential People" by Time Magazine in 2023. He has authored numerous books such as Let My People Go Surfing, Simple Fly Fishing, and his latest book, Pheasant Tail Simplicity, co-authored with Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, and Italian angler Mauro Mazzo, is available in Octboer 2025. Chouinard finds clarity and a Zen-like perspective on tying flies that are simple in form, such as the Flymph, but are highly-effective with the proper technique and presentation. "For me . . . perfection is achieved through simplicity, instead of complexity. If you can get your technique down to absolute simplicity by replacing all of that material with knowledge, it's really satisfying . . ." –Yvon Chouinard

Bob Rich is the author of five books, his latest "Looking Through Water" has been adapted into a major motion picture starring Michael Douglas and will be in theaters nationwide September 12, 2025.  Like its predecessor "A River Runs Through It," "Looking Through Water" is about family and how fly fishing can tear them apart or bring them closer together. Bob reveals the behind-the-scenes involved with making a movie, and the major difficulties involved with creating realism in a saltwater environment. You will love this conversation with a down-to-earth angler who has fished around the world, caught everything from panfish to 1,000-pound marlin, called President George H. W. Bush his friend, and is fondly known as "Bubba" by his many, many fishing friends. He is chairman and majority owner of Rich Products, a major donor and supporter of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust—we also take a deep dive into BTT, why it is important, and how they are making giant strides forward using science as a tool. Bob hails from Buffalo New York and we also jump into the topic of Buffalo wings. If you dip your wings in ranch, you are doing it wrong, and Bob will set you straight.

Monte Burke is one of the leading writers of this century and author of the new book "Rivers always Reach the Sea." Monte has fished all around the world with some of the most eclectic and influential people in the sport of fly fishing, people like Yvon Chouinard, Andy Mill, and Lefty Kreh—but he says one of his greatest privileges in life is spending a day each year fishing with "the greatest guide who ever lived" Capt. Steve Huff. In this episode of Loop to Loop, Monte spins fishing tales that range from midnight excursions with the denizens of a New York City jetty to fishing the tundra rivers of Russia's Kola Peninsula. Burke is also the author of Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World Record Tarpon; Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass; and the New York Times bestseller, Saban: The Making of a Coach, a biography of Alabama head coach, Nick Saban. After a 14-year stint as a reporter, staff writer and editor at Forbes, he is now a contributing editor at the magazine. He is also a contributing editor at Garden & Gun and The Drake. 

Dave Zielinski stumbled into a periodic cicada hatch more than 20 years ago and has been chasing these massive emergences—as well as annual cicada hatches in the West—ever since. In this episode we recap the Brood XIV feasting that happened in 12 states in 2025 . . . and we look to the future. While there is no Magicicada hatch anywhere in 2026, the following year begins a 12-year "age of cicadas" where there is a periodic 13-year or 17-year cicada hatch somewhere every year for 12 years in a row! Zielinski is the author of the book "Cicada Madness," author of the Fly Fisherman magazine article "When Broods Collide," and is the world's leading Magicicada expert when it comes to finding where fish feed on these giant insects. We discuss his strategies for lakes and open water, his favorite flies and how to fish them, and the threats to the survival of the Magicicada genus. They feed on sap from tree roots for 13 or 17 years before they emerge, they depend on old forests for survival, and that's the first place you start looking when you want to take part in this incredible angling event. We also discuss swinging for steelhead, making your own wooden drift boat, and adventure DIY trips to B.C., so if you like chasing hatches, chasing steelhead, tying really cool flies, or building your own boat, tune into this one.

Mike Komara grew up competitive trout fishing, first with the US Youth Fly Fishing Team and most recently with the adult Fly Fishing Team USA where the team won a bronze medal at the 2025 world championships in the Czech Republic. But trout are only one piece of the puzzle for this young guide, educator, and owner of Innovative Angling. Mike also chases snakeheads in the Chesapeake, muskies in big rivers, and he's traveled all over Argentina on a DIY adventure for golden dorado. In this episode, Mike shares his dry-fly secrets, how he never uses rooster hackle, and how he made his CDC dry fly flies bounce, hop, and skitter at the world championships.

Josh Miller is author of the best-selling book "Euro Nymphing: Tips, Tactics, and Techniques" (2024), guide and owner of the Trout Yeah Guide Service, and head coach of the US Youth Fly Fishing Team that won gold medals in Bosnia (2023) and in the Czech Republic (2024). In July, 2025, the world championships are on the team's home turf in Idaho and the youth team is going for a three-peat. In this episode, coach Miller discusses his introduction to fly fishing, his journey through the ranks of competitive fly fishing, and digs into his simplified nymphing system. Josh carries only a few fly patterns indifferent sizes, weights, and colors. In his mind there's often no need to change the fly pattern, the better choice is to make a better presentation.

A lot of fly fishers like to occasionally drop the Latin names of insects, and some of them are amateur entomologists with a layman's knowledge of aquatic insects. But Eric Naguski is a trained, professional scientist with a BS in biology from Millersville University with a focus on aquatic entomology and ecology. He's studied these bugs for more than 30 years and is one of the most meticulous fly tiers alive today. He knows that insects of the same species can vary in size and in color from stream to stream, and a lifetime of research has led him to some very precise conclusions. If you want to know more about insects, and how to elevate your game in terms of matching the hatch both at the surface and below, there's a lot to learn from Naguski, who is the author of Favorite Flies for Pennsylvania: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts, and a guide and owner of Riseforms Fly Fishing in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania.

Joe Humphreys was born in 1929 and at 96 years old he is still night fishing, chasing hatches, teaching children how to cast and catch fish, and inspiring fly fishers around the world. Joe is the only person in the world to be in both the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is a coach, teacher, author, presenter, and former director of the Penn State Fly Fishing Program—which is now named after him. In this episode of Loop to Loop he sits down with Fly Fisherman editor/publisher Ross Purnell and reveals how he rode his bike 10 miles to Spring Creek during the Great Depression (minute mark), how he landed his Pennsylvania state record brown trout in 1977 (minute mark), how the Penn State Fly Fishing Program began (minute mark), how George Harvey tested his ability to tell the truth (minute mark), the best fly to use during a Green Drake Hatch (minute mark), and how he learned to "shoot" line with his trademark bow & arrow cast. In this 2-hour interview Joe even brings out his 1940s-era Paul H. Young bamboo rod that has caught thousands of trout in his hands.

Fly tier Jake Villwock grew up the son of a commercial fisherman, and is now a Pennsylvania fly-fishing guide for smallmouth, Great Lakes steelhead, and spring creek trout. Jake is also a fly-tying innovator and author of the book Smallmouth Bass Flies Top to Bottom. Jake and Fly Fisherman editor/publisher Ross Purnell debate the age-old question, "What's better, bass or trout?" They talk about frog patterns for trout and bass, the "Godfathers of Bass" (Clouser, Kraft, and Whitlock), and dive into the creative process behind Jake's match-everything baitfish pattern called The Roamer. Listen to the end and you'll learn some unusual secrets about how to catch muskies on small flies, how to target mudding carp, and why some smallmouths turn black.

Tim Cammisa has been a guide on the Delaware River, a professional fly tier for 30 years, and his hundreds and hundreds of videos on YouTube and other social media platforms have reached around the globe with more than 17 million views and counting. His background as a school teacher makes him one of the most popular presenters and instructors in person at Fly Fishing Shows, on-line, and on the printed page. Tim's latest book is tying Euro Nymphs and other Competition Favorites, and Tim sits down with us in this episode of Loop to Loop to find out how who he talked to in assembling assemble this compendium of competition flies, and how your average trout fishermen can learn from them.

In episode three, editor/publisher Ross Purnell chats with longtime FLY FISHERMAN magazine contributor Blane Chocklett about how he got started in fly fishing, his early influencers Harrison Steeves and Steve Hiner, how he created the Game Changer, new patterns that will be revealed this summer, his new role as a fly-tying entrepreneur, and his decades-long relationship with Lefty Kreh. Blane is also an ambassador for the American Saltwater Guides Association. We dig into their efforts to fund baseline research on false albacore and jack crevalle, and their upcoming Lefty's Tie Fest in Vero Beach, Florida.

Jay Nichols has been an editor, publisher, photographer, videographer, and author for more than 25 years and has produced some of the most iconic and influential fly-fishing books, including "Casting with Lefty Kreh" (2008). In this episode, we sit down with Jay to discuss his directorial debut in the documentary "Lefty: The Greatest of All Time" Premiering March 27 at the Weinberg Center. The conversation starts with his upbringing, education, his journey in fly fishing, and swings into his involvement in publishing much of the great fly-fishing literature of this century. Ross and Jay also explore Jay's decades-long relationship with Lefty, go behind the scenes in the making of the film, and learn about Lefty's "super power." Hint: It wasn't his casting.

Author and fly-casting coach Ed Jaworowski has been teaching and instructing for 45+ years, and before he took up fly casting he was a competitive surf caster. He wrote two seminal books on fly casting: The Cast (2005) and Perfecting the Cast (2021). He is also the author of Troubleshooting the Cast (1999) and co-author with Bob Popovics of the fly-tying masterpiece Pop Fleyes (2014). On today's episode we talk to Ed about his five-part 2025 casting series in Fly Fisherman magazine titled Functional Fly Casting. We also discuss his career as a classics professor at Villanova University, how he approaches his research and his teaching philosophy, and we talk about his long friendship and many collaborations with Lefty Kreh.