The Fly Culture Podcast

I talk with Keith Passant about his love of fly fishing, where it started and the places he likes to fish.He is a skilled fly tyer who has attained the AAPGAI fly tying qualification at Masters level and so there are plenty of tips and advice and as ever, I ask, do we really need a lot of flies?Keith also ran the fishing section of the Orvis Store in Burford that if you were lucky enough to visit you'd know it was a special place.He has done a lot for our pastime and is one of the 'good guys' who does a lot without the need for recognition. We are lucky he is part of our world.

I am joined on the river with Westcountry fly angler and guide Harry Chance.We talk about his love of fishing the small streams of Devon, look for some rising trout along with his work with the Environment Agency.We talk tactics and enjoy time together on the river.

I catch up with Tiger Stamp and talk about his fishing career, how the fishing landscape looks and what his non-fishing friends make of him packing waders and rods and heading out to the river.He is the sort of angler who thinks deeply about his approach to fishing and we talk about how he will fish a particular method and how he gets success from it.There is some great information and advice that I hope you'll enjoy listening to.

Join me for the day as I fish Chew Valley Lake for pike with my friend Jethro Binns.He shares plenty of tips and information for any one who is interested in pike on the fly but the day turns out to be a lot more than just this.It is about friends fishing together and talking about what our pastime means to us with a few special fish along the way.This podcast is recorded exactly as it happens. There has been no editing, retakes or scripts. You'll hear it exactly as the day unfolds and I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did.

I catch up with Tim Smith who has had a varied and interesting life in fly fishing.From guiding, gaining casting qualifications and editing a fly fishing magazine he has done a lot.He also runs a farm and we talk about the effects farming has on the environment.Tim is an entertaining guest who you're going to enjoy listening to.

I talk with Sid Hiscox and Declan Morrison about their friendship and love of fly fishing.We discuss whether you need to take phone fishing with you, where and why they fish and their fly fishing train wrecks along with a couple from my long list of them too.They are the people behind the clothing brand Fera and have just released a fly fishing range called 'Trout Bum'We talk about what went into launching it and why most fly fishing gear is green.They are young and a breath of fresh air and are working hard to inject some colour into our pastime.

If you're a reader of Fly Culture or The Drake, you will have come across the writing of my guest today.Johannes lives and breathes fly fishing and having left the fishing in  Finland he is now  back in Ireland and has a wealth of experience that we touch on in this episode.From floating streamer patterns to pike on the fly via sea trout we cover a lot of ground.I have always maintained that Johannes only speaks when he has something to say and when he does, it is worth listening to. 

I catch up with Zoe to find out what fishing means to her especially the streams that flow off of Dartmoor in Devon.Her background in fishing came from fishing the Catskills in the US before heading home to Devon. I learn about her experiences and what fly fishing means to her.We also discuss the connection we all have with fly fishing and how it can mean different things to different people. We cover a lot more ground including her 80,000 word PHD thesis that was based around fly fishing.Zoe is a passionate fly angler who was extremely articulate and thought provoking during our discussion.

How many fishing clubs should you be a member of?  What do you do if you get an emergency call and the river is alive with salmon?I discuss these questions and many more with my guest James Gilbraith.We also talk about his latest book, Anarchy Pie,  that carries on from his previous books, Terminal Chancer and Hooked on Hope.James is an entertaining and very funny guest who will have you laughing out loud when you are listening to this episode!More from James HERE

Join me for a cold, wet and windy day fishing the streams of Dartmoor with my friend Warren.The plan was to see if we can catch a fish on a dry fly in some pretty extreme conditions.Do we manage it?I also give plenty of tips and advice on how to fish these small streams along with what you need and don't need.I hope this will prove useful if you're planning on heading into the Moors but if not, join me for a day of fishing.

I talk with Ed Engle, author of Fishing Small Flies and Tying Small Flies about how to tie and fish small flies.As a former guide of 20 years he shares a lot of fishing tips too.We also discuss his book Splitting Cane and what fishing bamboo rods mean to him.From his home in Colorado, he talks with great affection about his home river, The South Platte and the other places he likes to fish.I hope you'll enjoy this episode as much as me.

In this episode I'm joined by guide and passionate angler, Stuart Wardle who shares a wealth of advice on how to fish a trout stream early in the season.We talk about how to prepare, approach the water, make the cast and cover a trout.We de-bug the 'must have' fly story and concentrate on presentation to get the best results when fishing.Stuart is great company and open with his advice.

My guest for this podcast has been the most requested by listeners and I am pleased to say that he joins me to talk about fishing, flies, bamboo rods, salmon fishing in Scotland and his new book, All the Time in the World.This is an interesting and entertaining talk with one of the most influential and loved  writers in fly fishing.This an episode not to be missed!

Join me for the day as I walk the famous chalk stream, The Frome with friends John Aplin and John Grindle.What was planned as a days fishing turned out to be so much more as we eat a great breakfast, catch up, see John's amazing rod room, talk about fishing and of course, the famous grayling of The Frome!

Clement Booth first  caught a trout from a stream near his home in South Africa in the 1960s.He didn't have a fly rod but improvised using a fly line and old spinning rod. It turned out to be the start of a long association with fly fishing that continued on the streams and salt water in South Africa before moving to the alpine streams of Germany and then on to the chalk streams of  the UK.We talk about the things he has learnt during this time and how fly fishing has been and continues to be such a large part of his life.

In this episode I start the day with fried breakfast and good coffee with my friend Toby Merrigan.We head over to Tiverton to fish the Exe and see if we can find some grayling.We talk about what it was like to build a fly fishing brand, sell it and move away from the industry completely.Toby was behind Funky Fly Tying and as someone who fished regularly with him from its inception I got to see it grow into a successful business.I ask Toby some testing questions that he answers with great insight and honesty.Do we catch some grayling? Tune in and find out.

I welcome Jim Murray back to the podcast to talk about the new season, what to look forward to and where he is heading.We also discuss what went into his TV program Robson and Jim's Icelandic Adventure and the much anticipated second series that will be out in April.We spend time on his new project Activist Anglers that focuses on bringing anglers and non-anglers together to understand how they can help with environmental issues that affect fish and waterways.Activist Anglers on InstagramActivist Anglers on Twitter

Jamie Lee has spent most of his life travelling the world with a fly rod in his hand.From a fishing career that started in Devon he has worked as a ghille in Ireland, spent countless hours sleeping on rocks hoping to catch black marlin in Australia, chased steelhead in British Colombia, has run a lodge in Russia and travelled extensively  through the country there before settling by the banks of the Spey in Scotland.Has he finally found home?This is a brutally honest and open account of his life so far that is a must listen to episode.

Do you have a river that really gets under your skin?Laurens Bubendorfer does. It is the Soca in Slovenia. His passion for it grew and grew to the extent that he left his job and home in Austria to move next to the Soca in Slovenia.We talk about what the Soca means to him, how they are trying to re-introduce native Marble Trout back into the river and fishing dogs.He has also made an amazing film called Emerald Paradise that took a number of years to film to ensure it captured everything that makes this river so special for Laurens.It was a pleasure to speak with someone who feels just like we do about fly fishing.See the preview for Emerald Paradise HEREConnect with Laurens HERE

A friend says he's heading to Patagonia to fish for sea trout and there is a spare spot. Would I like to come?I am sure you can guess the answer and I found myself standing on the banks of the Rio Gallegos.This podcast is of course about the sea trout but it is a whole lot more. I discover a lot about the people, the area and myself as an angler too.It was a life changing trip for me and even if you never intend visiting, I promise you will enjoy this episode