2 Guys and A River

The other perks of fly fishing may seem a distant second to catching fish, but they make up a significant part of why we enjoy fly fishing so much.

Catching fish is the reward of fly fishing. And we both love and expect to catch fish every time we head out to the river. But there are some other perks of fly fishing. And in this episode, we list several, including the chance to experience the “nonsecular” parts of life, eating at small-town cafes, and the conversations about the great themes of life.

LISTEN NOW TO “The Other Perks of Fly Fishing

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

Fly fishing tips are everywhere, but there are some that stick. And make a real difference in the number of fish that you catch. It takes a village to raise a fly fisher. In this episode, we admit once again to our persistent mediocrity as fly fishers.

We give credit, however, to whatever skills we have to friends, guides, and others we’ve observed through the years. They have provided us with fly fishing tips that have improved our chops and allowed us to catch more fish.

This episode offers up a handful of these fly fishing tips, including how to use the tip of your rod while streamer fishing and monitoring how deep your nymph is by observing the speed of your strike indicator. Other tips include lifting your line off the water and how to cast (or not cast) against the wind.

LISTEN NOW TO “Fly Fishing Tips We’ve Picked Up from Other Fishers”

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

Fly fishing the Yellowstone River late in the fall is a risk. If the weather suddenly turns right before your fly fishing trip, the roads in the Park may close. Or perhaps if the weather has been too balmy, the trout may not be rising. And since the main hatches and the hoppers have been gone for over a month, you’re resigned to streamers and nymphs.

But last fall, we timed the trip perfectly, no thanks to our planning. And even though the weather was bright and sunny, fly fishing the Yellowstone River inside the Park gave us three magical days of fishing. It was three days of 15- to 19-inch cutthroat trout, fat like middle-aged men.

LISTEN NOW: Three Magical Days Fly Fishing the Yellowstone River

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

The Yellowstone Flood of 2022 is not yet over, and already it is the most catastrophic flooding event of the Yellowstone River in recorded history. Major flooding on the Yellowstone River and its tributaries wiped out stretches of highway in Yellowstone National Park and in Paradise Valley to the north. Three inches of rain which took with it melting snow poured into these rivers.

We couldn’t think of a better person to talk with us about this than our friend Dave Kumlien, outfitter and guide, former fly shop owner in Bozeman, Montana, a former employee of the Whirling Disease Foundation and Trout Unlimited, and a member of the 2022 class of inductees into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

In this episode, we interview Dave on the Yellowstone flooding and its effect on fishing.

Dave helps us understand the historic nature of the flooding and gives us some insights on what happens to the fish during a flood. For example, he says that flooding often pushes the trout to the extremities of the river. In general, flooding doesn’t seem to have too big of a impact on fish populations, though young trout tend to be more at risk.

Fish are resilient, Dave says, and fishing will likely return quickly.

LISTEN NOW TO “Montana Outfitter Dave Kumlien on the Yellowstone Flooding and Its Effect on Fishing”

Great Stuff from Our Listeners Is on Hiatus

We’d love to hear from you again. Please post your comments below or send us an email at Steve and Dave. We hope you are making plans to get out on the river soon!

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

Fly fishing with lighter rods makes sense only if the conditions are right. In recent years, each of us has purchased a lighter rod for smaller creeks. In this episode, we relay pluses and minuses of fly fishing with lighter rods.

LISTEN NOW TO “FLY FISHING WITH LIGHTER RODS”

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

OTHER EPISODES ON FLY RODS

The Basics of Buying a Fly Fishing Rod

Which Is the Best Overall Fly Rod

Fall fly fishing trips to Montana have been a staple of ours, and this past fall was one of the best on record. The previous year was a bust. In fact, we wondered if we should even return to Montana in the fall, whether our honey holes and favorite rivers were only memories.

In “Lessons from Our Fall Fly Fishing Trip to Montana,” we offer up what we learned and relearned from our lessons from a week in Big Sky Country. This year, we fished the third week of October, and because there had been a significant snowfall about a week earlier, the runners had started to move upriver.

LISTEN NOW TO “LESSONS FROM OUR FALL FLY FISHING TRIP TO MONTANA”

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

OTHER EPISODES ON FLY FISHING TRIPS

Reflections on a Montana Fly Fishing Trip

Crazy Moments from a Recent Fly Fishing Trip

John Maclean’s Home Waters is a memoir of his father, Norman Maclean, the author of “A River Runs Through It.” In this memoir, John reflects on his growing up as the grandson and son of two characters in the novella and movie.

In “Reflections on John Maclean’s Home Waters,” we discuss what resonated with us about John’s unique perspective on the life of his father. Steve connected with the scholarly life of Norman combined with his passion for fly fishing. Dave thought that the fact that Norman did not publish “A River Runs Through It” until after he retired from the University of Chicago gives hope for those who are older to continue to be productive.

LISTEN NOW TO “REFLECTIONS ON JOHN MACLEAN’S HOME WATERS”

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, start to plan your next day on the water!

The East Gallatin River flows in a northwesterly direction through the Gallatin valley in Montana, north of Bozeman. From the perspective of a drone a couple thousand feet up, the river, which is more like a large creek, might look like ribbon candy. It winds in large S curves on the Montana flatland, with almost 360-degree views of mountains, including the Bridgers, the Spanish Peaks, and the Tobacco Roots.

Last fall, we fished the East Gallatin River on some private property, thanks to a friend. In this episode, the first in a while, we tell the story of one fine day on the East Gallatin River.

We hope you are surviving the winter blahs and dreaming of some fine days of spring fly fishing.

LISTEN NOW TO “ONE FINE DAY ON THE EAST GALLATIN RIVER”

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, get out to the river!

OTHER EPISODES ON FLY FISHING TRIPS

Crazy Moments from a Recent Fly Fishing Trip

Your Next Fly Fishing Trip

Fly Fishing Trip Preparations

It’s September, and often during this month we find a way for our annual Montana fly fishing trip. It was fitting that in a year like 2020, there were some strange moments.

In this episode, we discuss a series of “rapid fire” topics from our Montana fly fishing trip in a not-so-rapid-fire manner. One odd part of the trip was the dramatic temperature drop from a hundred degrees a day or so before we arrived to 48 degrees on Labor Day, the day we arrived. The fly fishing was good (not great), but the trip itself was a great memory.

LISTEN NOW TO “REFLECTIONS ON A MONTANA FLY FISHING TRIP”

PURCHASE OUR BOOK ON FLY FISHING HACKS – the essential collection of great tips to catch more fish

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” gives you hundreds of tips

Fly fishing is a lot more than simply learning how to cast.

There are thousands of techniques and hacks that can help you catch more fish.

Often, it’s the little things that make a big difference, increasing your enjoyment of the sport.

“The Fly Fisher’s Book of Lists” is a must-read for folks who prefer to scan lists and find new ways to catch more fish. Read one list, and, like a handful of peanuts, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Visit Amazon to buy your copy today!

WOULD YOU REFER OUR PODCAST?

We would love a referral from you.

Simply mention our podcast to your TU chapter or fly fishing club or even local fly shop.

If you are a nonprofit, serving the outdoors community, you have our permission to reprint our content in your online or print newsletter with the appropriate credit and links.

Thank you for your trust. And now, get out to the river!