Wet Fly Swing

Some of the best water you’ll ever fish is the water most people never reach. In this episode, Christiaan Pretorius joins us to share stories from a life spent guiding and traveling across some of the wildest fisheries on the planet—from Seychelles GTs and Kamchatka rainbows to giant Golden Dorado deep in the Bolivian jungle. We dig into what makes remote fisheries so special, the tradeoffs between helicopter access and earning it on foot, and why the journey itself often matters just as much as the fish. Christian also shares lessons from decades of global travel, how pressure changes world-class fisheries over time, and why the best trips are ultimately about people, culture, and connection—not just catching fish.

How does one of the largest free-flowing rivers in the United States end up back on the table for major development projects? In this episode, Margaret Stern from the Susitna River Coalition returns to the podcast to share what’s happening right now across Alaska’s Susitna watershed—from a proposed hydroelectric dam to a massive access road that could permanently change the region. We talk about why the Susitna remains such a unique and accessible wild river system, how local communities are organizing around conservation, and why public comments matter more than most anglers realize. Margaret also shares details on the coalition’s river cleanup efforts, citizen science projects, and practical ways anyone—whether you live in Alaska or not—can help protect these fisheries for future generations.

Episode Show Notes Dry fly fishing can look simple from the outside. Match the hatch, make a clean cast, and watch the eat. But once...

Today, we’re digging into what’s happening right now across Alaska, from the fight over West Susitna and Alaska public lands to bycatch, mining, and...

Why do some anglers seem to find fish instantly while others struggle all day on the same lake? In this episode, Gareth Jones, sales Director at Airflo Fishing, breaks down Stillwater fly fishing at a level most anglers never reach—from understanding exact sink rates to building repeatable systems that help locate fish quickly. We dig into countdown systems, retrieves, line densities, and how wind, depth, and presentation all work together. Gareth also shares competition-proven tactics for fishing teams of flies, controlling drift with a drogue, and deciding when to fish attractor patterns versus imitative flies. If lakes have ever felt overwhelming or random, this episode gives you a framework to simplify the entire game.