The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

By: Tom Rosenbauer The Orvis Company
  • Summary

  • Produced by The Orvis Company and hosted by Tom Rosenbauer, author of The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide, this podcast will provide you with tips on how to get the most of your time on the water. Read more about Orvis at www.orvis.com/podcast.
    The Orvis Company
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Episodes
  • Get Ready for this Year's Cicada Hatch, with Dave Zielinski
    Mar 10 2025
    This week my guest Dave Zielinski [39:53], author of the comprehensive book Cicada Madness, tells us when and where you can encounter this year's brood of periodical cicadas—and if you can't make that event, he'll tell you how to find waters that host regular emergences of annual cicadas, which are not quite as large but can offer spectacular fishing if your timing is right. All kinds of fish go crazy over the giant bugs, from trout to bass to carp-- even gar and catfish. Learn how to fish these flies, and how to tie them in this highly informative and timely episode that will help you plan this year's cicada expedition. In the Fly Box this week, we have a good mix of interesting questions and tips from listeners, including:
    • What are your thoughts on drop beads for saltwater flies?
    • I am having problems with blood knots and leader sections ending up the right length.
    • On which Orvis rods will overlining help?
    • How can I get my fly deep enough to catch walleye on a fly?
    • A listener has various questions about fishing for striped bass on Cape Cod.
    • What line should I put on my new Orvis Superfine graphite?
    • Two fly-tying tips and a first aid tip from a doctor.
    • I am swinging 5 or 6 wet flies at the same time, all in line, and sometimes drop fish on the lower flies. How can I fix this?
    • How can you catch fish that are nearly impossible to approach in low, clear water?
    • Some great tips from a listener on how to stay warm when winter fishing.
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • All About Crayfish and How to Fish Their Imitations, with Jake Villwock
    Mar 3 2025
    Crayfish are prey that most gamefish can't resist. They're high in calories, abundant, and relatively easy for bass, trout, and many other gamefish to capture. Yet most of us don't know much about their life cycle and behavior (myself included). Guide Jake Villwock [47:02] has spent his life studying these critters, which gives him important insight on the right fly patterns, but even more important how and when to fish them. You'll learn a lot on this podcast. In the Fly Box this week, there are lots of good questions and I hope my answers will help you in your fly-fishing journey. They include:
    • I can't seem to get my fly deep enough in bass lakes with my floating line. Should I get a sinking line for my 8-weight and fish surface flies with my 5-weight?
    • A listener asks for help from listeners in ways to lessen the pain of losing his beloved fishing dog
    • I fished a river that has always been full of trout and didn't see a thing. What happened to the fish?
    • Should I apply my dubbing with clockwise or counterclockwise twists?
    • Can I tie my dropper onto the tag end of my improved clinch knot?
    • What are your thoughts and comments on how long a trout stays spooked?
    • Why do you prefer a sling pack and where do you put your net?
    • Do resident brook trout in a river get pushed around by migrating steelhead? Do they still feed?
    • I didn't catch any fish in high, cold water. What should I have done?
    • What do you think about tying a loop in the end of my tippet and attaching flies with a girth hitch?
    • Why don't people use landing nets for striped bass?
    • I saw an anti-reverse fly reel on EBay. What do you think of them?
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • Backcast: George Daniel on Winter Fly Fishing
    Feb 24 2025

    This episode was originally published on January 30th, 2021

    This week, continuing our series of podcasts on winter fly fishing for trout, I interview George Daniel, author and guide. George is also an Orvis ambassador and field tester, and teaches fly fishing at Penn State. As you'll discover, there are many similarities with winter fishing in other parts of the country, along with some flies and techniques a bit more appropriate for the Northeast.

    In the Fly Box this week, we have some great tips and questions, including:
    Do you use touch dubbing, split thread dubbing, and composite loop dubbing techniques?
    I'm looking for a fly line to fish streamers for bass, trout, and panfish. Which line should I get?
    What leaders do I need for my Clearwater Trout Spey setup, for both Skagit and Scandi lines?
    What's your technique for catching largemouth bass, and what are your favorite flies?
    Why can't I get my dubbing noodle to behave?
    Which intermediate line should I get for fishing streamers and indicators in four to eight feet of water?
    A great tip on a method for wetting marabou and other materials without putting them in your mouth.
    I went fishing before a cold front and got skunked. I thought fishing was supposed to be good before a cold front.
    What line and leader and tippet would you use for trout in lakes in 15 feet of water?

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    1 hr and 23 mins

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excellent podcast

Tom is very articulate and knowledgeable and makes each podcast very entertaining. highly recommend

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Wealth of knowledge

Great podcast covering everything from fly patterns, gear, tactics, tying tips, habitat and much more.

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