Anchored with April Vokey

Jonathan Jones, also known as Red Beard, has been known to stir the pot. As a relative newcomer to the fishing industry, Jonathan has no problem admitting that he’s here to bring the entertainment. He is tattooed, gold-toothed, cheeky and outspoken. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Jonathan to discuss his “why,” Australia’s flats fishing and state of the fly fishing culture down under.

Whitney Gould is a Spey casting instructor and a six-time Spey-O-Rama casting champion. She is a full-time fishing guide who started guiding in Alaska before adding Oregon, California and Montana to her resume. This winter, Whitney and I met up for lunch in Montana, but decided to sit down for a last minute podcast. In this episode of Anchored, Whitney and I talk about her upbringing, her entrance into the fly-fishing industry, Spey casting and trout fishing in Montana.

Brett Seng is one of my favourite outdoor photographers. Over the years, Brett has been a fishing guide, a consultant to hunting companies and created the ShuttleSnap app. In this episode of Anchored, Brett and I talk about his career choices, inspiration in the outdoors, and the modern-day pressures of killing animals and catching fish for public accolades.

Tom Bie founded The Drake Magazine in 1998 and he has grown it to be one of the most respected magazines in the industry. With some of the finest fishing writers, it’s not hard to see why. In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Tom to learn more about the evolution of his career, how he’s managed to keep his privacy while growing The Drake as a brand, and his infamous Drake forum board.

Jim Klug is the founder and CEO of Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures, a travel company that arranges fly-fishing trips to lodges around the globe. In this episode of Anchored, Jim and I talk about being a booking agent in the fishing industry, how to deal with upset clients, and the importance of staying up to date on the legislation and policies that impact the places we love.

Roy Henry Vickers is a Grammy Award-nominated, Canadian First Nations artist. Roy is one of Canada’s most revered artists—his work can be found in the Vancouver Airport and galleries around the world. In this episode of Anchored, Roy and I discuss culture and history, and the story of how he got to where he is today. We take a deeper look at our connection with nature, reflect on a dark part of Canada’s history, and explore the desire to be our best selves.

Sam Lungren grew up on Whidbey Island in Washington's Puget Sound. He spent summers working aboard an Alaskan commercial salmon seiner while studying journalism in college. Sam spent the last five years as the editor of Backcountry Journal, and recently joined the MeatEater editorial team as a writer and editor with an emphasis on fishing and conservation.  In this episode of Anchored, Sam and I sit down to discuss commercial fishing, eating fish, and the harsh realities of catch and release fishing.

Whitney Milhoan is the executive director of Casting for Recovery, a non-profit organization that provides healing outdoor retreats for women with breast cancer. In this episode of Anchored, I meet with Whitney to discuss why fly fishing is beneficial for women with breast cancer and to learn more about how people can get involved. I’ll post a donation link in the podcast description with the hope that we can help Casting for Recovery reach more women with your support.

On this episode of Anchored I reach out to past guests of the show to ask them your questions! I speak with Amy Hazel, Simon Gawesworth,George Cook, Andy Danylchuk, Scott Baker McGarva, John McMillan and Jerry Darkesabout some subjects you wanted to know more about. We discuss what it's like owning a fly shop when fish stocks are declining, fly size, sink tip depth, how to rig a Spey rod, fly fishing for carp, and a follow up on the 2016/2017 Keep 'Em Wet study.

Josh Hutchins grew up fishing for trout near Sydney's mountain streams. Since then, he's fly fished around the world and started Aussie Fly Fisher, his guiding and travel business. Josh runs a number of learn-to-fly-fish courses, including the Aussie Fly Fisher Youth Academy, which helps raise young fly fishermen and build a positive community within the sport. In this episode of Anchored, Josh and I discuss Murray cod, Glorious Bastards and the impacts of social media on today’s generation of anglers

Ryan Callaghan is more than just a moustache. I first met Ryan when he was working for First Lite as their director of conservation and I was immediately drawn to his authenticity. As a longtime hunter, angler, and competent outdoorsman, he has seen just about everything. In this episode of Anchored, Ryan and I discuss a little bit of his family history, the basics of the public land campaign, and CWD in deer.

You’ve probably seen Geoff Mueller’s name below a thought-provoking essay in a magazine or industry publication. Geoff is the senior editor of The Drake magazine and is a copy-writer for over a dozen popular brands.   In this episode of Anchored I sit down with Geoff to discuss how he got involved in the industry, pushing people’s buttons and if we’re loving our rivers to death.

Camille Egdorf was born into a fishing family. At only six months old, she was accompanying her parents to their family lodge in Alaska, where she eventually guided. Today, Camille lives in Montana and works at Yellow Dog as their Alaska and Christmas Island program director.   In this episode of Anchored I meet with Camille to discuss the rise of her career, growing up in Alaska and how she decided to start guiding.

Rodney Hsu started the Fishing With Rod website in 2001. Its purpose was to serve as an online fishing resource for anglers throughout British Columbia. Today, however, Rodney’s popular fishing videos are the most watched sport-fishing channel in Canada. In this episode of Anchored I meet with Rodney and co-host Kitty Kanhoffen to discuss getting children into fishing, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and managing public pressure. 

Eva Shockey is one of hunting’s most recognised names. Born in British Columbia, Eva grew up in a hunting family before making the decision to dive headfirst into the hunting industry at the age of twenty. Today she lives in Raleigh, North Carolina where she balances her career, motherhood and marriage.  In this episode of Anchored, I sit down with Eva to discuss her first hunting trip, hunting with cameras, and online bullies.