2 Guys and a River

Fishing Yellowstone National Park is a one of life’s great thrills. There’s nothing like hearing the shrill bugle of an elk in the fall while casting a hopper into the Yellowstone in early September. In his book on great fishing spots in Yellowstone, Richard Parks, founder and owner of Parks Fly Shop in Gardiner, Montana, … Continue reading "S5:E2 Fishing Yellowstone National Park" The post S5:E2 Fishing Yellowstone National Park appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Traditions in the great outdoors are routines with meaning. It’s one thing to make a single memory with a fly fishing or hunting trip. But traditions in the great outdoors create multiple layers of memories that enrich and give joy to life. In this episode, Steve and Dave interview Dave’s father on his family’s traditions … Continue reading "S5:E1 Memorable Traditions in the Great Outdoors" The post S5:E1 Memorable Traditions in the Great Outdoors appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Steve is the restless wanderer when he is out on the water. He makes a few casts in a run and then skips ahead to the next. He moves on. On a recent trip to the Minnesota Driftless, Steve spent almost the entire two days of fishing in one fine run. In this final episode … Continue reading "S4:E52 One Fine Day on One Fine Run" The post S4:E52 One Fine Day on One Fine Run appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

You can’t make this stuff up – that’s a common expression after seeing or experiencing something unusual. On a recent fly fishing trip, we collected several strange moments that in aggregate made the trip one to remember. Steve had some apologizing to do after this trip. LISTEN NOW TO CRAZY MOMENTS FROM A RECENT FLY … Continue reading "S4:E51 Crazy Moments from a Recent Fly Fishing Trip" The post S4:E51 Crazy Moments from a Recent Fly Fishing Trip appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Buying a fly fishing rod should be easier than it is. It’s certainly easier to buy your second or third rod than it is your first. If you are purchasing your first rod, the brands and options are endless. In this episode, we attempt to cut out much of the noise on fly rods – … Continue reading "S4:E50 Basics of Buying a Fly Fishing Rod" The post S4:E50 Basics of Buying a Fly Fishing Rod appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fishing where grizzlies and mountain lions live requires a heightened level of vigilance. It seems as if there have been more reports of mountain lion attacks the past year or two than in recent memory. Not long ago, a runner in Colorado was attacked by a young mountain lion while trail running west of Fort … Continue reading "S4:E49 Fishing Where Grizzlies and Mountain Lions Live" The post S4:E49 Fishing Where Grizzlies and Mountain Lions Live appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Landing larger trout takes a different skill set than what most of us practice on a regular basis. It takes a different set of chops to net a 22-inch rainbow than it does to rip out a 10-inch brook trout. Most of us have lots of experience landing smaller fish and rare opportunities of landing … Continue reading "S4:E48 Landing Larger Trout" The post S4:E48 Landing Larger Trout appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Joe Brooks was one of America’s greatest sportsman, and his contribution to the rise of fly fishing in America, including the conservation of our fisheries, is unparalleled. With this episode, we start a new series called “Legends of Fly Fishing,” in which we profile some of the great contributors to our sport. First up is … Continue reading "S4:E47 Legends of Fly Fishing: Joe Brooks" The post S4:E47 Legends of Fly Fishing: Joe Brooks appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

You arrive first on the river. You have a couple miles of river to fish by yourself. The day is slightly overcast. Fishing reports have been fantastic. This is the day. You fish the first run. Nothing. Then the next. Nothing. You switch to streamers. Nothing. Then to nymphs. Nothing. Three hours later, you’ve had … Continue reading "S4:E46 Fishing When Nothing Is Working" The post S4:E46 Fishing When Nothing Is Working appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Scant attention is paid to fly care and presentation. So much of the focus is on fly rods, reels, waders, boots – and every other fly fishing gadget known to humankind. But without the fly itself, there is no catching. In this episode, we concoct a list of aphorisms – short witty statements about how … Continue reading "S4:E45 Fly Care and Presentation" The post S4:E45 Fly Care and Presentation appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fly fishing tends to move from simplicity to complexity. You start out learning to cast. And you have one fly rod. You pick up a couple of attractor patterns. And you have one fly box. You purchase a vest, waders, and wading boots. And head to the river. Over time, however, you wind up with … Continue reading "S4:E44 Simplifying Your Fly Fishing Experience" The post S4:E44 Simplifying Your Fly Fishing Experience appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Spring dry fly fishing is one of the most delightful stretches of the fly fishing year. While there are other hatches, the two most dominant in most streams and rivers, of course, are Blue Winged Olives (BWOs) and Caddis. In this episode, we discuss patterns that we like, the use of an emerger with a … Continue reading "S4:E43 Spring Dry Fly Fishing" The post S4:E43 Spring Dry Fly Fishing appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

It was a great day for skiing in late winter – a fresh foot of powder blanketed the landscape. But we were fishing. Recently, we got up before dawn and drove almost four hours to fish for a few hours on a stretch of the Blue River west of Madison, Wisconsin. The snow was fresh, … Continue reading "S4:E42 One Fine Winter Day on the Blue" The post S4:E42 One Fine Winter Day on the Blue appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fly fishing is truly global, if for no other reason than most fly fishing products are created or assembled in other parts of the world. In this episode, we interview Peter Stitcher, who, along with his wife Jessica, is the co-founder of Ascent Fly Fishing in the Denver area. Peter designed his company with purpose, … Continue reading "S4:E41 Fair Labor Practices for Fly Fishing Products" The post S4:E41 Fair Labor Practices for Fly Fishing Products appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

If we had it to do over again, we’d do a few things differently. In this episode, we ask the question, “What would we tell our 20-year-old fly fishing selves?” One answer is that we’d have spent fewer years as do-it-your-selvers. That is, we’d have pursued more fly fishing instruction in our 20s. We’d be … Continue reading "S4:E40 What We’d Tell Our 20-Year-Old Fly Fishing Selves" The post S4:E40 What We’d Tell Our 20-Year-Old Fly Fishing Selves appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.