2 Guys and a River

Protecting your fly rod is as simple as obeying this rule: “Slow down!” We’ve lost rods, stepped on rods, and broke other fly fisher’s rods. In this episode, we step back to offer up some “Don’t be like us” tips – to help you protect your investment. Just a modicum of thought goes a long … Continue reading "S4:E24 Protecting Your Fly Rod" The post S4:E24 Protecting Your Fly Rod appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Quake Lake was formed in 1959 when an earthquake triggered the collapse of a side of a mountain. The mountain fell into the Madison River, creating a natural dam. This fall, we fished Quake Lake near West Yellowstone, both for the first time. In this episode, we reflect on the experience, describing the emotion of … Continue reading "S4:E23 One Fine Day on Quake Lake" The post S4:E23 One Fine Day on Quake Lake appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Is fly fishing truly a hobby for you? We recently read a New York Times column called “In Praise of Mediocrity,” which ripped on America’s fascination with turning every hobby into a “pursuit of excellence.” We fish less than 25 days a year; we’re not professionals. So how good should an amateur get? How should … Continue reading "S4:E22 Are You Too Serious about Fly Fishing?" The post S4:E22 Are You Too Serious about Fly Fishing? appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

You’ve read all about all the wonderful places to see or things to do the next time you visit Yellowstone National Park: Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, Yellowstone Lake – just to name a few. This episode, though, is all about the dont’s – what NOT to do the next time you enter … Continue reading "S4:E21 Top 10 Dont’s When Visiting Yellowstone National Park" The post S4:E21 Top 10 Dont’s When Visiting Yellowstone National Park appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

At the request of our listeners, we’ve now published an episode on euro nymphing. Our take is a bit different. Instead of interviewing an expert, Steve interviewed someone who is clearly a non-expert – Dave. In the last six months, Dave picked up euro nymphing on his own, watching videos, reading books, and fumbling with … Continue reading "S4:E20 How to Learn the Basics of Euro Nymphing" The post S4:E20 How to Learn the Basics of Euro Nymphing appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Bigger fish on streamers is common promise. Often you hear, “If you want to catch bigger fish, throw on a streamer. Yet fly fishing with streamers is not popular among many fly fishers. In this episode, we interview Dave Kumlien, who has been a fly fishing guide for forty years, owned a successful fly shop … Continue reading "S4:E19 Catching More and Bigger Fish with Streamers" The post S4:E19 Catching More and Bigger Fish with Streamers appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

When starting out in the sport, most fly fishers struggle to build skills in all the areas required for success: casting, reading waters, grasping a cursory understanding of entomology, and simply identifying places to fish. It’s a fire hose of information, knowledge, and skill. In this episode, we focus on a different set of problems … Continue reading "S4:E18 Overcoming a Fly Fishing Plateau" The post S4:E18 Overcoming a Fly Fishing Plateau appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

The fly fishing universe is filled with mysteries. One deep, unsolvable mystery is how few calories a day of fishing burns relative to the large amount of calories consumed at the Supper Club or steak house later in the day. The mysteries are dense. Virtually impenetrable. But in this episode, we peer behind the curtain, … Continue reading "S4:E17 Mysteries of the Fly Fishing Universe, Part 3" The post S4:E17 Mysteries of the Fly Fishing Universe, Part 3 appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Planning a memorable fly fishing trip is pretty easy if you do a few things right. There are factors that you can control, of course, and then there is the weather – and whether the fish are in the mood. In this episode, we lift the veil on our do-it-yourself fishing trips. Which is probably … Continue reading "S4:E16 How to Plan a Memorable Fly Fishing Trip" The post S4:E16 How to Plan a Memorable Fly Fishing Trip appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fly box chaos is real. You start out nice and organized, with pretty little rows, and then the Law of Entropy kicks in. Next thing you know, your fly box looks like a tossed salad. In this episode, we interview Peter Stitcher, with Ascent Fly Fishing. Peter has come up with a simple but biologically … Continue reading "S4:E15 Organizing Your Fly Box Chaos" The post S4:E15 Organizing Your Fly Box Chaos appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

What fishing does for our day job is more than just relieve stress. That’s important, of course. But fly fishing is about something bigger, or maybe deeper. While both of us would love to fish more days each year, we certainly don’t wish we could fly fish full-time as professionals (and certainly not possible, given … Continue reading "S4:E14 What Fly Fishing Does for Our Day Job" The post S4:E14 What Fly Fishing Does for Our Day Job appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

No where are there more pictures of fly fishers handling and photographing fish than on Instagram. Everyone has a unique angle on the fish – close up, far away, underwater, one-handed, two-handed – and a thousand other ways. How should a fly fisher who expects to release the fish handle the fish? How long should … Continue reading "S4:E13 Properly Handling and Photographing Fish" The post S4:E13 Properly Handling and Photographing Fish appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Fishing in snake country is pretty much inevitable. Rattlesnakes and copperheads, just to name two venomous snakes, pose a risk to fly fishers, depending on where you live, in late spring, summer, and early fall. In this episode, we recount a harrowing tale of a fly fisher in the eastern United States, bitten by a … Continue reading "S4:E12 Fly Fishing in Snake Country" The post S4:E12 Fly Fishing in Snake Country appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Wild salmon have gone missing in the United Kingdom. For every 100 salmon that leave the rivers of the UK for the sea, less than five return. That is a decline of nearly 70% in just 25 years! In this episode, we interview Mark Bilsby, CEO of the Atlantic Salmon Trust. He oversees The Missing … Continue reading "S4:E11 The Missing Salmon Project" The post S4:E11 The Missing Salmon Project appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.

Dry fly fishing lessons happen when you, well, fish with dry flies. This summer, both of us got away to fish while on trips to the West, caught some nice fish, and relearned a few basic lessons. In this episode, we identify a handful of practical takeaways from our summer, including, “fish early and late” … Continue reading "S4:S10 Summer Dry Fly Fishing Lessons" The post S4:S10 Summer Dry Fly Fishing Lessons appeared first on 2 Guys and A River.