678 | How to Become a Fly Casting Champion with Chris Korich - Golden Gate Casting Club, Maxine McCormick
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Release Date: 11/11/2024
Fly Tying Travel with Dave Allison at the East Idaho Fly Tying Expo(Traveled #41)
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Sponsors: Some fly tying skills come quickly. Others only show up after thousands of flies, years behind the vise, and a lot of mistakes along the way. Proportions, thread control, and material handling are things you really can’t shortcut. In this episode, I sat down with Dave Allison to talk about fly tying travel, the expo circuit across the West, and the patterns he loves tying when people sit down across the table. We also dug into the East Idaho Fly Tying Expo, one of the best tying events in the country. Dave shared some great insights into dry flies, Quigley patterns,...
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895 | Mountain River Lodge with Jason Pickerill and Jacquie Mosher
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
895 Show Notes: Presented by: , , Picture this. You’re in Colorado with mountains in every direction, and the South Platte running just across the road. In this episode, I sit down with Jason Pickerill and Jacquie Mosher from Mountain River Lodge. We talk about how this place began as a historic motor lodge and how they’ve upgraded it into a true base camp for anglers, hikers, hunters, and groups exploring some of the best water in the state. We also dig into the Dream Stream, Mueller State Park, shoulder seasons, and why fall in Colorado is hard to beat. This is the home...
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894 | Long Island Fly Fishing with Paul McCain of River Bay Outfitters
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#894 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Sponsors: Long Island fly fishing isn’t the first thing most people think of when they picture New York. Traffic, skyline, beaches maybe. But tucked behind all that is a network of spring creeks, salt marshes, kettle ponds, and over a thousand miles of shoreline that most anglers never see. In this episode, I sat down with Paul McCain, owner of River Bay Outfitters — the only dedicated fly shop on Long Island. Paul’s been building community, guiding anglers, and chasing everything from native brook trout to stripers for decades....
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Hunting with a Fly #1 | Fly Fishing Like a Hunter with Joe Goodspeed
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Sponsors: Fly fishing doesn’t fall apart because it’s too difficult. It falls apart because most anglers treat it like random casting instead of controlled hunting. Too many flies. Too many casts. Not enough intention. In this first episode of Hunting with a Fly, I sat down with Joe to break fly fishing down to its core principle: approach it like a hunter. Read water like terrain. Move with purpose. Cast only when it matters. Joe’s message is simple. The anglers who consistently catch fish aren’t guessing — they’re stalking, positioning, and presenting with...
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893 | The Fly Fishing Bootcamp: Streamers, Euro Nymphing, Spey and more
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Join the Bootcamp at: https://wetflyswing.com/bootcamp In this episode, we break down the full lineup of the Fly Fishing Bootcamp, a 12-session, multi-day event designed to cover the complete range of modern fly fishing skills. From fly casting mechanics with Kalyn Hoggard and Marty McVey, to steelhead strategy with Jeff Liskay, dry fly precision with Bob Lindquist, modern nymphing with Norman Maktima, trout fly tying with Mike O’Brien, two-handed casting with Jeff Putnam, bass tactics with Brian DeLoach, entomology with The Salmonfly Project, streamer strategy with James Garrettson,...
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892 | Rainy’s Flies: Innovation, Foam Flies, and the Business of Fly Tying with Jesse Riding
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#892 Show Notes: Sponsors: Most anglers never think about where their flies actually come from or how an idea turns into something hanging on a fly shop wall. In this episode, Jesse Riding of Rainy’s Flies takes us behind the scenes of commercial fly tying—from a small home operation started by his mother to one of the largest fly production companies in the world. We dig into how flies are designed, how patterns move into large-scale production, and why materials like foam changed modern fly fishing forever. Jesse also shares insights on fly design royalties, innovation ethics, and what...
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Choosing the Right Fly Rod with Gary Davis of San Juan Rod Works
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Gary founded San Juan Rod Works in 2020 out of his garage. Today, he’s moved into a dedicated showroom and education space in Rio Rancho, New Mexico — built around community, casting, and conservation. This episode walks through how to actually choose a fly rod without overcomplicating it — starting with species, then flies, then casting style.
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891 | Southern Oregon Steelhead Fishing with James Sampsel of Humble Heron Fly Fishing
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#891 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Sponsors: Steelhead don’t wait around long on the southern Oregon coast. They move with fresh water, travel tight to edges, and disappear as quickly as they show up. If you’re thinking about Southern Oregon steelhead fishing, timing and water conditions matter more than hero casts. In this episode, I sat down with James Sampsel of Humble Heron Fly Fishing to talk about winter steelhead on short coastal rivers, fall fish on the middle Rogue, and why Chinook on the swing isn’t always the plan. James lives in Port Orford,...
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890 | John Shewey on the History and Evolution of Spey Flies
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
890 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/890 Presented by: , , , If you’ve ever swung a fly for steelhead and wondered where that pattern really came from, this one goes deep. In this episode, we dig into the history and evolution of Spey flies with John Shewey. Show Notes:
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889 | Bristol Bay Salmon Management with Tim Sands of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#889 Show Notes: Presented by: Tim Sands is a fisheries management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, focused on the Nushagak and Togiak districts of Bristol Bay. His primary job is managing commercial salmon fisheries — mostly sockeye — while also protecting Chinook, chum, pink, and coho moving through the system. We covered how sonar counts guide daily decisions, what happens when too many salmon return, and why king salmon are struggling statewide. Show Notes:
info_outlineShow Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/678
Presented By: Grand Teton Fly Fishing, Smitty's Fly Box, Jackson Hole Fly Company
Curious how an 11-year-old girl managed to beat everyone and become the world fly casting champion? Chris Korich, legendary casting coach to top champions like Maxine McCormick, is here to reveal the secrets behind her success.
You’ll hear Maxine’s full story, from winning her first titles at just 9, 10, and 11 years old to outcasting the best in the world.
Chris also shares the number one thing every caster should know, along with tips on rod selection, essential gear, and the history of fly rods. Find out why some top pros still swear by 1970s graphite rods to dominate competitions today.
Episode Chapters with Chris Korich on How to Become a Fly Casting Champion
02:34 - Chris tells us about his childhood near the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club in San Francisco. He spent his youth at the Oakland Casting Club, which opened its casting pools in 1958, just blocks from his home. By age eight, he had his first job helping people catch fish.
06:21 - Chris shares how he and his brother stumbled onto their first fishing rod—a discarded, rusty push-button reel they found by chance. They fixed it up and started casting at the trout ponds.
The experienced anglers noticed and stepped in to teach them how to cast properly. One of them was Tony Perry, who became Chris’s first coach.
Coaching Maxine McCormick
09:51 - Chris shares how he became Maxine McCormick’s coach. It all began when he got a call from Donna O’Sullivan, who saw Maxine at the Golden Gate Club. Maxine was only 9 when she started, and within a couple of lessons, she was already scoring casts like a pro.
15:56 - In 2013, Maxine started training with her dad, Glenn, just a few months after meeting Chris. They jumped into tournament casting, and five months later, Maxine competed in the National Casting Championship.
She outscored every woman in a national competition. By 11, Maxine was making headlines, beating everyone except Chris and Steve. At 12, she became the youngest world champion in the sport.
30:06 - Chris explains that starting with a full-flex rod, like the ones from the old days, helps you feel the line better. He also talks about the benefits of shorter rods, especially for beginners or those fishing in windy conditions.
40:49 - We chat about the best fly rods for beginners, especially for kids. Chris discusses how shorter, softer rods, like fiberglass or combination graphite-glass ones, work great for new casters.
He shares a cool story where 22 women tried different rods, and everyone picked a short fiberglass rod as their favorite. It helps them feel the line better and roll cast more easily.
54:10 - Chris shares a fun exercise with a butter knife to help listeners understand the importance of "feel" when fly casting.
1:00:59 - Chris explains that while many anglers still use long rods, the trend is starting to shift. He compares it to skiing, where shorter skis became popular to help beginners learn, and then they went back to longer skis—only to eventually return to shorter ones again.
Chris believes that shorter rods make fly fishing easier, especially for beginners, and encourages anglers to try them out.
1:10:51 - Chris says there's no doubt that Steve Ray Jeff is the greatest fly caster in history.
1:13:11 - Chris shares the impressive story of Maxine, who broke records at the world fly casting championships in Norway. Despite limited training, she scored 80 points in accuracy and won multiple gold medals.
Maxine is also focused on finishing her biology degree while still finding time to fly fish and work at a fly shop.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/678