719 | Flying with Ariel Tweto - Alaska, Bush Planes, Suicide Prevention
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Release Date: 02/14/2025
925 | A Look Back at 50 Years of the Henry’s Fork Anglers with Mike Lawson
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
925 Show Notes: Presented by: , , Today, we take a look back at 50 years of Henry’s Fork Anglers with Mike Lawson and some great stories from the early days of fly fishing on the Henry’s Fork. We talk about the rise of fly shops, graphite rods, matching the hatch, famous fly fishing writers, and how Henry’s Fork helped shape modern fly fishing as we know it today. Show Notes:
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924 | Remote Fly Fishing Adventures: Golden Dorado, Seychelles GTs, and Kamchatka Trout with Christiaan Pretorius
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#924 Show Notes: Presented By: , , , Some of the best water you’ll ever fish is the water most people never reach. In this episode, Christian Pretorius joins us to share stories from a life spent guiding and traveling across some of the wildest fisheries on the planet—from Seychelles GTs and Kamchatka rainbows to giant Golden Dorado deep in the Bolivian jungle. We dig into what makes remote fisheries so special, the tradeoffs between helicopter access and earning it on foot, and why the journey itself often matters just as much as the fish. Christian also shares lessons from decades of...
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923 | Susitna River Coalition’s Margaret Stern on Alaska Salmon, Free-Flowing Rivers, and Dam Threats
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#923 Show Notes: Presented By: Sponsors: How does one of the largest free-flowing rivers in the United States end up back on the table for major development projects? In this episode, Margaret Stern from the Susitna River Coalition returns to the podcast to share what’s happening right now across Alaska’s Susitna watershed—from a proposed hydroelectric dam to a massive access road that could permanently change the region. We talk about why the Susitna remains such a unique and accessible wild river system, how local communities are organizing around conservation, and why public...
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Devin Olsen and Jack Arnot on Competitive Dry Fly Fishing (Traveled #44)
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#922 Show Notes: Presented by: Dry fly fishing can look simple from the outside. Match the hatch, make a clean cast, and watch the eat. But once you dig into how top competitors approach it, you realize it's not about the fly nearly as much as everything around it. In this episode, I sat down with Devin Olsen and Jack Arnot to break down what they’re doing differently, especially with the Spanish dry fly system. This one gets into leader design, casting control, and why simplifying your flies might actually help you catch more fish. If you’ve ever struggled with drag,...
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922 | The Fight for West Susitna and Alaska Public Lands with Adam Cuthriell, Rachel James, and Ryan Astalos
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
922 Show Notes: Presented by: Today, we’re digging into what’s happening right now across Alaska, from the fight over West Susitna and Alaska public lands to bycatch, mining, and road development, and why it matters to anyone who cares about wild fish. I sat down with Rachel James and Ryan Astalos from SalmonState, along with Adam Cuthriell of Fishhound Expeditions. We talk about Bristol Bay, the proposed West Susitna Road, trawl bycatch, and how public lands decisions in Alaska ripple across the entire country. This one goes beyond fly fishing. It’s about protecting the future...
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921 | Airflo’s Gareth Jones on Competition Fly Fishing and Stillwater Systems
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#921 Show Notes: Presented By: , , , Sponsors: Why do some anglers seem to find fish instantly while others struggle all day on the same lake? In this episode, Gareth Jones, sales Director at Airflo Fishing, breaks down Stillwater fly fishing at a level most anglers never reach—from understanding exact sink rates to building repeatable systems that help locate fish quickly. We dig into countdown systems, retrieves, line densities, and how wind, depth, and presentation all work together. Gareth also shares competition-proven tactics for fishing teams of flies, controlling drift with a...
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920 | Fly Fishing Baja and Chasing Roosterfish with John Hunt from Moccasin Fly Club
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#920b Show Notes: Presented by: In this episode, I sat down with John Hunt from Moccasin Fly Club to dig into what these trips actually look like. We got into fly fishing Baja liveaboards, chasing trophy roosterfish, and the stuff most people don’t think about until it’s too late. If Baja has been on your radar, this one gives you a clear picture of what to expect and how to do it right. Show Notes:
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920 | Loop Tackle's Wild Fish, Wild Places: Fly Fishing Travel and Conservation with Emilie Björkman and Ted Logart
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#920 Show Notes: Presented By: , , , Sponsors: What happens when you take fly fishing beyond your home water and start chasing it across the world? In this episode, we sit down with Emilie Björkman and Ted Logart from Loop to talk about Wild Fish, Wild Places, a global series focused on travel, culture, and conservation. They share how the project came together, how they choose destinations, and what they’ve learned filming in places like Montana, Sweden, Iceland, and New Zealand. We also dig into the real challenges behind the scenes, why conservation issues are often global, and how...
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919 | Inside the Minds of World Champion Fly Casters with Whitney Gould, Rick Hartman & Kalyn Hoggard
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
919 Show Notes: Presented by: , , In this episode, we go inside the minds of world champion fly casters Whitney Gould, Rick Hartman, and Kalyn Hoggard to break down what really separates good from elite. We talk about the World Fly Casting Championships, what it takes to carry 80+ feet of line in the air, and the biggest mistakes most anglers make when trying to cast farther. Show Notes:
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In the Bucket #21 | Steelhead Fishing and the Illusion of Control with Adrienne Comeau and Eric Leininger
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#918 Show Notes: Presented By: , , Sponsors: In today’s episode of In the Bucket podcast, Brian Niska is joined by Adrienne Comeau and Eric Leininger for a candid conversation on what really drives success in steelhead fishing. What starts with fly choice and presentation quickly shifts into a bigger discussion around uncertainty, experience, and how much control anglers actually have on the water. Eric shares a perspective shaped by years of guiding—that in certain conditions, especially when water temperatures are right, many of the details anglers focus on may not be as critical as...
info_outline#719 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/719
Presented by: FishHound Expeditions
In this episode, we take a unique journey into the world of bush flying in Alaska with Ariel Tweto—pilot, adventurer, and star of Flying Wild Alaska. Ariel shares what it was like growing up in a family of pilots, the thrill of her first appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, and even a memorable drink with Harrison Ford.
Beyond the adventures, we dive into a more serious topic—suicide prevention in Native Alaskan communities, a cause close to Ariel’s heart. From broken bones to big dreams, this episode is packed with stories of resilience, passion, and making the most of every moment.
Episode Chapters with Ariel Tweto
4:43 - Ariel shares that flying has been an integral part of her life since birth, as her entire family is deeply involved in aviation. Her grandfather was one of the first Native American pilots to start an airline, founding Ryan Air in Alaska. Both her parents and extended family are pilots, and she grew up flying regularly, even before she could walk or talk.
8:33 - Ariel shares the unexpected journey of how Flying Wild Alaska became a TV show.
15:23 - Ariel recalls her first solo flight as a terrifying experience. Reflecting on the experience, she acknowledges that being a pilot isn’t her true passion. Though she respects the family legacy, she realizes she doesn’t have the mindset needed for full-time flying.
17:35 - She shares some of the projects she worked on after Flying Wild Alaska including being a recurring guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and doing an episode on The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently, she co-hosts Native Shorts where she discusses short films created by Indigenous filmmakers from around the world.
19:41 - Ariel remains passionate about adventure and action sports, participating in extreme activities like mountain biking and surfing. She has suffered multiple injuries, including a broken collarbone from mountain biking, broken ribs, and a recent severe facial injury while surfing in Mexico.
21:41 - She tells how her parents inspired and encouraged her to explore which has been instrumental in shaping who she is today.
26:47 - Ariel has had a love for travel since childhood. One of her earliest experiences was a trip to Texas with her cheerleading coach, where she was fascinated by the cultural differences—frying an egg on the sidewalk and learning line dancing. Her curiosity grew when she joined Alaska’s travel basketball team in middle school, leading her to the UK.
30:35 - Ariel started a nonprofit called Popping Bubbles in 2014, inspired by her personal loss of a number of friends to suicide. The organization focuses on breaking people out of their comfort zones, encouraging them to explore new experiences, meet different people, and see the possibilities beyond their immediate environment.
35:39 - She reflects on her father’s deep passion for flying, emphasizing that no matter how many close calls he had—including a crash where he broke his neck—he never considered stopping. His happiest moments were in the sky, exploring new landing spots, and he had no plans to retire from flying as long as his body and vision allowed. Although he once said he would stop off-airport flying at 70, Ariel and her family believe he would have continued beyond that.
43:00 - She tells us about her running routine. Sometimes she runs for as little as 30 minutes, but on days like she had in Utah, she ran for three hours simply because of the beautiful surroundings
44:40 - Ariel is currently working on the animated TV show The Great North, which is now in its fifth season.
47:09 - Going back to suicide prevention, Ariel emphasizes the power of human connection in addressing depression. She believes that feeling seen and valued is essential, as isolation often leads to hopelessness.
53:18 - Ariel played point guard in basketball. Growing up in Alaska, her high school team often flew to different villages for games. She later played college basketball in Boston but quickly realized she preferred a warmer climate with mountains, leading her to move to California.
57:00 - Ariel is an avid podcast listener. Some of her favorites include SmartLess, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, and Oprah’s Super Soul Sundays. She particularly enjoys Mel Robbins for her practical, life-changing advice.
1:01:23 - She also enjoys music, with her current obsession being Xavier Rudd, an artist from New Zealand known for his nature-inspired music and didgeridoo playing.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/719