876 | How to Build an Adventure Vehicle with Matt Dunkerly of AVC Rig
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Release Date: 01/28/2026
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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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 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 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 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:
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885 Show Notes: Presented by: , , I sat down with Bart Lombardo from Panfish On The Fly to talk about bluegill, pumpkinseed, crappie, perch, and all the warmwater species that are often overlooked. We dig into why these fish are some of the best teachers in fly fishing, how they flatten the learning curve for new anglers, and why experienced anglers keep coming back to them. Show Notes:
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#887 Show Notes: Presented By: Not every trout river fishes the same, and eastern Idaho might be one of the best places to see that firsthand. In this Traveled episode, we head back to Teton Valley Lodge with Brian Berry to explore how the South Fork Snake, Henry’s Fork, and the Teton River each bring a completely different challenge depending on flows, seasons, and how you approach the water from a drift boat. Brian walks us through how fishing changes throughout the year—from winter nymphing and streamer tactics to the explosive Mother’s Day caddis hatch and summer...
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#886 Show Notes: Presented by: , , Sponsors: Some people fall into fly fishing. Others get pulled in hard and never really come back out. Tim Arsenault fits squarely in that second camp. From skipping school to chase salmon, to designing some of the most thoughtfully tuned Spey lines on the water, Tim’s journey is all about curiosity, obsession, and learning how things really work. In this episode, we dig deep into Spey casting techniques, steelhead rivers, line design, and what happens when you stop accepting off-the-shelf answers. Show Notes: ...
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885 Show Notes: Presented by: , , For more than a century, bamboo fly rods have been built from the same bamboo. It was accepted as tradition, rarely questioned, and almost never tested. Peer Doering-Arjes decided to test it. Instead of relying on history or feel, he approached bamboo like a scientific problem. He traveled through Vietnam and China, worked with botanists and universities, and ran controlled tests on hundreds of bamboo samples. He measured strength, flexibility, and durability the same way engineers test modern materials. What he found led to a different bamboo species...
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#884 Show Notes: Presented By: , , , Sponsors: Progress in fly fishing often happens when you stop treating techniques as separate lanes and start combining them. In this episode, Brian DeLoach shares the hybrid system he’s developed by blending Euro nymphing principles with heavy jig-style streamer fishing to efficiently target predatory fish. Brian explains why stout leaders and heavier rods protect fish during the fight, why drift matters more than tippet visibility, and how changing retrieves—including dead drifts, jig motions, and active strips—can trigger aggressive eats. If...
info_outline#876 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/876
Presented by: AVC Rig
Most adventure rigs look great online. Fewer are built for real miles, real weather, and those long fishing days that end well after dark. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Dunkerly to talk about building camper vans that actually work for anglers.
Matt runs Adventure Vehicle Concepts, and his approach is refreshingly practical. This isn’t about Instagram builds or overcomplicating things. It’s about access, simplicity, and designing a rig that helps you fish more without getting in your own way.
If you’ve been thinking about a van for fly fishing trips, road travel, or long weekends chasing water, this episode will help you avoid the most common mistakes before you ever pick up a tool.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/876