Monte Burke on World-Record Quests, Fishing "Blind" (Literally), and the Denizens of NYC Jetties
Release Date: 09/04/2025
Chuck Furimsky, how he started The Fly Fishing Show, "roasted" Lefty Kreh, and found Bob Popovics
Loop to Loop
Chuck Furimsky graduated from Penn State and when he was there, he took fly-fishing courses from the legendary George Harvey. In the 1980s he even filmed an interview with the original Penn State instructor, which you’ll glimpse in the video version. From there Chuck went on to start The Fly Fishing Show, a traveling carnival of fly-fishing experts and celebrities that has introduced tens of thousands of people to the joys of fly fishing. Listen to Chuck’s stories about “roasting” Lefty Kreh, introducing new fly tiers like Bob Popovics to the world, and many other stories that come...
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Mark Susinno: Painter and Fly Fisher
Loop to Loop
Mark Susinno is a lifelong and classically trained fine artist who resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After attending Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY his brother introduced him to fly fishing and forged a path for Mark to focus his creativity. His paintings have graced the fly-fishing world for over 35 years capturing the anticipation and mysterious world of life underwater. An active conservationist, Susinno has donated countless pieces of artwork to many conservationist organizations including Trout Unlimited and Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. To see his artwork, watch the YouTube version of...
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Ben Furimsky: Owner and Operator of The Fly Fishing Show
Loop to Loop
Ben Furimsky is the owner and operator of The Fly Fishing Show, the largest consumer show in the fly-fishing industry. The Fly Fishing Show travels around the United States educating and entertaining anglers from January to March. Furimsky is an accomplished fly fisher who has travelled to the far reaches of the globe, most recently to Mongolia to catch and help implant tracking devices in taimen. His shows, films, adventures, and connections to all the experts and celebrities in the business make him one of the most influential people in the sport of fly fishing today.
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Blane Chocklett: Secrets of the Jerk Changer—How to Tie and Retrieve it to Catch Monster Predators
Loop to Loop
In a matter of just a couple of months, Blane Chocklett caught his personal best striper and then his all-time best redfish on the same fly—his darting, slip-sliding, erratic Jerk Changer. The fly is inspired by jerkbait lures, and it has an action like nothing else in fly fishing. If you want to catch mind-boggling muskies, smallmouths, pike, jacks, or any other predatory species, the Jerk Changer can trigger a crashing response. In this episode Blane explains why it works, how to tie it, and most importantly how to retrieve it for maximum effectiveness.
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Bill Skilton on Pennsylvania fly fishing, terrestrials, and raising chickens
Loop to Loop
Bill Skilton started fly fishing at an early age with tutelage from Limestone Legends such as Charlie Fox, Vince Marinaro, and Ross Trimmer. Learn about the history of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley and its impact on fly fishing in North America. Pennsylvania’s spring creeks such as LeTort Spring Run, Big Spring Creek, Falling Springs, and parts of the Yellow Breeches were the birthplace of terrestrial fly patterns such as beetles, ants, and the famous LeTort hopper and cricket. Skilton is a Renaissance man. He’s the president of the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum, a buyer and seller...
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Legendary Capt. Paul Dixon on filming with Flip Pallot and Bob Popovics, and Looking Through Water
Loop to Loop
One of the most versatile, experienced saltwater guides of all time, Capt. Paul Dixon has spent decades fishing from Long Island to the Upper Keys, throughout the Caribbean and around the world. He caught his first striped bass in the 1970s in Newport Beach, California, he is a pioneer in East Coast sight-fishing for striped bass, a recipient of the 2022 Lefty Kreh Award for Lifetime Achievement in Conservation, and 2021 recipient of the Izaak Walton Award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing. One of our favorite stories in this episode is a retelling of when Flip Pallot, Bob...
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Mike Dawes on the South Fork Initiative, Fish Camp, finding focus with permit, and a lifetime of outfitting
Loop to Loop
Mike Dawes is the managing partner of Westbank Anglers in Wilson, Wyoming near the town of Jackson, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Dawes has guided for decades, and fly fished the world for species ranging from trout to exotic saltwater fish such as barracuda. He is well-known for his dedication to permit fishing and conservation. Having won multiple permit tournaments, including the Del Brown Permit Tournament and the March Merkin, Dawes sheds light on what it takes to be a permit angler and some strange behaviors. He is also an active board member of the South Fork Initiative of...
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Oliver White discusses Indifly, South Fork Lodge, cutthroat trout shocking, and what lies ahead
Loop to Loop
Oliver White started as a guide then grew his career as a fly-fishing entrepreneur to build Abaco Lodge. He later co-founded the indigenous empowerment non-profit organization Indifly, and currently is co-owner of South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley, Idaho. He’s been featured in many films, most notably the YETI Presents film “A Thousand Casts” that chronicled his adventure in Bhutan while searching for the golden Masheer. An active conservationist and environmentalist, White has influenced the outdoor culture for over a decade with his dedication to protecting wild fish and places while...
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Tom Baltz on fly tying, fly-fishing history, and using the right rig to present flies
Loop to Loop
Tom Baltz is an Orvis Endorsed guide and recipient of the Orvis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. He guides his home waters in the Cumberland Valley area of Pennsylvania and is a renown fly tier with patterns available through Montana Fly Co. He discusses his most well-known pattern, the Baltz’s Paranymph, which has caught trout around the world. Yellow Breeches creek, LeTort Spring Run, and Big Spring creek are an integral part of the nation's fly-fishing history. Baltz dives into Cumberland Valley’s rich history and his journey learning from the Limestone legends such as Vince...
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Yvon Chouinard on tying and fishing simple pheasant tail flies for trout, salmon, and bonefish
Loop to Loop
Yvon Chouinard is a philanthropist, conservationist, climber, fly fisher, co-founder of 1% for the Planet, and founder of Patagonia. He has played a vital role in shaping the landscape of the entire outdoor community for over 40 years. He was named one of the “100 Most Influential People” by Time Magazine in 2023. He has authored numerous books such as Let My People Go Surfing, Simple Fly Fishing, and his latest book, Pheasant Tail Simplicity, co-authored with Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, and Italian angler Mauro Mazzo, is available in Octboer 2025. Chouinard finds clarity...
info_outlineMonte Burke is one of the leading writers of this century and author of the new book "Rivers always Reach the Sea." Monte has fished all around the world with some of the most eclectic and influential people in the sport of fly fishing, people like Yvon Chouinard, Andy Mill, and Lefty Kreh—but he says one of his greatest privileges in life is spending a day each year fishing with “the greatest guide who ever lived” Capt. Steve Huff. In this episode of Loop to Loop, Monte spins fishing tales that range from midnight excursions with the denizens of a New York City jetty to fishing the tundra rivers of Russia's Kola Peninsula. Burke is also the author of Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World Record Tarpon; Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World Record Largemouth Bass; and the New York Times bestseller, Saban: The Making of a Coach, a biography of Alabama head coach, Nick Saban. After a 14-year stint as a reporter, staff writer and editor at Forbes, he is now a contributing editor at the magazine. He is also a contributing editor at Garden & Gun and The Drake.