851 | Fly Fishing the Alaska Road System with Will Donnelly - FishHound Expeditions
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Release Date: 12/05/2025
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
851 Show Notes: Presented by: For the last ten years, today’s guest has been fly fishing the Alaska road system and guiding the south central river, Lower Willow, Upper Willow, the Canyon water, and Montana Creek. He’s one of the guides behind our recent Alaskan hosted trip and has a head full of stories that only come from rowing in a place where anything can happen. In this episode, you’ll hear what it was like from Will’s seat on the sticks during our trip, why the bite shifted every day, how he chooses between bugs, beads, and buggers, and plenty of stories from the...
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#850B Show Notes: Presented By: Sloan Hiatt, Manager at Intrepid Camp Gear, breaks down how his team designs rooftop tents and aluminum cargo boxes built for anglers, skiers, and backcountry travelers. He shares why Intrepid manufactures everything themselves instead of white-labeling, how they solved common space and durability problems, and what makes their gear stand out in the overlanding world. We also get the story of Sloan’s late-night bear encounter from a rooftop tent, plus a deep dive into his restored Land Cruisers, diesel swaps, and the 4x4 community that keeps these...
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#850 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Sponsors: When you spend enough time around steelhead guides, you start to notice something: the truly fishy ones never stop learning. That’s exactly the vibe I get every time I’m on the river with Pat Beahen. The guy reads water like it’s printed in large font, and he’s got this river-smart intensity that makes you believe a fish could grab at any second. This episode pulls together decades of Pat’s life chasing steelhead across BC — from Whistler beginnings to long seasons on the Bulkley and the...
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849 Show Notes: Presented by: , , Some stories follow you your whole life, and John MacLean grew up inside one of the most meaningful ones ever tied to fly fishing. In this episode, we look past the nostalgia and into the real heart of A River Runs Through It — the family, the grief, the responsibility, and the loss that shaped his father’s writing. John is a journalist and author of Home Waters, and the son of Norman MacLean. He’s spent decades tracing the real events behind the book and the movie — the slow rise of the original printing, the truth of Paul’s murder,...
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#848 Show Notes: Presented By: Chris Smith takes us inside the world of Team USA Fly Fishing, breaking down the systems, strategies, and Euro nymphing methods that have elevated American competitive angling over the last decade. From his first accidental competition in 2009 to mentoring youth anglers and preparing for the Idaho World Championships, Chris shares how confidence flies, rod-angle depth control, beat management, and communication across teams fuel the “medal mentality.” He explains the difference between French and Spanish presentations, how Team USA refined its...
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Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/847B Presented By: Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Atlantic Canada is home to some of the most storied salmon rivers in the world—and to one of the quiet powerhouses working behind the scenes to protect them. In this episode of the Wet Fly Swing Podcast, host Dave talks with Charline McCoy, executive director of the Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon (FCAS), about how a tiny team is helping safeguard Canada’s wild Atlantic salmon across five provinces. From replacing culverts and removing old dams to planting riparian trees and...
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#847 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Sponsors: Marc Bale spent more than thirty years inside one of fly fishing’s most influential companies. In this episode, he walks us through Far Bank history, the early Sage days, the rise of Rio, the Redington years, and the philosophies that kept everything from collapsing under its own growth. Show Notes:
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846 Show Notes: Presented by: If you've ever stood in a cold river and trusted your waders with your whole day, you know how much depends on them. This week, we unpack the story behind the Patagonia Swiftcurrent Waders, how they're built, why they matter, and what Patagonia is doing to make them better for both anglers and the planet. Kate Hadeka and Nick Blixt join us to talk about how these waders are built, why they last, and what Patagonia is doing to make gear that's easier to repair, better for the planet, and still made for hard days on the water. We dig into the shift away from...
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#845 Show Notes: Presented By: , , , Sponsors: Lance Gray gives us a full guide-level breakdown of Northern California — from the Feather River steelhead runs to the stillwaters that shaped generations of Chico anglers. He talks about reading Davis and Almanor, when stillwaters light up, and why steelhead require technical knots, clean leaders, and perfect presentations. Lance also brings us into the heart of the Chico fly-fishing community, where teaching, mentorship, and his Guide School continue to shape new anglers. It’s part NorCal fishing tour, part education...
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#844 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Sponsors: We sit down with Nick Chambers of The Conservation Angler to talk about the current state of wild steelhead. Nick has spent more than 20 years studying these fish in their home waters, from the Skagit River in Washington to the spring-fed systems of southern Oregon. He has snorkeled over reds, gathered juvenile dispersal data, and followed steelhead migrations across entire watersheds. We dig into what the latest research is showing, why some rivers continue to support strong wild fish while others...
info_outline851 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/851
Presented by: FishHound Expeditions
For the last ten years, today’s guest has been fly fishing the Alaska road system and guiding the south central river, Lower Willow, Upper Willow, the Canyon water, and Montana Creek. He’s one of the guides behind our recent Alaskan hosted trip and has a head full of stories that only come from rowing in a place where anything can happen.
In this episode, you’ll hear what it was like from Will’s seat on the sticks during our trip, why the bite shifted every day, how he chooses between bugs, beads, and buggers, and plenty of stories from the river.
Will breaks down how to actively jig, swing, and animate the Duracell and other flies while nymphing, and how they get trout, grayling, and even salmon to eat.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/851