The Fly Tapes

Episode 25—West Coast Tour 2024 | San Francisco Aug 29, 2024

We're back!

The Writers on the Fly West Coast Tour took place in April 2024, visiting San Francisco, Sacramento, Ashland, OR, and Eugene, OR.

This episode features the San Francisco reading, in which we heard from Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate, George Revel, Anne Landfield and Steve Duda. Timestamps are included below for each story or poem read.

Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Sage Fly Fishing, for their support.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Readings:

Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate

11:42: "Bass Yoga"
18:20: "Holding Steady"
22:50: "The Spring Creek Master"

George Revel

35:05: "Ode to a Fishing Dog"

Anne Landfield

45:09: "I'm Fishing Now"
49:35: "Guide Intimations"
54:36: "Incantation at Little Skookum Inlet"
56:35: "Coyote"
57:50: "Pressing Time"
58:39: "There's Hope in Hope Valley"

Steve Duda

1:10:00: "Steelhead as a Fragrance"
1:12:46: "Uknowable"
1:15:09: "These Waders Have Been Drinking"
1:17:41: "A Frazzled Constellation"
1:25:35: "Make the Sky Better"

Episode 24—Matt Smythe Apr 07, 2019

In this episode, I sit down with poet Matt Smythe.

From the American Fly Fishing Trade Association:

"A freelance writer since 2011, Matt has worked in advertising since 2004 holding positions from business development to creative direction on brands like General Motors, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Thomas & Thomas, and ScentBlocker. He’s also a filmmaker and published writer with stories and poetry appearing in Fly Fish Journal, The Drake, Midcurrent, Boating Magazine, Southern Culture on the Fly, Post Magazine, and others.

An Army veteran and native of the Finger Lakes region in Western New York where he lives with his wife and three kids, Matt is an avid outdoorsman who grew up fishing, bowhunting, and camping, learning how to fly fish during grad school."

Thanks to Sage Fly Fishing for their support.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 23—The Cascadia Tour 2016 | Portland Sep 09, 2018

In this abbreviated version of the 2016 Cascadia Tour stop in Portland, Oregon, we hear from author Cameron Chambers and writer/guide/badass Kate Taylor.

Cameron is the author of the book Chasing Rumor: A Season Fly Fishing In Patagonia, published in 2015 by Patagonia Books.

Kate Taylor owns and operates Frigate Travel, with her husband Justin Crump. Kate and Justin chase the season each year, guiding in Oregon, Alaska, Baja, and beyond. Her pieces featured in this episode were originally published in The Flyfish Journal.

A special thanks goes out to Sage Fly Fishing for their support of The Fly Tapes. Check out the new Backcountry Season feature.

Music by: Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 22—The Cascadia Tour 2016: Bend Aug 10, 2018

In today's episode, we're going back to the early days of Writers on the Fly, with a reading in Bend, Oregon, that started off the first ever Cascadia Tour. This reading happened on November 1, 2016, and featured a handful of great writers and featured photographers as well.

Among the readers in this episode, you'll likely recognize a few familiar voices. Both Amanda Monthei and Steve Duda have been featured on The Fly Tapes previously, so if you'd like to learn more about them, check out their episodes!

New to the podcast today we've got: Copi Vojta, who happens to be the photography editor of The Flyfish Journal, but also a solid writer in his own right. He reads a piece called This Is Us, which was featured in the Journal a while back.

Following Copi you'll hear from Paul Moinester. Paul is part of the braintrust behind the #KeepEmWet campaign, which you've likely seen around social media, and is also half of the team behind the always entertaining Moldy Chum.

Finally, after the break, we hear from Brett Gaba. Brett is a writer and East Coast transplant, and the editor of Steelheader's Journal. His book about fly fishing Maryland's Chesapeake Bay is a real treat, and worth checking out.

Thanks to Sage Fly Fishing for their support of the Fly Tapes.

Music, as always, by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 21—A Southern Wish with Riverhorse Jul 24, 2018

Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate swung through the homestead in June, and we sat down to chat about what he's been up to this summer and do a reading of his piece, A Southern Wish, from Issue 8.2 of The Flyfish Journal.

This episode is sponsored by Sage. Check out the recent Trout Season feature at https://www.sageflyfish.com/experience/seasons/2018-trout-season.

Music by Riverhorse.

Episode 20—Chris Dombrowski Jul 13, 2018

In today's episode, I chat with writer Chris Dombrowski. Chris' most recent book, Body of Water, was published by Milkweed Editions in 2016, though he has been writing and publishing poetry and prose for quite some time.

His work has been featured in Orion Magazine, Terrain.Org, Outside Magazine, and Angler's Journal, to name a few. Most recently, The Drake Magazine featured a profile of David James Duncan, Chris' friend and fishing partner, in the Summer 2018 issue.

To learn more about Chris and his work--including the Beargrass Writing Retreat which takes place each summer--visit his website.

This episode is sponsored by Sage Fly Fishing. Check out the new Trout Season feature.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 19—Will Rice Jun 27, 2018

In today's episode, I chat with Will Rice, an East Coast native and Pacific Northwest transplant by way of Colorado.

Will's work has been featured in The Denver Post, The Drake Magazine, The Flyfish Journal, and Angling Trade, among other publications.

Will sums up his fly fishing and writing philosophy pretty well: "I have always had one guiding philosophy for my outdoor writing: I am not alone," says Will. "If I think something is cool or have a kick ass experience, there are a ton of other folks who will be interested in hearing about it and best case entertained - and possibly even inspired to get out and do something new. Pretty simple stuff."

This episode sponsored by Sage Fly Fishing—Check out the Trout Season Feature here!

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 18—Chris Santella Jun 11, 2018

In this episode, I chat with author Chris Santella about his early life, his ventures into writing about flyfishing, and the challenges of writing a book like Fifty Places to Flyfish Before You Die. We also chat about his most recent book publication, The Tug is the Drug, published by Stackpole Books in 2017.

During the episode, you'll hear a song from Chris's upcoming conservation inspired album recorded with his band, Catch and Release. And of course you'll get a fishing story, this one called 'The Karma of Broken Trailers,' from The Tug is the Drug.

This episode is sponsored by Sage Fly Fishing! Check out the Bass II series of rods at SageFlyFish.com.

Music by: Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 17—Selected Readings 2 May 30, 2018

First up in today's episode, author Langdon Cook reads "Silver Beach," from his first book, The Fat of the Land. Langdon is the author of three books of non-fiction, including The Mushroom Hunters and Upstream. Find out more about Langdon and his work at www.langdoncook.com.

Following Langdon, we've got a reading from author and editor Chris Santella. Chris reads his story, "Nato and the Human Anchor," which can be found in his story collection The Tug is the Drug. Learn more about Chris's work here.

Today's episode is sponsored by Sage Fly Fishing. Check out Sage's specialty rod lineups, including the Bass II, and get out there and rope some hogs!

Music: "The Zepellin" by Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive under CC BY/NC 4.0; "Blue Highway" by Podington Bear, from Free Music Archive under CC BY/NC 4.0.

Episode 16—Amanda Monthei May 14, 2018

In today's episode, I chat with writer, firefighter, ski bum, and former yearbook making wizard Amanda Monthei.

Amanda's work has been published in The Flyfish Journal, The Ski Journal, The Drake, and others. You can find out more about her work at www.amandamonthei.com.

Thanks to Sage Fly Fishing for their support of The Fly Tapes. Visit SageFlyFish.com to learn more about the Salt HD family of rods built for chasing salty fish, from bones to barracuda to GTs.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 15—Casey Underwood / Steve Duda Apr 30, 2018

In this episode, I sat down to chat with artist Casey Underwood about growing in California and his development as an artist in the fly fishing world.

Casey's work can be seen on the web at CaseyUnderwood.com, and, more recently, on a series of T-shirts designed for Filson.

Also included in today's show is a reading from Steve Duda of his piece "Impossibly Violent and Savagely Fast," which was a contribution to The Flyfish Journal's recent Bahamacon 2018 web exclusive, along with work by Copi Vojta, A.J. Gottschalk, Cameron Scott, and Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes and Stitcher.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 14—Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate Apr 16, 2018

In this episode, I chat with Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate about his early years in Texas, chasing waves and dreams around the world, and how he approaches writing about flyfishing, among other things.

Riverhorse's work has appeared in The Flyfish Journal, American Angler, Surfing Magazine, The Fretboard Journal, and most recently as part of Sage Fly Fishing's "Saltwater Season."

During the episode, you'll hear Riverhorse read "Spring Creek Master" and "Cloudburst," originally published in The Flyfish journal, and "Fine Tuned," originally published in Surfing Magazine.

This episode is brought to you by Sage Fly Fishing.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 13—Jay Johnson Apr 02, 2018

Jay Johnson has chased exotic species of fish all around the world, but if you ask him what really gets him stoked, he'll probably start telling you about the trash clean-up/fly fishing clinics he helps organize as part of Pig Farm Ink.

As a part of Motiv Fishing, Jay helped to bridge the gap between the worlds of competitive bass fishing and fly fishing, and brought adventure fly fishing to a wider audience with Fish or Die, which aired on Animal Planet.

When he's not touring around chasing black bass in New Guinea or touring with the Pig Farm crew, you'll find him back home in Loveland, Colorado, working on an organic farm and hatching new plans for how to revolutionize the world fly fishing newbies everywhere.

Visit www.syzygyflyfishing.com for more info.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 12—Kirk Deeter Mar 22, 2018

From AnglingTrade.com:

"Kirk Deeter is the editor of Angling Trade. He is also an editor-at-large for Field & Stream magazine, and the editor-in-chief of TROUT magazine, the national publication of Trout Unlimited. He has written and fished throughout the world, and his work also has appeared in other media including WIRED, Garden & Gun, USA Today, London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, and the full range of fly-fishing magazines and websites. He is also the co-author of The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing."

In this episode, I chat with Kirk about his beginnings in fly fishing and outdoor writing, the importance of finding and chasing the things you're passionate about, and where he hopes to go next.

We also get three readings from Kirk: "In Search of the River Gods" from Field & Stream; a selection from Kirk's and Andrew Steketee's book CastWork; and "The Fight of Your Life," from Garden & Gun Magazine.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in Apple Podcasts & Stitcher.

Music from Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 11—Geoff Mueller Mar 04, 2018

"Geoff Mueller cut his editorial teeth working the Interior B.C. newspaper circuit. He came to The Drake in April 2010 to head senior editor duties as the magazine transitions into a quarterly publication cycle. He is the former managing editor at Fly Fisherman Magazine and is a frequent contributor at Angling Trade and B.C.-based Kootenay Mountain Culture magazines." (From The Drake Magazine)

In this episode, I chat with Geoff about his work as an editor and writer, and we hear two readings from him: Blood Sport, originally published in Angling Trade; and Bag It, originally published in The Drake.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

Music by Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 10—Amy McMahon / Amanda Monthei Feb 19, 2018

Amy McMahon likes bugs. I mean, she really likes them. When I visited her in Fort Collins, Colorado, I was amazed by her collection of beautifully preserved and displayed butterflies, dragonflies, and even some huge, crazy insect from New Guinea (I think) that someone brought her in a water bottle.

The great thing about that obsession of Amy's is that she has also translated it into the creation of some of the more striking fly fishing related art you'll see around these days. Her illustrations of aquatic insects, which can be seen at www.amymcmahonillustrations.com, detail the many beautiful and fascinating qualities of the things trout and other fish like to eat.

Before my conversation with Amy, you'll hear a short reading from Amanda Monthei. Amanda is a writer, skier, fly fisher, and wilderness fire fighter who spends her time chasing her passions all around the Pacific Northwest.

Today's music comes from the inimitable Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate.

Episode 09—WOTF at Patagonia Ballard Feb 04, 2018

In this episode, we take you inside the backbone of The Fly Tapes—Writers on the Fly. This episode features a recent reading in Seattle at the new Patagonia Work Wear store in Ballard.

Part one features readings from Dylan Tomine, author of Closer to the Ground, and Jason Rolfe, founder and host of Writers on the Fly and The Fly Tapes. We'll also hear from Casey Underwood, who was the featured artist for the evening.

In the second half, we've got Jeff Galbraith and Steve Duda. Jeff is the publisher of The Flyfisher Journal, and Steve is editor of the same.

Music: "Anniversary Song" by Blanket Music, from Free Music Archive under CC by NC.

Episode 08—Steve Duda Jan 22, 2018

In addition to being one of the finest writers in fly fishing these days, Steve Duda has devoted the majority of his adult life to the art of editing, helping writers in various genres and disciplines create the very best work that they can. For the past 6 years or so, he's harnessed that drive to curate great writing to make The Flyfish Journal one of the best places in the world to find that writing.

In this episode, we hear Steve read two pieces from the 2016 Cascadia Tour: "A Frazzled Constellation" and "Make the Sky Better." During our (admittedly) long conversation, we chat about his early days as a music writer, his transition into editing, and the things that make him excited when he sits down to read submissions for TFFJ.

Music for this episode comes from South Sound Tug and Barge, of which Steve is the lead banjo wizard. Check out their new album, Pt. Defiance, which includes artwork by Jonathan Marquardt and photography from Earl Harper.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes & Stitcher.

Episode 07—Ann Bodle-Nash Jan 08, 2018

Ann Bodle-Nash lives on a tiny island in northwest Washington State, where for the past couple of years she has been working on earning an MFA in Creative Writing through Pacific Lutheran University's Low-Residency MFA program.

Life has thrown Ann and her family a couple of curve balls over the past year or so, but through it all she fallen back on fishing and writing as a way to get through it all.

Her work has been published at SharkReef.org, indieitpress.com, and The Dun Magazine.

Don't forget to join us on January 25th, at Patagonia Ballard, for a special edition of Writers on the Fly, featuring Dylan Tomine, Steve Duda, and Jeff Galbraith.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play Music.

Music: Molly Molly by Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Episode 06—Selected Readings #1 Dec 24, 2017

This week's episode starts off with Will Rice reading a piece about close calls with jet boats while searching for steelhead. It's called "Near Death by the Numbers." Will read this piece in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the 2016 Writers on the Fly Cascadia Tour. Will's work has been published in The Drake, The Flyfish Journal, Saltwater Fly Fishing, and Angling Trade.

Following Will, we've got poet Cameron K. Scott. Cameron has published two poetry collections—The Book of Ocho and The Book of Cold Mountain. Cameron's reading in Portland last year during the 2016 Cascadia Tour is included in its entirety. His work has been published in too many places to name, but you can learn more about him at this website: WriterFish.com

Last, but certainly not least, we've got Alex Collier. An Appalachia native, Alex now lives in Seattle with his wife and their son, Haven, and he works as a fishing guide in the Puget Sound area. This piece, "Just Enough, But Not Too Much," was recently published in The Flyfish Journal. This reading is from the 2017 Cascadia Tour in Seattle.

You can subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes and Stitcher.

Music: Blue Highway by Podington Bear, from Free Music Archive, under CC By 3.0; The Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessions, from Free Music Archive, under CC BY-NC 4.0; O Tannenbaum by Dan Lerch, from Free Music Archive, under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Episode 05—Greg Fitz Dec 11, 2017

Gregory Fitz is a lifelong midwesterner recently transplanted to the PNW. He doesn’t work in tech and he isn’t a Seahawks fan yet. Minnesotans wear flannel, too, so he might be grunge.

After years of chasing migratory great lakes fish with two-handed rods, he is now in the process of getting a beatdown on the hallowed natal steelhead and salmon rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean. It is an exercise in humility.

His fishing writing has appeared in The Fly Fish Journal, The Drake, This is Fly, Swing the Fly and the Mend Provision blog. His art can be seen at www.gregoryfitz.net.

You can subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes and Stitcher.

Music: Singing in the Rain (Instrumental) by D avid Mumford, from Free Music Archive, under C C BY 4.0.

Episode 04—Jeff Galbraith Nov 27, 2017

In 2001, Jeff Galbraith and his wife Jessie Lu moved from Idaho to Seattle and started frequency: The Snowboarder's Journal. Over the next eight years, that first title would be followed by The Ski Journal in 2006, and in 2009, The Flyfish Journal.

Since its inception, The Flyfish Journal has carved out a unique place in the world of arts and letters in fly fishing. Galbraith's dedication to finding the best possible content--and to presenting that content in archival quality issues that will be at home on your bookshelf for years to come--has given the lie to the commonly heard maxim that "print is dead."

This episode is made possible with support from Patagonia.

You can subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes and Stitcher.

Music: Twinkle Twinkle (Instrumental) by D avid Mumford, from Free Music Archive, under C C BY 4.0.

Episode 03—Langdon Cook Nov 13, 2017

Episode 03 of the Fly Tapes features author Langdon Cook. From Langdon's website:

Langdon Cook is a writer, instructor, and lecturer on wild foods and the outdoors. His books include Upstream: Searching for Wild Salmon, from River to Table (Ballantine, May 2017), The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America, winner of the 2014 Pacific Northwest Book Award, and Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager, which The Seattle Times called “lyrical, practical and quixotic.”

Prior to the interview I had with Langdon, you'll hear him read his story, Stones in the River, recorded live during the 2016 Cascadia Tour in Seattle.

The Fly Tapes is made possible thanks to generous support from Patagonia.

You can subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes and Stitcher.

Music: That Hill It Has Already Gone Away by adcBicycle, from Free Music Archive, under CC BY/SA.

Episode 02—Dylan Tomine, Part 2 Oct 29, 2017

Welcome to part 2 of my conversation with Dylan Tomine. In this episode, you'll hear Dylan read two pieces from the Portland stop during the 2016 Cascadia Tour: Luck and Salmon Dreams. You'll also hear us talk a bit about the writing life, how he came upon the idea for his book, Closer to the Ground, and a somewhat roundabout meeting with Thomas McGuane.

The Fly Tapes is made possible thanks to generous support from Patagonia.

You can subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes.

Music: As I Was Saying and How I Used to See the Stars by Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive under CC BY 4.0

Episode 01—Dylan Tomine, Part One Oct 15, 2017

Dylan Tomine is "a writer, conservation advocate, blueberry farmer, and father, not necessarily in that order." His work has been published in The Flyfish Journal, The Drake, and other fly fishing publications. In 2012, Patagonia Books published Dylan's first book, Closer to the Ground: An outdoor family's year on the water, in the woods and at the table. In his forward to the book, Thomas McGuane wrote, "This author is leading by example, and the quiet message is to learn to live with the things that really matter, the eternal things about the earth, and about each other."

The Fly Tapes Podcast is made possible with generous support from Patagonia.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes.

Music: Let's Start at the Beginning by Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive under CC BY 4.0

Episode 00--Welcome to The Fly Tapes Podcast Oct 04, 2017

Follow The Fly Tapes Podcast on iTunes and here at Syzygy Fly Fishing for enriching conversations with fly fishing writers and artists, and readings from some of the best new and old voices in the world of fly fishing writing. Reading excerpts from Dylan Tomine, Langdon Cook, Cameron K Scott, and Steve Duda.

Episode 01 with Dylan Tomine is coming soon.

The Fly Tapes Podcast is made possible with generous support from Patagonia.

Subscribe to The Fly Tapes in iTunes.

Music: Let's Start at the Beginning by Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive under CC BY 4.0