Frustrated that The Drake Magazine only comes out four times a year? Well now The Drake’s new weekly flyfishing podcast, The DrakeCast. Just like the magazine, we’re bringing you stories–some fun, some serious. Except this time, you don’t have to read. All you have to do is press play.
There are a lot of great flyfishing podcasts out there that interview legends within the industry or tell you how to catch more fish. Each episode of this podcast contains interviews and tips, but neither are the main focus. Our goal is to put listeners on the water and make them laugh. If they learn a thing or two, all the better. In the first few episodes, we chase trout on a nearly frozen stream in Northern Wisconsin, check in on Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a fire tried to burn it to the ground, and swing flies for Great Lakes steelhead on Michigan’s Pere Marquette River.
Each episode relates back to flyfishing, but sometimes the connection can be subtle. For example, how did the reconstruction of a dam in Kentucky affect the non-native trout below? How are the changes in the ecology of Lake Michigan affecting lake-run fish and the anglers that target them?
Our hope is that you listen to our show as you drive to your favorite fishing hole. If you’re not able to make it out of the office that weekend, plug us in while your boss isn’t looking.
When you press play, we hope to tingle that ever-so-sensitive spot inside your ear drum.
You can subscribe to The DrakeCast via these links: iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud. Make sure to check back each week to see behind-the-scenes photos taken during the recording of each episode.
A few months ago a family friend gave me a taxidermied brown trout that had been mounted in the 80s. When I went to the friend’s house to get the story behind the fish I somehow left with the rod and reel that had caught it, plus a whole lot more. This episode is the story of that fish, the rod, and the anglers that came before us.
It’s been a while, but The Drakecast is back by popular demand, at least for a little bit. We’ve got six episodes slated for release between now and the end of 2021.The first of these episodes (which also happens to be the second of the Steelhead Miniseries) is a story of the fine line between exploration and exploitation.
In this episode of the DrakeCast we meet two characters with similar pasts who have ended up in very different places. They both love steelhead, but in very different ways. We’ll also hear from Trout Unlimited Steelhead Biologist John McMillan as we attempt to understand how we can prevent loving these fish to death.
Just a week ago, Hurricane Dorian carved a scar into the soul of the Bahamas. In this episode we profile a lifelong Bahamian guide, talk to a lodge owner about the current state of the island, and learn how you can help those affected by the storm from the seat of your fly-tying station or…
“This summer I had a single task: spread my mother’s ashes somewhere in Alaska. In May I set out, two black Labs in tow, with the idea of finding the ideal resting spot. I drove the 3,000 miles of the Al-Can Highway, my mom’s ashes bumping along somewhere among the camping gear, bags of dog…
This episode of the DrakeCast takes a deep dive into the seedy underworld of a fishy religion in the Ozarks. Think Deliverance but with john boats instead of canoes. And at the center of this aquatic orthodox are two deities: the almighty streamer and the holy brown trout. But these aren’t your typical streamers or browns.…
After a brief hiatus, The DrakeCast is back. This episode aims to answer one question: How did a band of fishing and surfing bums living in Virginia create an iconic Texan brand? To help tell this story we’ll be assisted by musican and Howler Brothers cofounder, Andy Stepanian. Along the way, we’ll also get to…
This episode of the DrakeCast tracks the effects of several natural disasters that have struck the Eastern United States in the past few years. After starting with the Sevier Country Fire that ripped through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we move further south to North Carolina where we’ll hear how folks are faring after Hurricane…
Every year, millions of Alaskan fish make their way back from the ocean to their natal streams. Hot on their tails are tens of thousands of anglers looking to capture that perfect obituary photo with the catch of a lifetime. This is the story of a couple guides who had the pleasure of taking those…
For those of you who tuned in to Episode #45, you’ll know that we travelled down to East End Lodge in Grand Bahama to chase after the ghost of the flats with Captain Cecil Leathan and Bjorn Stromsness. This episode continues that journey but stops along the way to take a look at the darker…
In today’s audio story, we scan the flats of Grand Bahama in search of a single species: Bonefish. Sit back and enjoy the sounds of veteran East End Lodge guide Cecil Leathan poling Bjorn Stromsness (of the Bonefish on the Brain blog) and listen as they tell the tales of their first bonefishes and find many more.
In this episode of the DrakeCast we float down Wisconsin’s Chippewa River in search of Midwestern, river-dwelling smallmouth bass. But what do you do if the fish just aren’t biting like they normally do? While searching for answers, we hit the water with Lucky Porter, a guide who makes a living on these fish, learn…
Often referred to as the Rodney Dangerfield of fish, shad don’t get no respect. In this episode of the DrakeCast, we head to the Potomac River in Washington DC to catch America’s forgotten fish. While we’re at it, we’ll learn about the historic importance of the shad run, the troubles these fish have faced since the…
This episode of The DrakeCast is a two-fer, and both segments focus on the backyard bass of Southern California. We start in Long Beach Harbor with Captain Vaughn Podmore where we search for sea creatures in the shadow of lighthouses, cranes, and military helicoptors. For the second half of the episode, we head south to…
In 1998, we discovered Montana. Turns out, it had been there all along. Montana is where it all began, and also where it all nearly ended. It was summer, a high-water year, a year of thunderstorms and heat, a serious bluewing hatch, the year the river almost took us both. –Dave Zoby, taken from his…
“I knew I wanted to write ever since I was a little kid. I studied journalism in college and I’ve come at the magazine from the writer’s perspective. I’ve always felt that if you make the writing and photography strong enough the rest of it will kind of take care of itself. And that’s been…
In this episode of The DrakeCast we traverse the mountains of North Georgia in search of the southern-most population of wild, native brook trout in the world. But while we’re at it, we’ll also take a trip to another fishery just down the road that claims a host world class trout. However, there is a…
Before Chuck Ragan appeared in the 2018 F3T Film “Landsick,” he was a musician, a fishing guide, and a father. But before Ragan acheived any of these titles, he was a son. This episode of The DrakeCast is a celebration of fatherhood and the outdoors. Tune in as we follow Chuck Ragan’s rebellion against his father…
Though native to the coastal rivers of the Atlantic seaboard, you can now find Striped Bass in just about every state below the Mason-Dixon line. We chose to chase these creatures on Lake Hartwell which forms the border between Georgia and South Carolina. While we’re on the water we learned about the history of the area…
Mosquito Lagoon sits on Florida’s East Coast and is known as the redfish capitol of the world. We made a visit to these hallowed waters to see what all the hubbub is about. While poling around in search of tails, we found a much more interesting, disturbing tale of neglect, destruction, and a fishery on…
In early May, we headed south to the Florida Keys to grab Clyde and deliver him north. But while we were down there, we figured we better get into some tarpon. But we weren’t just there to jump of even catch a tarpon. It’s what we were going to do after landing the fish that really…
These episodes of the DrakeCast conclude the Road Trip Miniseries, which follows the Fly Fishing Film Tour road crew as they make their way from coast to coast to coast. In episode #34 we’ll hear about the steelhead of Oregon and their Michigander cousins. Episode #35 tracks the team from Michigan to Georgia to California…
Every January, three fishing bums make a pilgrimage to Boulder, Colorado. While in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the young wards practice the ancient art of moving coolers, throwing swag into raucous crowds, and pressing play on a Blu Ray player. Upon the completion of their training, the crew heads out on the open…
Way back in June of 2017 we released the first episode of The DrakeCast, which featured the musician Sean Carey. He told us about his living room tours across the country that were more or less an excuse for him to fish with his best friends. We take the first half of this episode to…
While the Spring 2018 issue of The Drake Magazine is on its way to fly shops and mailboxes across the country, we figured we’d give you eager readers a taste of what to expect. In this episode of The DrakeCast, we chat with editor Tom Bie about the stories covered in the most recent issue,…
Roughly six years ago, Hank Patterson was born. He exited the womb as a physically grown, mentally stymied flyfishing expert and guide. But before there was Hank, there was a Shakespearean actor turned video producer named Travis Swartz. This is their story.
Montana’s Bighorn River is known throughout the world as a premier, blue-ribbon trout stream. The fishery below Yellowtail Dam holds some of the most robust tour-per-mile numbers in the nation. But in the last decade, the river has changed. There’s more water, the fish are skinnier, and some say it’s just not the way it…
