The Backcountry Fly Fishing Podcast
Tired of overcrowded water? In love with catching wild fish in wild places? Addicted to exploration? Awed by the rugged beauty of nature? Then this is the podcast for you.
We aim to build a library that covers everything related to fly fishing in the backcountry--tactics, flies, gear, survival skills, hiking, weather, outdoor hazards, navigation, camping, ecology, and much more.
Whether you're a hardcore backcountry fly fisher or a newbie interested in getting out there, we've got something for you. Come join us in the pursuit of trout and solitude.
Episodes
80 episodes
Incremental Exploration: The Adventure of Going Back
There's a difference between visiting a wild place and actually knowing it.In this episode, Ross explores one of his favorite approaches to backcountry fly fishing: incremental exploration. Rather than constantly chasing new destinations...
Let's Fight About Nymphs
Fly fishing has a nymphing problem.In this episode, Ross takes on one of the most persistent pieces of conventional wisdom in fly fishing: because trout eat most of their food underwater, anglers should spend most of their time nymphing....
No More Summers
Eventually, there are no more summers.In this episode, Ross reflects on impermanence, mortality, and the uncomfortable reality that none of us knows how many seasons we have left to fish, explore, hike mountains, or spend time in the wil...
One More Alpine Trip: Late-Season Fishing Above Treeline
The high alpine season is short. And sometimes we're just not ready for it to end.In this episode, Ross breaks down the unique challenges of chasing trout above treeline as summer gives way to fall. From rapidly changing weather and the ...
Don't Be Stupid: Wisdom and Judgment in the Backcountry
You can carry all the right gear and still make a catastrophically bad decision.In this episode, Ross tells the story of encountering a father and his two adult sons lost deep in a Colorado wilderness area, miles from where they thought ...
Getting Lost Inside - Finding Your Way Back to the Water
Sometimes life just decides you don't get to go fishing.Season 7 begins with a conversation about what happens when work, family, moving, injuries, emergencies, and everything else life throws at us keep us away from the places we need m...
Closing Out Season 6 and Looking Ahead
Season 6 Finale: More Than Fly FishingAs Season 6 comes to a close, Ross reflects on the incredible growth of the Backcountry Fly Fishing Podcast and the community that has formed around it. From hopper fishing and backpacking to wildern...
Finding New Water: A Conversation with TroutRoutes
Finding fishable water has never been the hard part. Finding the right water—and knowing how to access it—is where things get complicated.In this episode, Ross sits down with Erik Johnsen of TroutRoutes to talk abo...
Built for the Backcountry - A Conversation with Eric Bender of Kifaru
What makes outdoor gear actually good? And what happens when the people designing it are the same people out there beating it up in wild places?In this episode, Ross sits down with Eric Bender, lead equipment designer at ...
Field Notes - Building Relationships with Wild Places
Recorded from a tent somewhere in the Colorado backcountry, this first installment of Field Notes is an experiment in bringing the podcast out of the studio and into the places that inspire it. After a day spent exploring a rugged moun...
What I Carry: Backpacking Essentials for Backcountry Fly Fishing
Backpacking opens the door to some of the most rewarding experiences in fly fishing, but it also requires a different level of preparation, self-reliance, and planning than a simple day trip.In this episode, Ross breaks down the backpack...
Complaint Corner - Big Fish Bros
This season’s installment of Complaint Corner takes aim at one of the most persistent—and annoying—mentalities in fly fishing: the obsession with big fish at the expense of everything else.Ross dives into the culture of the “Big Fis...
Beauty, Confrontation, and Judgment: The Honesty of Consequence in the Backcountry
After a close encounter with a rattlesnake in a remote canyon, Ross reflects on something bigger than fishing: why we’re really drawn to wild places in the first place.This episode explores the difference between beauty and consequence—b...
When Does a Trip Become an Overnighter?
At some point, every serious backcountry angler runs into the same question: when does a fishing trip stop being a day trip and become an overnighter?In this episode, Ross breaks down the thought process behind deciding when it’s time to...
Get to the Hoppa - The Art of Fishing Terrestrials
Summer means one thing: it’s time to throw big bugs.In this episode, Ross dives deep into the world of terrestrial fly fishing—grasshoppers, beetles, ants, and the explosive eats that make them one of the most addictive ways to catch tro...
I Hate Waders (and So Should You) - Wet Wading the Backcountry
What if the most “normal” way of fishing isn’t actually the best way?In this episode, Ross makes the case for ditching waders and embracing wet wading as the default approach for backcountry fly fishing. From the simple definition—gettin...
Systems and Efficiencies - The Power of Routine
The best days on the water don’t start at the river—they start at home.In this episode, Ross breaks down the power of building systems and routines that make your fishing simpler, more efficient, and far less prone to failure. From prese...
Frontier Water: The Wild Still Close to Home
Season 6 of the BCFF Podcast begins with a reminder: you don’t have to go far to find something wild.In this episode, Ross explores the idea of frontier water—those overlooked stretches of river and hidden pockets of backcountry t...
Season 5 Finale: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Season 5 of The Backcountry Fly Fishing Podcast comes to a close with a look at how far the show has come—and where it’s headed next.In this final episode of the season, Ross reflects on the growth of the podcast, the wide range o...
Rebuilding After the Storm: A Conversation with The Beacon Network in North Carolina
When disaster hits, the damage doesn’t stop at roads and homes—it tears through rivers, streams, and the communities that depend on them.In this episode, Ross sits down with Jared Dubin and Miguel Huerta of
At the Edge of the Steppe: A Conversation with Peter Fong at Mongolia River Outfitters
Some places change you—not because they’re comfortable or accessible, but because they demand something from you. Deep in Mongolia’s backcountry, far from roads, towns, and certainty, those places still exist.In this episode, Ross sits d...
Protecting the West's Last Best Rivers with Western Rivers Conservancy
In this episode, Ross sits down with Allen Law of Western Rivers Conservancy to talk about one of the most effective—and often overlooked—approaches to protecting wild rivers in the American West.Western Rivers Conservancy works to perma...
Complaint Corner - Guide, Not God
Not every guide deserves the title.In this season’s installment of Complaint Corner, Ross takes aim at a growing problem in fly fishing: guides who don’t really know the craft, don’t respect the resource, and treat the river lik...
It's Knot that Complicated: The Only Knots You Need
Fly fishing doesn’t need a dozen different knots to be effective. In fact, most anglers can do everything they need on the water with just a small handful—if they actually know how and when to use them.In this episode, Ross breaks down t...
The Tough Days: Understanding and Salvaging Hard Days on the Water
Every angler knows the feeling—those days when the river goes quiet, the fish disappear, and nothing you do seems to change it. Slow days on the water can mess with your head if you let them, but they don’t have to break you.In this epis...