Series 01

Cohosts Jim McLennan and Derek Bird team up with Paul Samycia in search of Kootenay River bull trout. They face serious challenges as the early spring weather is anything but cooperative, but they eventually discover exactly what they originally desired to find: large bull trout hungry for deeply swung streamers.

With over 7 billion people on the planet, it’s difficult to find places where the water runs cold and clear and where the human footprint is nearly non-existent. Jim, Derek, and Paula (Fly Fusion’s social media editor) helicopter into one of these places, and what they find far exceeds their expectations. In fact, the fly fishing is so good they can’t help but keep it a secret.

Fly fishing is definitely not the easiest way to fool a trout, so why do people choose to chase trout this way? Jim McLennan and Derek Bird join Field Editor’s Jeff Wagner and Al Ritt as they float down one of British Columbia’s most renown and scenic rivers and dry-fly fish for westslope cutthroat, all the while grappling with why it is they’ve dedicated their lives to this unique pastime.

Deep in the Rocky Mountains, the Upper Elk River twists and turns and meanders before it eventually connects with a larger drainage. In its headwaters the trout are numerous and eagerly take well-presented dry flies. In this nostalgic episode, the cohosts float the small stream and are reminded few pastimes exist that rival the draw of fly fishing.

A long drive down backcountry logging roads places Jim, Derek and Paula (Fly Fusion’s social media editor) into a basin where no other soul exists. They travel the proverbial extra mile and find large trout that have not seen artificial flies in years. The eager trout make for stunning cinematography and an unforgettable day on the water.

In this episode the hosts cast both traditional patterns and oversized foam flies for westslope cutthroat on the St. Mary’s River, a picturesque freestone stream originating from the Columbia Mountain Range in southeastern British Columbia. During their float trip through large canyons and unique clay structures, they discuss some of the different stereotypes associated with fly anglers.