In this week’s podcast I have the pleasure of chatting with John Gierach, probably the most popular fly-fishing writer in the world (based on the fact that all 18 of his books are still in print!)  It’s likely that most fly fishers have read John’s work, but it’s a pleasure to hear his voice and some of his thoughts on today’s fly-fishing world.  In The Fly Box, we have some thought-provoking questions this week:  whether it makes sense to use a loop knot on a dry fly, whether a three-turn blood knot is enough, how to keep a bass leader from twisting, another cool trick with a rubber band, how to keep your emergers floating properly in the surface film, how to catch freshwater drum, and what kinds of fly lines you need for fishing a Canadian lake in midsummer.

This week’s podcast is a tour of the wonders of the Midwest’s Driftless Region, where small trout streams abound, trout are plentiful, and public access abounds. What could be better? Guide Mat Wagner tells all in this podcast that helped me vicariously enjoy his region (it’s at the top of my wish list). In the Fly Box, we had some particularly interested questions this week: Using night vision goggles for trout fishing, how to keep a record of streamside insects you find, disappearing brook trout, fighting big fish, catching sea trout on a fly, and the effectiveness of fishing bait using a fly rod.

In the fly box this week we have questions on making your own braided leaders, boorish behavior on trout streams, the effect of melting snow on fishing, how to test a new fly, the ethics of using a guide to find a spot and then fishing it on your own (don’t do it), and a mystery caller at the end.

This week I also share an interview with Jeff Skelding, executive director of the Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR). This is a very effective regional conservation organization that after years of difficult relations with local public officials, state and regional water authorities, and highway departments, has gradually formed very effective partnerships with them. We can all learn from their advice and experience when it appears that conservation and property seem to be at odds. It does not have to be a zero-sum game.