In this episode from the original Barbless Podcast John interviews Dr. Jack Stanford, one of the world's preeminent river geomorphologists and fishery biologists. Jack has studied rivers and fish across the North Pacific Rim from Kamchatka (Russia) to Montana. Our wide-ranging conversation includes Jack’s origins as an angler and scientist, his major research findings, and why he believes good habitat and wild salmon are the key to sustainable fisheries. The episode includes amazing stories, such as thousands of stoneflies pouring through water faucets in a Montana town. That’s right, stoneflies. Tune in for this, and more, if you want to learn more about rivers and fish.

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A Black Friday special. In this episode I back to the clock to one of my favorite guests from the original Barbless Podcast back in 2020. I interview Bill Herzog – the Metal God, and one of the best steelheaders the planet has ever known. We talk his roots as an angler, why he loves spoon fishing, some of his best steelhead stories, and ultimately, why he has increasingly turned to swinging a fly. All that and more, so tune in if you want a history lesson on steelheading and a better understanding of Bill's history and why he now loves swinging flies.

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In this episode John and Nick discuss and untangle five adages common to winter steelheaders. Such as: A short rod and Skagit line is all you need. You don't need to cast far, or wade deep, and your fly should be ticking bottom to have success. Last, don't set the hook, you'll just yank it from the fish's mouth, and always use a bright fly on a bright day, and a dark fly on a dark day. They take a deep dive and breakdown their experience with these beliefs and discuss which of them, if any, hold truth, and how their approach differs. Tune in for all of this, and more, if you are interested in improving your knowledge about fishing for winter steelhead with two-handed rods.

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