Mark Holcomb

Ted's story begins in Trail — steel town grit, river valley air, small-town backbone.Raised in the Kootenays, Ted carried that work ethic west to Vancouver, graduating from UBC, and deciding school wasn't for him, he worked as a doorman and later as an arborist. Hard jobs. Outside jobs. Jobs that keep a man moving.He found the love of his life in his late 30s. That’s important. Some men rush it. Ted didn’t. When he found her, he went all in.And then came the dogs.Not casual pet ownership. Obsession. Bird dogs. Trialing dogs. Training days that turned into full seasons. Upland fields, early frost, heart pounding at the flush. Life was busy. Full. Loud in the best way.Somewhere in there, fly fishing grabbed him. And when it did, it didn’t let go.Ted started spending every spare minute around the lakes near Kamloops — stillwater country. Long casts. Chironomids. Watching the wind ripple across glassy mornings.The best advice he ever received?“If you can’t cast further, move your boat.”Simple. Tactical. But also philosophical.When the distance won’t close — adjust your position.The Move That Changed EverythingAfter retirement, Ted and his wife moved to Alberta to be closer to their daughter. A hopeful move. A family move.Shortly after arriving, his wife was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.Life stopped.For four years, Ted drove her to chemo. Sat in hospital rooms. Lived in waiting areas. The river disappeared. The dogs went quiet. The boat stayed parked.Everything paused.After she passed, the house felt different. The days stretched longer.And then something shifted.Ted found a group of men. Found community again. And he found the river.Standing in current on the Bow River, something came back online. Not instantly. Not dramatically. But steadily.The Bow gave him rhythm again. Walking local streams gave him breath again.Fly fishing didn’t erase grief. It gave it somewhere to go.What Ted Believes NowAt 74, Ted doesn’t sugarcoat it.Life is not guaranteed.His advice is direct:“Don’t wait. If you can retire — retire. Go live your life.”Not reckless. Not impulsive.Intentional.Move the boat.If something isn’t working — change position. Change perspective. Change seasons. But don’t sit still waiting for perfect conditions.Because perfect conditions don’t exist.This episode isn’t about tragedy.It’s about a man who loved deeply. Worked hard. Lost greatly. And walked back into the river anyway.And that’s the kind of story that matters. 

Tim Hepworth is a fly fishing guide, fly tier, dad, and former Primary Care Paramedic who brings heart, skill, and real-world grit to everything he does. Born and raised in central Alberta, Tim grew up in a family where the outdoors wasn’t a weekend hobby—it was life. As the youngest of nine kids, he learned resilience, adaptability, and how to find joy in chaos long before he ever tied a fly or rowed a boat. FLY FISHING BOW RIVER OUTFITTERSAfter working in CrossFit coaching and then making the leap into EMS, Tim found himself drawn deeply to the rhythms of nature—the quiet flow of rivers, the meditative cast, and the unexpected lessons that happen when you’re rooted in a riverbed rather than an emergency scene. The birth of his daughter, Wren, marked a turning point: instead of shelving his outdoor life, he expanded it, bringing her along on the water and weaving parenthood into his connection to the sport. FLY FISHING BOW RIVER OUTFITTERS+1Today, Tim is widely known for more than his guiding expertise on the Bow River. He’s a co-host of Thursday Night Live Fly Tying, where his creativity at the vise and genuine personality have made him a respected voice in the fly tying community. Whether he’s sharing a tying technique, rowing a drift boat, or helping someone experience their first trout, Tim’s approach is always infused with warmth, humor, and a deep respect for the outdoors. FLY FISHING BOW RIVER OUTFITTERSOutside of guiding and tying, his favorite fishing partner is his daughter, Wren—proof that fly fishing isn’t just a career or hobby for Tim, but a lifelong way of being, teaching, and connecting. FLY FISHING BOW RIVER OUTFITTERS“If you’re on the water, there’s no such thing as a bad day.” — Tim Hepworth FLY FISHING BOW RIVER OUTFITTERS

Thank you for listening! If you would like to reach out to Mike Ritsco you can do so on Instagram : @mikeritsco If you would like to be on the podcast you can reach out to myself through instagram : @firstcastlastpass or through email [email protected]  

Join me as I sit down with local Calgary fly fishing guide Geoff Green, as we explore his life before during and on the other end of his career as a paramedic. "You're not quitting, you're not giving up on you, you're not losing a massive battle, you're taking care of you" . Geoff is very open about issues that he faced, and what he did to help over come his PTSD. He also shares some very personal stories about losing people closest to him in this raw episode of fly fishing saves lives.

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On this episode I sit down with Chas Waitt. A father, a husband and an avid fly fisher. Chas was ecstatic the day his son Nolan was born, and heard the words "It's a boy". Six months later, he and his wife were faced were news no parent is ever prepared to hear, With life changing news about their son, being diagnosed with Infantile Spasms ( having upwards of 600 seizures a day) they quickly learned that quality of time was everything, and they were drawn back to the river, to see if Fly Fishing could save their lives!

In this episode, I sit down with a good friend and Local Guide Quinn Styles with Trout Farmer. He opens up about his life as a fly fishing guide, and long time Calgary firefighter, and how he balances the two. More importantly, he shares with us a scary time In his life where he had to say "I need help" and the steps he took to get the help he needed for his mental health. We also discuss a little more in-depth the guiding industry, and WHY he loves guiding so much after almost 30 years in the industry!

In this episode, I chat with a good virtual friend! Mark is a front line worker in the midwest who shares with us one of his greatest losses in life, a dark space that had him looking to the exit, and with some divine intervention how Fly Fishing Saved his life!

We chat with Brain McGrattan, former NHL tough guy/enforcer, as he vulnerable shares with us the demons that almost cost him his life with drugs and alcohol right to the moment he declared " I need help". Through his journey, he shares how Fly Fishing Saved his life, and how it continues to give him what he needs to carry on with 12 years of sobriety!

In this episode I sit down with friend Cam Woolnough and discuss what brought him into fly fishing, and how it helped him "quiet the monkeys" in his head! Cam grew up in Alberta, and started his fishing journey chucking gear until he moved to Calgary and picked up a fly rod! Lots of obstacles in Cam's life especially after losing his mom to cancer in 2016 and fly fishing helped him over come all of it, to get him to where he is today!