Lucas Bissett – The American Fly Fishing Trade Association

On this episode of the Fly Fishing Journeys podcast, it was a pleasure to sit down with Lucas Bisset, the Executive Director of AFFTA, the America Fly Fishing Trade Association.

On this episode of the Fly Fishing Journeys podcast, it was a pleasure to sit down with Lucas Bisset, the Executive Director of AFFTA, the America Fly Fishing Trade Association.

If I’m not fly fishing or making fly fishing videos or content myself, one of the most enjoyable things for me to do is watching beautiful fly fishing movies from amazing producers.  That’s the core behind the Fly Fishing Film Tour, also known as F3T.  It was a real privilege for me to sit down with Charles Werb of Adventure Entertainment.  Among other things, Charles and his team are now running the Fly Fishing Film Tour. On a massive, world-wide showing tour, F3T delivers some of the best fly fishing films in the world. Charles was born in Australia and now resides in Dubai. From sailing yachts to exploring the poles, Charles is big time adventures and has a huge passion for these fly fishing films.

Lou DiGena is an accomplished fly tier from New Jersey.  He’s an extraordinary guy. We dive deep into fly tying, photography, digital media, and fine art. As I learned on this podcast, he is a professor of fine art and digital media at St John University.    I don’t think either of us thought we were going down the art rabbit hole but that is the fun part of podcasts, learning about your guests as a person and their expertise. It clears Lou is an artist, both behind the vise, behind the lens and in various other art mediums.

Eric Naguski is an author and guide from Boiling Springs, PA.  Central Pennsylvania fly fishing is something of fly fishing folk lore.  From the chalk streams to the spring creeks, many say this area has some of the most historic and best trout fishing in the country.  Rivers like the Letort, Spring Creek, Yellow Breaches, Big Spring and more.  You can feel the history and nostalgia just setting one wading boot in the cool waters of Penns Creek or Little J.

Let’s face it, panfish, on the whole, are less glamorous than many of the other species we target with a fly rod.  Catching a sunfish or crappie, to some, may not be as cool as trout or a tarpon. But for so many of us, we started fishing and maybe even fly fishing, down at the local pond catching bluegill, bass, crappie and the like with bait, a spinning rod or maybe even a fly rod.  The fact is, targeting panfish can provide a super fun day on the water with a fly rod.  I mean, a good size crappie crushing a top-water bug is a ton of fun.  And panfish can prove to be a great species for introducing a friend to fly fishing.

When you hear about the Susquehanna River, especially for smallmouth, you think about names like Lefty Kreh, Bob Clouser and Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides.  Brian has been mentored by Bob Clouser over the years and Bob was kind enough to offer a personal recommendation to have Brian on the podcast.  We dive into great tips and tactics to have more success with your smallmouth fishing.  With over 30 years of guiding experience, Brian shares the best equipment set up for smallmouth as well as fishing strategies and fly recommendations. Enjoy!

Luong Tam is yet another wonderful personality in the fly fishing industry. Whenever I see him, he always greets me with a warm smile and pleasant hello.  I return the kind gesture and let out a bold, TENKARA TANUKI. That’s obviously not his name but it’s his company and his brand.  He loves tenkara and he is a master tenkara rod designer.

It’s always a privilege to connect people who are absolute experts in their field. That is what Phil Rowley is in the area of still water fly fishing.  The Orvis Guide To Still Water Trout has quickly become the top reference material on still water trout fishing. We dive deep into the tactics of how you can become a better still water fisherman.  With these great tips, you will feel more confident on your local trout pond or lake.  Additionally, Phil reveals some of the top destinations in the world to use your new skills to catch a trophy trout.

In this podcast, we get to know Rollin and Augusto, chat about the benefits of trip insurance and even find out about Augusto’s fishing origin story and how that fits in with a bamboo pole and a water buffalo.  You won’t want to miss it. Stay tuned.