Ep 108: Fishing the Vail Valley and Exploring the West, with Benny Piekarz

Steve Veals did something very few anglers have likely ever done: he fished every day for 365 days straight. In this episode, Steve tells me about how the idea came to be, what his stipulations were, the challenges and surprises he encountered along the way, and what his life has been like since finishing the challenge. Website: www.stephenveals.com Instagram: @steve_the_cholo Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Janet George is a retired CPW wildlife biologist and now on the board of the CO Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. In the past few years, Janet has been fishing her way through much of northern CO. In addition to several other personal “projects,” Janet has fished every lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. In this episode, we talk about how she came to start these goals, what she experienced along the way, and what’s next for her. Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mia Sheppard is an angler, hunter, and snowboarder. She is owner/guide at Little Creek Outfitters and Juniper River Adventures on the Deschutes River. In this episode, we talk about fishing the Deschutes, avoiding burnout in guiding and fishing, starting a new program in Alaska, getting into hunting, and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Little Creek Outfitters site: link Mia’s Instagram: @miasriverkitchen Little Creek Outfitters Instagram: @littlecreekoutfitters Facebook: /mialittlecreekoutfitters/ Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kurt Finlayson is a former member of Fly Fishing Team USA and avid angler. These days, he mostly focuses on his own personal fishing projects, in which he sets goals for catching different sets of species. In this episode, we talk about how he got started in competition fishing, transitioning out of that professional role, and the fish projects he makes for himself, including his desert project, Colorado cutthroat project, and much more. Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jen Ripple first joined me on the show way back in episode 19. I was thrilled to have her back on to catch up on what she has been up to. In this episode, we talk about her transition from DUN Magazine to DUN Outdoors, a more comprehensive women’s outdoor media space, as well as her new role working with Hardy and Greys and what it’s been like getting acquainted with more traditional and historied fly fishing equipment. We also talk about a few trips she has coming up for Guadalupe bass and trout in New Zealand. Website: link Instagram: @Jen_ripple Instagram: @DUNMagazine Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Howard Croston is a full-time fly rod designer for the world-famous brands, Hardy and Greys and also the England World Team Captain. In this episode, we talk about competition fly fishing, what he does day-to-day as a rod designer, how high-end rods and reels differ from low-end rods and reels, how different rods require different designs, and some considerations for material, length, and action when buying a new fly rod. Instagram: @howard_croston_fly_fisher_ Facebook: /Howard Croston Fly Fishing  Hardy: link Greys: link Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda Willshire is a full-time metal artist and part-time guide in Colorado. She has also competed in the Ladies Tarpon Tournament in Florida and recently got back from fishing in Brazil. In this episode, we talk about her metal fish art, fishing for tarpon in Florida, fishing experiences and mishaps in South America, and much more. Instagram: @awdart Website: link Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Garrettson owns About Trout, an outfitter specializing in the San Juan River of northern New Mexico. In this episode, we talk about the San Juan as a whole, the different sections of river, seasonality, flies, species present, and the pros and cons of Euro nymphing. Website: link Instagram: @about.trout Youtube: link Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the annual episode where Mel and I go through our fishing goals from the past year and talk about what we have in store for the upcoming year. In this episode, we switched things up a bit. As a new mom, Mel didn’t have as much time as she’d hoped to get out on the water, so in place of some of the goals she was not able to finish, she talked me through what it was like taking an infant fishing and what she anticipates for the upcoming year fishing with a toddler. I went through my goals as usual and set some new ones for 2025. Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Zielinski loves following the cicada hatches around the eastern U.S. and is the author of Cicada Madness, which covers all things pertaining to fly fishing during these exciting emergences. In this episode, we cover the life histories of cicadas, the differences between annual and periodical cicadas, how to plan a fishing trip to coincide with the emergence, how to actually find the bugs once they’re out, and how to fish effectively during the hatch. Cicada Madness book: link Instagram: @down_home_boatworks Website: www.downhomeboatworks.com Waypoint TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices