Ep. 27 | The Mayfly Project With Jess Westbrook

Scotty and Brian Talk Designing the Ideal Fly Tying Room, Wild Rainbow Trout, Recovering Fisheries, and More! Brian Wise made a name for himself in the fly fishing world as a guide in extreme southern Missouri and through his popular fly tying YouTube channel, Fly Fishing the Ozarks. Brian has been featured in print such as Southern Living Magazine, Outdoor Life, Fly Fisherman, Field and Stream, Rural Missouri Magazine, on television shows such as NBC’s Today Show, Outdoor Channel’s Ultimate Outdoors, and Outdoor Channel Outfitters.

Scotty and Schliske Talk Wyoming Trout, the Jackson Hole One Fly, Guide Trips Gone Wrong, and More!Captain Matt Schliske is a fly fishing guide and custom bamboo rod maker. Born in Wyoming, his grandfather and great grandfather were Cowboy State trout fishing cattle ranchers. He grew up fishing and hunting throughout the Rocky Mountains and has guided on many of the beautiful rivers in Wyoming and Montana.A bamboo fly rod fanatic, in 2005 Schliske started his custom bamboo fly rod company and has made quality bamboo fly rods by hand for anglers all over the globe ever since.Schliske founded Pig Farm Ink in 2012 with friends Jay Johnson, Mark Brown, and Chip Guthrie, with the motto of "Fly Fishing Saves Lives."

Scotty and Jesse Talk Montana Trout Mousing Gone Wrong, Wild Costa Rican Jungle Tarpon, Tampa vs. Texas Redfish, and More!Jesse Males is an avid fly fishing, snook snatching, kayak paddling, tarpon slaying, mountain hiking, manatee swimming fool from Central Florida currently living the high life in the jungles of Costa Rica – you may remember him as our first guest on Episode 1 of the Flymen Fishing Co. Show!Jesse is a father, a husband, a fly tyer, and passionate outdoorsman. Not only is he the owner of Backwater Fly Fishing, but also the fly tyer at his online fly shop, backwaterflies.com, his way of sharing some of his findings, in hopes to encourage others to get up off the couch and enjoy nature at its best.In addition to spinning bugs for money, Jesse is one of the guides/owners of 506 Outdoors, a premier adventure guide service in Costa Rica. 506 Outdoors offers jungle trout fishing, machaca fishing float trips, Pacific coast kayak fishing, as well as overnight beach camping tours to remote sections of Costa Rica.

Scotty and Frankie Talk Boat Design, Fishing Filmmaking, Outdoor Adventures, and More!Frankie Marion is the owner of Xplor Boatworks. Born from an idea for a film project out of a garage in Columbia, South Carolina, Xplor Boatworks was a thing before it was a thing. Frankie wanted to build a boat for a film project called the Xplor Project. He needed a skiff that would allow him to traverse across the vast Louisiana Delta unaided for an entire month. This skiff needed to have enough storage to carry gear for multiple people, be agile enough to get into the deepest pockets of the marsh, and be built well enough to withstand everything the team would throw at it.The trip was not only a success in that Frankie was able to complete the film project, but also that the boat exceeded expectations. Upon returning to the dock, Frankie had several requests for boats, just like the one he had built for his expedition. Thus, Xplor Boatworks was born.

Scotty and Matt Talk Fly Tying Innovation, Unique Fly Rods, Childhood Fishing Shenanigans, and More! "If you don’t know Matt, then a) you’re missing out and b) keep reading. If your car breaks down in the middle of the night then call Matt Callies; you’ll hear his car start before he asks you where he’s headed, and once he gets there chances are good that he will a) know what the problem is b) have the required tools in his truck to fix it c) notice that you’d get more out of your stereo if you’d let him give you the old amp he has just sitting in his garage and d) convince you that you should join him in heading out to the coast to swing up a salmon or two… after all, the flows are perfect, you’re both awake already, he just tied up a dozen beautifully gaudy bugs and he has a client whose donut shop opens in a few minutes and they make the best maple bars… That is Matt. Don’t try to keep up, just try to contribute where you can and enjoy one of fly fishing’s most creative, generous, and all-around-good dudes." – From Matt's profile in This Is Fly Magazine

Scotty and Bret Talk Becoming a Fly Fishing Guide, Night Fly Fishing, Touring With a Band, and More! Bret Oeltjenbruns is a fly fishing guide and instructor for Bob Mitchell’s Fly Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota. Bret guides predominantly in the Minnesota and Wisconsin areas for trout and smallmouth bass, but has had guiding adventures in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He regularly volunteers for Trout Unlimited’s Trout In The Classroom program for kids. When not guiding, Bret manages a team that builds bicycle wheels, plays in a band, and most of all loves fly fishing with his family, friends, and his 13-year-old son Payton.

Scotty and Sean Talk Big Brook Trout vs. Smallmouth Bass, Atlantic Salmon, Stonefly Hatches, and More! Sean McCormick lives two hundred yards from the place he grew up in central Maine on the banks of the Sheepscot river, a wild Atlantic salmon river. He started fly fishing in sixth grade when a science teacher sent him home with a Universal vise, hooks, fly tying tools, and three or four bucktail pieces to try for the evening. For 25+ years, Sean has rowed a drift boat on the Kennebec River, guiding fly anglers for trout, salmon, and occasionally smallmouth bass. In the winter Sean can be found at his fly tying desk prepping his fly boxes for the upcoming fishing season and working to develop innovations in fly design! If you're wanting to experience fly fishing in Maine, be sure to check out Sean's guide service, Blue Heron Fly Fishing.  

Scotty and Daniel Talk Sea-Run Brown Trout, Tube Flies, Salmon Fishing Adventures, and More! Daniel Holm is the founder of Nordic Anglers in Denmark, is a popular fly fishing and fly tying YouTuber, and is well-known for his passion (and talent) for catching big pike on the fly. Nordic Anglers' motto is "By Anglers, For Anglers." Their vision is to deliver the ultimate assortment of fly tying materials and high quality fishing gear. Therefore, Nordic Anglers' range consists of the products they use themselves and can vouch for.

Scotty and Jess Talk Mentoring Foster Children Through Fly Fishing, Trout, Euro Nymphing, and More! Jess Westbrook is a fly fishing guide who founded The Mayfly Project, a 501(c)(3) organization that uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor children in foster care. The Mayfly Project's mission is to support children in foster care through fly fishing and introduce them to their local water ecosystems, with a hope that connecting them to a rewarding hobby will provide an opportunity for foster children to have fun, feel supported, and develop a meaningful connection with the outdoors. Many foster children have been adopted and found their forever families thanks to The Mayfly Project!

Scotty and Schultzy Talk Midwest Smallies, Great Lakes Fishing, Hockey, and More! Mike Schultz (known as “Schultzy” to most) is the owner of Schultz Outfitters Fly Shop & Guide Service specializing in Southeastern Michigan angling, instruction, and destination travel. Born and raised in the great state of Michigan, Schultzy has been immersed in the outdoors. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, he started guiding and working in the fly fishing industry full time. Logging countless hours on the water each year, Schultzy has developed a vast knowledge of Midwestern waters and beyond. The bulk of his guiding and angling takes place on his home waters of Southeastern Michigan; these rivers offer world class warm-water fishing. His angling travels have taken him from Patagonia to Russia and many places in between. Over the years with the help of the Huron River Watershed Council, Schultzy founded the Huron River Single Fly as well as the Huckin’ for the Huron. Both are annual fundraisers that take place on his home waters of the Huron River; Michigan’s Blue Ribbon Smallmouth stream. During the spring of 2014 Schultzy was honored with the HRWC Partner of the Year award.