Tune in for an introduction to the 5 Rivers team and a look at what’s on the horizon for college anglers. In this episode we sat down with Libby Glaser, Franklin Tate and Joe Gugino to discuss the history and future of the 5 Rivers program. 

If you have a question for us write us a message or send us a voice recording to 5rivers@tu.org. Follow us @tucosta5rivers on Instagram so you never miss an episode.

Fill out our Emerging Podcast Survey by May 31st 2023 to be entered to win a pair of Costa Sunglasses! 

5 Rivers Links 

Emerging Podcast Survey

Joe Gugino is the Conservation & Community Partnerships Manager at Costa Sunglasses. Today he talks about what Costa is and what they represent. They have many conservation initiatives and film projects.  We talk about how Costa is partnered with the TU 5 Rivers program as well as many others. Joe also shares some stories about saltwater fly fishing and the cool species he catches. 

 As we're finishing up this season of Emerging we are asking for some feedback on our show. If you fill the survey out by May 31st you will be entered to win a pair of Costa sunglasses!  You can find the link to the survey in the episode description or in our Instagram bio.  

Check out the links below to find some cool Costa gear and learn about their projects. 

Emerging Podcast Survey 

Costa's Website 

Costa’s YouTube Channel   

Jim is the Chair and Corinne is the Vice Chair of AFFTA, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association. Their goal is to guide the sustainable growth of the fly fishing industry through trade development and stewardship. AFFTA is also the incredible organization that puts together IFTD and we are so grateful to them for doing all the organizing. 

This is our last episode from IFTD and we hope you enjoyed this miniseries. Thank you to Costa sunglasses, Trout Unlimited and Simms fishing products for making this podcast possible. 

Paula Schearer is a guide in Alberta Canada on the Bow River and the surrounding mountain streams. During this quick conversation we talked about the life of a full time guide, fishing in Alberta and much more. We hope you enjoy this episode, stay tuned for one more from IFTD. Check out Paula on Instagram @paulashearer  or at her website here.

Finns West provides wilderness first aid courses & medical solutions for the angling and hunting community. Mike Tayloe is the man behind this awesome company and he is our guest today. We talked about what Finns West does, how Mike became passionate about first aid/rescue and much more. Check out Finns West at their website to learn more about this great company and how you can be better prepared in the outdoors.

Joseph Berney @joseph_berney_ hosted the first season of Emerging and we are delighted to have him back. He currently works with Flylords, one of the largest employers of 5 Rivers students! Thanks to Jared Zissu (5 Rivers alum) for starting such an incredible company and bringing so many 5 Rivers students to the team. Be sure to check out all the great projects they are working on @flylords on Instagram or at their website.

We hope you enjoy this very relaxed and fun episode. Thanks to Joseph for getting this podcast stared, we are all so excited to see where it goes for season 3!

Captain Benny Blanco A.K.A "The Voice of Florida Bay" is a full time fishing guide and a champion of Everglades restoration. He works closely with the organization Captains for Clean Water and in this conversation he gives us an update on Floridas fight for clean water. Check out Benny on Instagram @captbennyblanco and learn more about Captains for Clean Water here.

We recorded an episode with the Captains crew last season! If you are interested in a more in depth look at the organization, check out the episode here. 

Riversmith makes the River Quiver, the coolest vehicle rod holder on the market. Mike O is a CU Boulder alum and a past officer of the 5 Rivers club at CU. He is now the head of sales at Riversmith and is helping the Boulder based company reach new heights.

We hope you enjoy this quick episode with Mike and be sure to check out Riversmith at https://riversmith.com

Joe Gugino is the conservation and community partnerships manager at Costa sunglasses, and a darn good one! Without him, the 5 Rivers program, Kick Plastic, the Untangled collection and all the other awesome projects Costa funds would not be possible. Here is the first Protect Purpose Report by Costa, which will tell you all about the incredible work they do.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Joe! Stay tuned for more IFTD conversations coming soon.

In this miniseries of Emerging, we will be publishing a series of short episodes from our recent trip to Salt Lake City for IFTD (International Fly Tackle Dealer). IFTD is a trade show put on by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association and it brings together the best in the fly fishing industry. We sat with a few different industry experts and are excited to share the conversations with you! For the first episode, we've got Libby Glaser, coordinator of the TU Costa 5 Rivers program. 

We hope you enjoy this miniseries, stay tuned for more episodes coming soon! 

In this second part of our series on the Lower Snake River, we are talking with Asa Menlove and Shiva Rajbhandari of the Youth Salmon Protectors. Asa started the organization and Shiva is behind the wheel as the group is thriving. The Youth Salmon Protectors are a coalition of young people in the PNW and beyond dedicated to saving wild Columbia River salmon and steelhead. We talked about why the Lower Snake River dams need to be removed, what this issue stands for in a larger sense and how other young people can succeed with their own conservation goals. The best way to get in touch with them is through their Instagram. For more information, check out their website through the Idaho Conservation League. 

We hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions, topics we should discuss, or people you want to hear from, shoot us an email at 5rivers@tu.org.  

This is an exciting episode because it is the first of a two part series about the Lower Snake River and the four dams preventing wild salmon and steelhead from living in their natural habitat. The Snake River is currently seeing its worst return of salmon and steelhead in over 200 years and the time to take action is now. Removal of the four dams on the Lower Snake is the only option left and Eric Crawford of TU explains it perfectly in this episode. We talked about why the dams need to be removed, how this will be done and how you can help. Here is the TU landing page to learn more about the issue and take action to help these wild salmon and steelhead populations. 

We hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions, topics we should discuss, or people you want to hear from, shoot us an email at 5rivers@tu.org. Stay tuned for part two with the Youth Salmon Protectors coming soon! 

This is a special episode! It features guest hosts from the UW- Stevens Point fly fishing club, Paige, Riley and Eli. We talked with multiple guests from the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo. 5 Rivers had the opportunity to have a booth at the expo in St. Paul Minnesota this March.  We got to connect with young emerging anglers as well as people in the fly fishing industry. We talked to Gustavo Hiebaum, founder of SET fly fishing in Argentina, Jim Anderson with Project Healing Waters, artist Stanley Leonard, Monta Hayner with The Driftless Fly Fishing Co, Lance Prado owner of Root River Rod Co. and Hannah and Kyle, owners of Black Earth Angling Co.  

Check out the links below to learn more about all of our guests.  

Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo  

Argentina Fly Fishing  

Project Healing Waters 

Stanley Lenard Studio  

The Driftless Fly Fishing Co.  

Root River Rod Co.  

Black Earth Angling Co.  

On this episode of Emerging, Libby and I talked to Hannah Leonard of Sporting Lead Free. Sporting Lead-Free is a non-political, educational initiative working to reduce inadvertent lead consumption by wildlife and people through the voluntary choice of lead-free ammunition and tackle. Hannah is the outreach coordinator for this awesome organization and she has some incredible stories and passion for this issue. Be sure to check out the episode to learn more! 

Here are the links we mentioned in the show... 

Sporting Lead Free overview video 

Resources page to find lead free alternatives 

We hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions, topics we should discuss, or people you want to hear from, shoot us an email at 5rivers@tu.org 

If you are hoping to increase youth engagement in your local TU chapter or want to get more beginners into your club, this episode is definitely for you! On this episode of Emerging, Libby and I talked to Andrew Reichardt from the National Capital Chapter of Trout Unlimited. This is one of the oldest TU chapters and has some incredible history. One of the coolest aspects of this history is their recent initiative to increase youth engagement in Trout Unlimited. They have a great film called TUrnaround coming out soon so keep your eyes out for that. Here is a link to NCC-TU's website. 

The fisheries discussed in this episode are the traditional lands of the Piscataway, Pamunkey, Nentego (Nanichoke), Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Monacan, and Powhatan people. Click here to learn more.

We hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions, topics we should discuss, or people you want to hear from, shoot us an email at 5rivers@tu.org 

For this episode of Emerging, Libby and I chatted with Jess Westbrook and Kaitlin Barnhart of The Mayfly Project. The Mayfly Project is a 501(c)(3) national organization that uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor and support children in foster care. We discussed what they do and how you can help! Check out the links below to get connected with them. 

The Mayfly Project website

Project locations

Dr. Wallace Nichols

We hope you enjoy the show! If you have any questions, topics we should discuss, or people you want to hear from, shoot us an email at 5rivers@tu.org

On this episode of Emerging we sat down with Nick Halle the Volunteer Operations Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. He lives up in Missoula Montana so we discussed the recent crisis on the Madison River, his work with TU, fishing out West and much more. 

As discussed in the show, here is the link to an article Nick wrote about the Madison River crisis. Also, this link will connect you with your local TU chapter. 

We hope you enjoyed the show! If you have any questions, topics we should discuss or people you want to hear from shoot us an email at 5rivers@tu.org

Well, 2021 was quite the year. It was an honor to start up this podcast and bring on some amazing guests for you this past year. I will be forever grateful to all of you listeners and to 5 Rivers. Stay tuned for Season 2 starting up in August with your new host, Cliff Watson. It's been quite the ride.

- Joseph 

For this episode of Emerging, we got a chance to chat with Simms CEO, Casey Sheahan, about Simms, conservation, and a little about fishing. As always, the music is by the Wright Brothers. 

For this episode, we got a chance to talk with Ben Sittig, aka, Huge Fly Fisherman. Ben is a great dude and we had a great conversation about everything Huge. Make sure to check Ben out on Instagram and Youtube to follow him on his adventures. As always the music is brought to you by the Wright Brothers. 

We were joined by Capt. Chris Whittman from Captains for Clean Water to talk about the ongoing water crisis in Florida. Since this episode was recorded, the disaster at Piney Point has occurred. We urge you to take a look at Captains for Clean Water's resources about the disaster and continue to educate yourself on the issues in Florida. As always, the great music is by the Wright Brothers. 

We had the great privilege of having Simon and Charley Perkins from Orvis. We talked about their upbringing surrounded by the outdoors, conservation, and what the future of fly fishing is going to look like. 

Ellen Cander is a postdoctoral associate in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Science department at the University of Minnesota (UMN), Twin Cities, where she completed her Ph.D. She earned her Ph.D. in Conservation Science with a focus on Wildlife Ecology and Management. She grew up in Idaho Falls, ID fishing, hiking, skiing, and hunting. She especially enjoyed fly fishing in the south fork of the Snake and the high mountain lakes. Her research focuses on understanding the scavenger species that visit hunter d gut piles around the different biomes of Minnesota. She currently lives in St. Paul, MN with my husband, daughter, and two dogs. Along with Artemis Sportswomen, Ellen is also very involved in Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. She has served on the Minnesota chapter board for several years. She helps plan and carry out events as well as represent the voice of the public land for Minnesota and North American conservation issues.  

Learn more about the organizations in the links below. Also, check out some of the research done at UMN.  

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers   Artemis Sportswomen  

UMN Conservation Research    

The Wright Brothers Theme Music 

For this episode we got a chance to talk with Nat Gillispee from the US Forest Service about his job, a little about public lands, and some conservation issues pressing our public lands.  

For this episode we got a chance to talk with one of our 5 Rivers alumni, Eeland Stribling, about his 5 Rivers experience, what it is like being a biologist, and a little about stand up comedy.  

With the upcoming release of the F3T we wanted to talk with our friend Rachel Brinkley who is featured in an upcoming film. Rachel has been doing some amazing research on the salmon populations in Idaho we know you will find interesting. Make sure to go buy tickets to the film tour! 

For those who have been living under a rock, the Fly Fishing Film Tour is by far one of the best events the Fly Fishing community has. We got a chance to talk with Paul Nicoletti and Nick Jones from the Fly Fishing Film Tour to speak with us about this years premiere and the expanding 5 Rivers + F3T partnership. Tickets are on sale now! 

For this Episode we had Corrine and Garrison Doctor from Rep Your Water on with us. We talked about a whole lot of rad topics you are gonna enjoy with a couple of fishing stories along the way. 

On this episode of Emerging we talked with one of our alumni, Heather Harkavy about Fish For Change as well as her experience in the 5 Rivers Program. Music as always is by the amazing Wright Brothers.

A quick little update from Andrew and I this week. The Holidays are crazy and we hope everyone gets time to spend it with some family. We are giving away costa sunglasses to people who give us feedback about the podcast so go do that! 

In this episode of Emerging we got the chance to talk with 5 Rivers Student Matteo Moretti. Matteo has had some incredible experiences through 5 Rivers by going on the Odessey and taking over his club as President. Matteo provides great insight into what being a 5 Rivers student is like and what we can look forward to for the future of fly fishing. 

For our fifth episode we talked to 5 Rivers alumni and the founder of Flylords, Jared Zissu. We talked to Jared about his experience with 5 Rivers, starting Flylords, and some solid advice for anyone wanting to try to work in the Fly Fishing industry. 

Jay Johnson and Justin Carf from Pig Farm Inc join us to talk about all things mega *(you know). You're gonna love this episode where we talk about magic, Pig Farm Inc, and the growing the fly fishing community. If you like the music make sure you go check out The Wright Brothers wherever you get your music.

Jake Jubach is the TU Costa 5 Rivers Community Engagement Intern. Jake recently graduated from Wilmington College in Ohio and is going to veterinary school at Mississippi State in June. He helps run the fly.fishing platform which is the main social media page for 5 Rivers clubs. He engages with clubs nationwide helping them organize events and share their stories. In this episode, we’ll hear some fun fishing and veterinary stories from Jake and what he's done with 5 Rivers. 

Keep updated with other 5 Rivers events on our Instagram @tucosta5rivers 

The Wright Brothers Theme Music 

Trent Brown from Little Blackfoot Outfitters and Jeff Lattig joined us to talk about fishing in Montana, what it is like being a guide and outfitter, and the current conservation issues facing the fisheries in Montana. As always the music is by the Wright Brothers and you should go check them out on any music platform. 

One of the most pressing conservation issues facing our public lands and wild salmon right now is the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska. We sat down with Meghan Barker and Eric Booton from TU Alaska to talk about Pebble Mine and Public Lands. If you like the intro and outro music go check out The Wright Brothers. 

For the inaugural episode of Emerging presented by Simms Fishing, we sat down with Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited CEO, to talk about the 5 Rivers program and how this podcast will be a great resource for the young angler and conservationist community. If you like the intro and outro tunes check out the Wright Brothers on Apple Music or Spotify. 

Melissa Wagner is Lanesboro’s Area Fisheries Supervisor. Today we talked about her work with DNR fisheries in the driftless region of Minnesota. They do habitat work on quite a few trout streams in southeastern Minnesota. We will cover how project planning works and what information is collected for fish stocking. We will also talk about how the DNR works with Trout Unlimited.  

If you enjoy our podcast, we would love it if you left us a review on Spotify or Apple, since that helps other people find our podcast. 

For more information check out the links below! 

MN DNR 

MN Trout Unlimted  

TU Driftless Area Restoration Effort (TUDARE) 

Southern MN Stream Restoration Video  

  The Wright Brothers Theme Music 

Maggie Heumann is Trout Unlimted’s manager of volunteer operations. Maggie works with TU chapters and organizes educational opportunities around the nation. She has always been fascinated with insects and started as an entomologist. With her passion for insects and the outdoors, she loves fly fishing. Out west she is lucky enough to fish rivers in Yellowstone. Maggie also co-founded Artemis Sportswoman which facilitates women hunting and fishing events all around the nation. Tune in to hear about Maggie’s journey from studying poultry and insects, co-founding Artemis Sportswomen and working for TU.  

Check out the links below to learn more! 

TU Staff Directory 

Find Your Local TU Chapter 

Trout Unlimited Events  

More about Snake River Dams 

United Women on the Fly  

Artemis Website 

Artemis Podcast 

Leave us a review and let us know what you think of the show.

The Wright Brother's Theme Music 

Carl Haensel is a fly fishing guide in northeastern Minnesota and the Brule area of northern Wisconsin. He and his wife Jade are the owners of Namebini guiding service. Carl is also a writer, photographer, and educator. Carl is involved with the local Gitche Gumee TU Chapter and is the Northern Minnesota Vice Chair of TU. Carl shares his experiences in the fly-fishing industry and gives some good fishing tips. We also hear about the upcoming Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo in March.  

Follow Carl on Instagram @namebini  

Check out the links bellow to learn more.  

Video: Nature Conservancy and TU Partnership 

Namebini Guiding  

Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo  

MN TU  

The Wright Brothers Theme Music  

Jamie Vaughan is Trout Unlimited’s Great Lakes engagement coordinator. As a regional engagement coordinator, Jamie works on habitat conservation projects, coordinates volunteer engagement, leads STREAM Girls events for local youth, and much more! There is so much awesome work going on in the Great Lakes region from culvert construction to tree plantings. Get involved with your local TU chapter to learn about volunteer opportunities and conservation projects! 

One of the best ways to follow TU’s work in the Great Lakes is on Instagram @troutunlimedgreatlakes  

  Check out the links below for resources mentioned in the episode.  

STREAM Girls 

Michigan Fly Girls 

Tree Army 

RIVERS App 

TU Staff Directory 

Tree Planting Guide 

Great Lakes Action Alert 

Find Your Local TU Chapter 

Larry Dahlberg is the inventor of Flashabou, the creator of the Dahlberg Diver and Mr. Whiggley and the inspiration for thousands of anglers worldwide. His TV show The Hunt for Big Fish aired for nearly 20 years and captivated audiences from every corner of the industry. His knowledge about the sport is unmatched and we all can learn a great deal from him. In this conversation we talked about his new Costa film with Blane Chocklett The Ties that Bind, how he approaches the sport of fishing, and much more. Here is a link to the film, be sure to check it out and share it with your friends! 

We hope you enjoyed this season; it truly was an honor to talk to all these incredible people. Thank you so much to Trout Unlimited, Costa Sunglasses and Simms Fishing Products for making this possible. Stay tuned for Season 3 coming next Fall! 

This episode dives deep into the relentless advocacy efforts of Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited, as he works to pass the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Mines Act (Good Sam Law). With 23 years of dedication, this groundbreaking legislation is set to become a cornerstone of Trout Unlimited’s mission for the next generation. The episode explores not only the details of the Good Sam Law but also the challenges and strategies involved in lobbying for conservation in Washington, D.C. Chris shares firsthand accounts of standing on the Senate floor, navigating the impact of lawmakers on environmental progress, and explaining how Trout Unlimited’s mission extends beyond just trout, and more into the greater good for wildlife, and human life.  

listen in to gain valuable insights into how environmental legislation takes shape within the U.S. government. The episode highlights significant projects such as the Klamath dam removal, the Good Sam Law, and the Great American Outdoors Act, offering sneak peeks into how these initiatives were successfully passed. Through these stories, the episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at the patience, collaboration, and persistence required to achieve major conservation victories. 

Thank you to Trout Unlimited and Costa Sunglasses for making the Emerging Podcast and the TU Costa 5 Rivers program possible. Thank you, Chris Wood, for joining and sharing your insight. 

Good Sam Summary  

Official Law - Congress.gov

Hurricane Helene struck in late September, taking an unexpected path through the southeastern US and hitting communities of western North Carolina hard. In this Emerging episode, Wylie Kendall (Lees-McRae) and Graem Hargrove (App State), presidents of their colleges’ fly fishing clubs and members of TU Costa 5 Rivers, discuss shifting from the usual fall trout fishing to organizing river cleanups with local communities to address post-hurricane destruction. Even though the storm has passed there is still a lot of work to be done to return rivers and communities back to normal. To understand a little more about what the storm looked like from people living in its path, and to see how anyone can help, tune in and check out the links below! 

Go Fund Me 

Lees-McRae Fly Fishing Club  

App State Fly Fishing Club 

Thank you to Trout Unlimited and Costa Sunglasses for making the Emerging Podcast and the TU Costa 5 Rivers program possible. 

Ranga Perera is a master of flavor. Whether he is on his home rivers of Montana or incredible destinations around the world, Ranga is known to be catching and cooking incredible meals riverside. Aside from carrying him around the world, His passions for cooking have given him a platform to preach his values: Community, diversity, and advocacy are what Ranga is all about.  

In this exclusive episode of the Emerging Podcast, we sit down for a 1-on-1 talk about Ranga’s emergence, his masterful Flavor on the Fly series with Flylords, and a shared passion for food and flavor. If you're ever wondering how to take that next step in your fly fishing journey, Ranga would tell you to keep a fish and give cooking a try. If you are not familiar with fly fishing but you enjoy eating fish, this is a great way to get inspired to see what's out there! 

Thank you to Trout Unlimited and Costa Sunglasses for making the Emerging Podcast and the TU Costa 5 Rivers program possible. 

Go Check out Some of The Work Ranga Has Done: 

Instagram  

Laurians table  

Flavor on the Fly  

Must Watch!

Karin Miller is the owner/CEO of Zen Tenkara: the only female owned rod company in the world. She is often out chasing exotic fish and pushing the boundaries of what most think is possible with a tenkara rod. In this exclusive episode of The Emerging Podcast she talks about her fishing experiences, the science behind tenkara, and about the diversity of the fly fishing community. Tenkara is just another tool to use to get involved more with fly fishing, conservation, and community. Listen in to learn more! 

Thank you to Trout Unlimited and Costa Sunglasses for making the Emerging Podcast and the TU Costa 5 Rivers program possible. 

Go check out Zen Tenkara!  

Shop Zen Tenkara 

Instagram 

Youtube   

In this short episode, we sit down with Son Tao a true master of fly tying whose intricate work and dedication have earned him a devoted following across social media. Son shares his journey from passionate hobbyist to respected leader in the fly-tying community. He also offers valuable insights on staying confident and creative as an artist, plus a few of his favorite tips and tricks to elevate your own craft.

Joe Fitzgerald is a recent 5 Rivers alum who's had a packed year post-grad, traveling across North America filming and photographing some of the best fishing the continent has to offer. Most recently, he's been on the road with the Fly Fishing Film Tour as a content creator, documenting their long haul from stop to stop.

Before that, Joe was busy working on a film called "The Kids Are Alright," which highlights the TU Costa 5 Rivers Ambassador Summit and the next generation of anglers and conservationists.

In this episode, we catch up with Joe about everything he's been up to, reflect on lessons learned, and brainstorm some ideas for the future of Emerging.

Also, we announce the winner of the Costa sunglasses giveaway — tune in to see if it’s you.

 Joseph Berney, now with Fly Lords has a history behind the mic. As an undergrad student at UGA he had the idea to start Emerging. With Berney behind the mic he spoke with some amazing guests in the industry and provided a great first season of Emerging. Now he finds himself spending time with the team at Fly Lords. In his role with them he serves as the brand partnerships director for not just Fly Lords, but also Split Reed with Fiska Media. 

In this episode of Emerging we take a look behind the scenes of your favorite Fly Lords original series, how Emerging came to be, and a little more about the passion for the environment that Joseph carries with him every day. 

Thank you to Trout Unlimited for making the Emerging Podcast and the TU Costa 5 Rivers program possible. 

Go check out Fly Lords!  

Fly Lords 

@FlyLords 

Emerging S1E1