The Deep Wade Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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The Deep Wade Podcast

John R. McMillan and Nick Chambers

Science

Education

Sports

Frequency: 1 episode/34d. Total Eps: 12

An in-depth podcast devoted to educating people about the latest fisheries and watershed science, a shared passion for fly angling, and their intersection and combined implications for conservation in a rapidly changing world. Tune in for monthly deep-dives into all things fish and fishing, along with monthly bonus episodes focused on topical issues and interviews with expert scientists and anglers.

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Apple

Data updated on 04/07/2026

Recent rankings

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
07/03/2026
#92
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
06/03/2026
#75
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
05/03/2026
#60
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
04/03/2026
#45
🇺🇸 USA - Nature
28/01/2026
#87
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
17/01/2026
#85
🇺🇸 USA - Nature
14/11/2025
#64
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
12/11/2025
#88
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
11/11/2025
#73
🇨🇦 Canada - Nature
10/11/2025
#53

Spotify

No recent rankings available

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https://www.buzzsprout.com/2390050/support
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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 42%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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Latest published episodes

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Five Reasons We Love Steelhead

Friday, August 15, 2025 • Duration 02:50:31

In this episode Nick and John truly take a deep wade into the five reasons they are their favorite fish. They love steelhead because of their diversity and their behavioral tendences. For instance, an angler may catch a steelhead ranging from half-pounders to thirty-pounders, from dry flies to nymphs. Further, one doesn't fish for steelhead like salmon. Salmon tend to school in pools. Steelhead live more solitary lives, mostly in moving water -- resulting in the rhythmic movements of step - cast - step - cast. No stripping. No sitting in the same place for two hours. Whether you fish a 5 wt or a 9 wt, the interior or the coast, this episode offers something for every angler. Tune in for a highly informed discussion about about why steelhead are such a cool animal.

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Why one Mykiss goes to sea and the other does not

Monday, April 7, 2025 • Duration 01:28:13

Host John McMillan interviews Matt Sloat to discuss one of the most interesting questions about steelhead and rainbow trout: Why does one fish go to sea while the other does not? It's more complicated than you think, but also simpler than you would surmise. They explain why there are so many big rainbow trout in Alaska, while there are so many steelhead in places like the Olympic Peninsula. Tune in for your steelhead fix and to learn more about their cool biology.

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Shane Anderson, film-maker, on his trip snorkeling the Elwha River

Season 1 · Episode 8

Friday, February 14, 2025 • Duration 01:24:04

In this episode I interview filmmaker Shane Anderson as we discuss our snorkel survey in the upper Elwha River in the summer of 2020. The trip required a 16-mile hike, then more hiking to access the upper canyon, snorkeling 6-miles in the rain and cold, and Shane somehow following everyone down the canyon while carrying his camera equipment. We also discuss how I nearly lost my teeth and the pure exhilaration once we found the holy grail -- a school of wild summer steelhead. Tune in for all of this and more, as Shane and I reflect on one of the greatest experiences in our life.

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Interview with Navajo Flyfisher Ruth Simms

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 • Duration 01:29:52

Another interview from the original Barbless OP Flyfishing Podcast. In this episode John interviews Ruth Simms, an angler and engineer from the PNW who is also a Native American that loves to fly fish. Ruth has been fishing since a young age, and fly fishing for the past decade. We take a deep dive into her background, education, why she loves fly fishing, and how her interest in engineering has helped her become a better angler. Join us to learn more about Ruth and her passion for angling and why she spends so much time on the river (and lakes and the ocean, or wherever the fishing takes her).

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Interview with Dr. Jack Stanford Professor of Everything Rivers and Fish

Monday, December 16, 2024 • Duration 58:21

In this episode from the original Barbless Podcast John interviews Dr. Jack Stanford, one of the world's preeminent river geomorphologists and fishery biologists. Jack has studied rivers and fish across the North Pacific Rim from Kamchatka (Russia) to Montana. Our wide-ranging conversation includes Jack’s origins as an angler and scientist, his major research findings, and why he believes good habitat and wild salmon are the key to sustainable fisheries. The episode includes amazing stories, such as thousands of stoneflies pouring through water faucets in a Montana town. That’s right, stoneflies. Tune in for this, and more, if you want to learn more about rivers and fish.

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Interview with The Metal God - Bill Herzog

Season 1 · Episode 7

Saturday, November 30, 2024 • Duration 01:06:48

A Black Friday special. In this episode I back to the clock to one of my favorite guests from the original Barbless Podcast back in 2020. I interview Bill Herzog – the Metal God, and one of the best steelheaders the planet has ever known. We talk his roots as an angler, why he loves spoon fishing, some of his best steelhead stories, and ultimately, why he has increasingly turned to swinging a fly. All that and more, so tune in if you want a history lesson on steelheading and a better understanding of Bill's history and why he now loves swinging flies.

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Five Adages of Swinging the Fly for Winter Steelhead

Monday, November 4, 2024 • Duration 01:57:39

In this episode John and Nick discuss and untangle five adages common to winter steelheaders. Such as: A short rod and Skagit line is all you need. You don't need to cast far, or wade deep, and your fly should be ticking bottom to have success. Last, don't set the hook, you'll just yank it from the fish's mouth, and always use a bright fly on a bright day, and a dark fly on a dark day. They take a deep dive and breakdown their experience with these beliefs and discuss which of them, if any, hold truth, and how their approach differs. Tune in for all of this, and more, if you are interested in improving your knowledge about fishing for winter steelhead with two-handed rods.

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Hardcore History of Salmon with Bill McMillan

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 • Duration 01:22:54

This week, we repost an episode from the former Barbless podcast where I interview my father, Bill McMillan. We discuss the hardcore history of salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and take listeners back in time to the mid-1800s through the early 1900s. how many salmon and steelhead were in the Columbia back then? How large were they? How early were they depleted? Tune in for answers to those questions, and more, to learn why those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

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Introduction to the podcast and the traits that make each salmonid unique

Season 1 · Episode 4

Monday, September 30, 2024 • Duration 02:51:29

In this episode John and Nick kick off The Deep Wade with a discussion about their background in science, fishing, and conservation, and what makes different species of salmon, trout, and char stand out from one another. They take a deep dive into each species' strengths and how those evolutionary traits undergird their success in Nature -- such as diversity in steelhead, large body size in Chinook salmon, and body shape and swimming capacity in coho salmon. John and Nick close it out with some interesting observations on bull trout, such as why they are classified as "gorgers" and how such behavior might influence the long held adage that brown trout are more difficult to catch because they are "smarter" than other species. Tune in for this, and more, to better understand your favorite fish and why their traits are important to fishing and conservation.

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To set the hook or not when swinging flies for steelhead?

Season 1 · Episode 3

Saturday, September 14, 2024 • Duration 45:46

In this episode John and Nick discuss whether they set the hook when swinging flies for steelhead and why. There are many facets to hooking and landing steelhead, and setting the hook is one of the more divisive topics. They both agree, however, that they almost always set the hook. They take a deep dive into why they share the same strategy, and as John notes, based on his data from hooking over 2,000 steelhead, the data suggests a clear result: He lands more fish when he sets the hook than when he doesn't. And it's not even close. Tune in and learn more about swinging flies for steelhead and how to improve your success as an angler.

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The Deep Wade Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

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Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

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The Deep Wade Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Buzzsprout1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Buzzsprout1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify