The Destination Angler Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Our destination is wild Alaska and wondrous Argentina, two of the world's premier fly-fishing frontiers. For most anglers, a trip like this is once in a lifetime—so which do you choose? 

To help us decide, we've brought together two men who know these waters well. Bob White is a renowned sporting artist, author, and former guide who for 40 years has led anglers from Alaska to Patagonia. Joining him is his good friend Steve Ramirez—Marine Corps veteran, writer, and author of the acclaimed  Casting Series.

Together, Bob and Steve share their experiences and reflections on two unforgettable destinations—and what these wild places teach us about fly fishing and life.

With host Steve Haigh

Be the first to know about new episodes.  Become a subscriber 

Contact Bob White:   https://www.bobwhitestudio.com/

Instagram @BobWhiteStudio  Facebook @bob.white.184

Contact Steve Ramirez:  https://www.steveramirezauthor.com/ 

Facebook  @steve.ramirez.39  Instagram @SteveRamirezAuthor

Destination Angler Podcast:  

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram & Facebook  @DestinationAnglerPodcast 

Please check out our Sponsors:

TroutRoutes 

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers.  Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today.   Get 1 Month Free  

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes   

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet.  Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com    Facebook @highndryfishingproducts  Instagram @highndryfishing

Got Fishing 

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.   

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing 

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh@DestinationAnglerPodcast.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Sep 25, 2025

Our destination is the legendary Penns Creek in central Pennsylvania—Part 2—with Team USA world champion angler and guide Tess Weigand.  Tess unleashes a flood of hard-won tips from years of guiding and competing to help you crack the code on one of the most technical trout streams in the East.

We dive into the chaos of the Green Drake hatch, Tess's go-to fly patterns, how to handle the crowds, read tricky currents, and stay calm when "everything is hatching at once."  It's a masterclass in patience, stealth, and observation—with lessons stretching from Montana to Norway.

Stick around to the end when Tess shares a moving story about her gold-medal moment with Team USA in Idaho—and what it really meant to her.

With host Steve Haigh

Be the first to know about new episodes.  Become a subscriber 

Destination Angler on YouTube

Contact Tess:   

https://www.twflyfishing.com/

Instagram @tessweigand   Facebook @tess.weigand/

Destination Angler Podcast:  

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram & Facebook  @DestinationAnglerPodcast 

Please check out our Sponsors:

Got Fishing 

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.   

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing 

TroutRoutes 

The #1 Mapping Resource for Trout Anglers.  Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore 50,000 trout streams with TroutRoutes today.   Get 1 Month Free  

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes   

High N Dry Fishing

Where science and performance meet.  Check out the full lineup of floatants, line dressings, and sighter waxes at www.highndryfishingproducts.com    Facebook @highndryfishingproducts  Instagram @highndryfishing

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh@DestinationAnglerPodcast.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded Sep 18, 2025

Our destination is the remote backcountry of Bristol Bay, Alaska—where the bears are fat, the rainbows are wild, and the guides row, cook, clean, and occasionally yank a size 8 hook out of their own finger.   Joining me is Zach Nemelka with Hooked on Alaska.  Zach grew up in Utah, but has been coming to Alaska since he was 5.   After a stint in college, he moved for Alaska to specialize in multi-day backcountry float trips for giant rainbow trout. 

What's it like to float 60 miles of wilderness chasing trophy rainbows, dodge 1,000-pound Alaskan brown bears, and endure the wild weather makes Alaska, Alaska?  Stick around for a too close for comfort bear charge, a 60-fish day, and the tale of "Jules"—a 28-inch rainbow with a Dalai Lama stuck in his lip.  

With host Steve Haigh

Be the first to know about new episodes.  Become a subscriber 

Destination Angler on YouTube

Contact Zach:    https://hookedonalaska.net/    

Destination Angler Podcast:  

• Website
• YouTube
• Instagram & Facebook  @DestinationAnglerPodcast 

Please check out our Sponsors:

Got Fishing 

Crafting world-class fly-fishing adventures specially designed to your level of experience and budget.   

Facebook @GotFishingAdventures Instagram @GotFishing 

TroutRoutes 

Podcast listeners can try one month of TroutRoutes PRO for FREE by clicking the link in the episode description. Explore your water with TroutRoutes today.   Get 1 Month Free  

Facebook @troutinsights Instagram @TroutRoutes   

Adamsbuilt Fishing 

THE trusted source for quality fly fishing gear, built to last at an affordable price. Waders, Nets, Outerwear. 

Facebook & Instagram @Adamsbuilt

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh@DestinationAnglerPodcast.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Recorded June 17, 2025

Our destination is beautiful Shenandoah National Park for mountain Brook trout with 60-year fly fishing veteran, Harry Murray, Murray's Fly Shop, Edinburg VA.   Virginia has over 3,500 miles of trout streams, and the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding mountains are loaded with brook trout.  With 79,000 acres of protected wilderness area, prolific hatches, and dozens and dozens of steams to choose from, the Park is where to go for scenery, solitude and wild brookies.  

Harry opened his fly shop in 1962, the same year he received his pharmacy degree. He ran both the fly shop and the pharmacy out of the same building for many years.  Harry's written 17 books on fly fishing and developed over 30 fly patterns that are staples for anglers chasing trout and smallmouth everywhere.  His articles have appeared in many national fly-fishing magazines, and he does a podcast of his own on fishing conditions in his neck of the woods. 

Harry shares his "feeding stations" approach for sizing up trout streams, great stories of Art Flick, Dave Whitlock, and Lee Perkins, tips on how to scout out your own fly-fishing adventure in the Park, and important hatches and flies you need to be aware of.   So, let's listen in as Harry shares his wisdom about trout fishing in this beautiful part of the world! 

With Host, Steve Haigh

Pictures and top fly patterns from Harry @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook

Murray's Fly Shop

• https://www.murraysflyshop.com/
• 540-984-4212 | Email: info@murraysflyshop.com
• Facebook: @murraysflyshopdotcom | Instagram: @Murrays_fly_shop

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods: Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.  https://www.jprossflyrods.com/ 

• • Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods. 
• Angler's Coffee - Elevating the coffee experience for the fly-Fishing community & anglers everywhere with small-batch coffee delivered to your doorstep.   https://anglerscoffee.com/
• • Facebook & Instagram @anglerscoffeeco

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Jan 13, 2021.  Episode 59.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/

Our destination is Livingston, Montana for Part II on Nelson's Spring Creek with expert anglers, guides, and ranchers, Jacquie and Tucker Nelson.  Nelson's offers an exceptional fly-angling experience in the heart of Paradise Valley, one of the West's most iconic destinations.  In this episode, Jacquie and Tucker take us into the world of the ranching life, bear encounters, pet deer, thoughts on picking a guide, funny things clients do, and why they're not selling at any price!

Bonus: stories of Tucker's great, great, great grandfather who homesteading Paradise Valley and a great story about the famous Joe Brooks who taught the Nelson's how to fly fish.  And a listener profile on a 29" trout from the Green River.

With Host, Steve Haigh

Pictures and top fly patterns from Jacquie and Tucker @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook

Nelson's Guides & Flies: 

• Guided Fly Fishing Service & Fly Shop | Tucker & Jacquie Nelson | Website: www.NelsonsGuidesAndFlies.com
• Phone: Jacquie 406-579-9982, Tucker 406-223-3898 | Email: info@NelsonsGuidesAndFlies.com
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/nelsonsguidesandflies | Instagram: @NelsonsGuidesAndFlies

Nelson's Spring Creek:

• Spring Creek Reservations & Lodging | Roger & Mary Nelson | Website: www.NelsonsSpringCreek.com
• Phone: 406-222-6560 | Email: NelsonFamilyRanch@gmail.com
• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Nelsonsspringcreek

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods:   Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.  https://www.jprossflyrods.com/ 

• Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods. 

• Angler's Coffee - Elevating the coffee experience for the fly-Fishing community & anglers everywhere with small-batch coffee delivered to your doorstep.  https://anglerscoffee.com/

• Facebook & Instagram @anglerscoffeeco

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Jan 7, 2021.  Episode 58.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/

Our destination is Livingston, Montana, and Nelson's Spring Creek with expert anglers, guides, and ranchers, Jacquie and Tucker Nelson.  Nelson's offers an uncrowded and intimate experience in the heart of Paradise Valley, one of the West's most iconic destinations.  Here you will find abundant trout, prolific hatches, and need I say educated fish.  No question, anglers need to bring their A-game. 

Nelson's was established in the 1880s by Tucker's great, great, great grandfather who homesteaded this area after the civil war.  In fact, Tucker was raised here on the ranch and is a 5th generation Nelson.  Today Nelson's is a thriving cattle ranch that just happens to have one of the best spring creeks in the world.   He and his wife, Jacquie, work the ranch, run the fly shop and guide clients on the stream and throughout the region under their guiding business, Nelson's Guides & Flies. 

If you looking for some of the most spectacular scenery in the west and challenging fishing in the West, then stick around as we do a deep dive into the technical aspects spring creek fishing and the ranching life.

With Host, Steve Haigh

Pictures and top fly patterns from Jacquie and Tucker @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook

Nelson's Guides & Flies: 

• Guided Fly Fishing Service & Fly Shop | Tucker & Jacquie Nelson | Website: NelsonsGuidesAndFlies.com
• Phone: Jacquie 406-579-9982, Tucker 406-223-3898 | Email: info@NelsonsGuidesAndFlies.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/nelsonsguidesandflies | Instagram: @NelsonsGuidesAndFlies

Nelson's Spring Creek:

• Spring Creek Reservations & Lodging | Roger & Mary Nelson | Website: NelsonsSpringCreek.com
• Phone: 406-222-6560 | Email: NelsonFamilyRanch@gmail.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Nelsonsspringcreek

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods: Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.  https://www.jprossflyrods.com/ 

• • Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods. 
• Angler's Coffee - Elevating the coffee experience for the fly-Fishing community & anglers everywhere with small-batch coffee delivered to your doorstep.   https://anglerscoffee.com/
• • Facebook & Instagram @anglerscoffeeco

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Jan 7, 2021.  Episode 57.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/

Our destination is the middle Texas coast for trophy Redfish with expert guides and fly anglers, Steve Branch & Joe Sneed, Bay Flats Lodge.  Bay Flats Lodge is an all-inclusive hunting and fishing lodge on San Antonio Bay.  What was started in 1998 with a doublewide trailer on a dry patch of ground is now one of the largest fishing lodges on the Texas coast.  Wild and remote, the middle Texas coast is a unique and incredible fishery.  With 100,000 acres of protected national wildlife shoreline, multiple bays and estuaries to explore, and incredible biodiversity, this is one of America's top destinations for hunting big redfish on the fly. 

Steve Branch grew up hunting and fishing in the Big Thicket of Southeast Texas.   He is a pharmacist by trade but a redfish guide at heart and has been fishing these waters for nearly 30 years.  Joe Sneed, grew up in Alice Texas where he started saltwater fishing at an early age.  He's been fishing these waters all of his life.    

With Host, Steve Haigh

About Joe Sneed, Steve Branch, and Bay Flats Lodge

• Pictures and top fly patterns from Joe and Steve: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Bay Flats Lodge:    https://www.bayflatslodge.com/   
• • Instagram @bay_flats_lodge 
  • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bayflatslodge 
  • YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/captchrismartin
• Follow Joe Sneed:   Facebook and Instagram @baysandclays  Website: https://baysandclays.com/
• Follow Steve Branch:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075488853403     Instagram:  @CaptainSteveBranch

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods:   https://www.jprossflyrods.com/  Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods.  Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Dec 30, 2021.  Episode 56.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/

Our destination is Jackson, Wyoming, and the famed Snake River.  And our guests are two industry icons and world-renown fly tiers, Scott Sanchez and Howard Cole, JD High Country Outfitters.  If you could pick a perfect spot to open a fly shop, Jackson Hole just might just be at top of the list. The number and variety of fly fishing opportunities in this area are astounding, not to mention the scenery.  Scott and Howard have written hundreds of articles, invented dozens of innovative fly patterns, and have won numerous industry awards.  Here they cover all the key rivers and access points, the history of Jackson Hole, cutthroat migration patterns, the "one fly" competition, and why the Snake is a great place to catch a native Cutthroat on a dry. Stick around for the back half of the show as these master fly tiers describe their process for inventing new patterns.  Bonus:  Flat Creek and the National Elk Refuge will challenge the best of anglers.  

With Host, Steve Haigh

About Scott Sanchez and Howard Cole

• Scott and Howard's top pictures of the Jackson Hole: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• JD High Country Outfitters:  http://www.jdhcoutfitters.com/
• Follow Scott and Howard:   Instagram @jdhighcountry  | Facebook @jdhcoutfitters
• Scott's books: Introduction to Saltwater Fly Tying, A New Generation of Trout Flies, The Never-Ending Stream

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods:   https://www.jprossflyrods.com/  Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods.  Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Dec 13, 2021.  Episode 55.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/

Our destination is De Pere, Wisconsin, and the Menominee River with Tim Landwehr of Tight Lines Fly Fishing Co.  In case you didn't know, the warm water game is exploding, and the Menominee River in Northern Wisconsin may just be the best smallmouth bass fishery you've never heard of.  Unless of course, you're from Wisconsin, where it's pretty much legendary.  Tim and his crew have pioneered western-style, drift boat fly-fishing turning a relatively unknown wilderness river into a top Smallmouth destination.  Tim shares some great stories of fishing with the likes of Lefty Kreh and Dave Whitlock, the evolution of the smallmouth game, and his fight to save the Menominee from a highly toxic sulfide mine.   

Tim has been featured on ESPN Outdoors, OLN, Outdoor adventures, and even a Meateaters Das Boat episode.  He's a frequent speaker at clubs and events and has hosted the Midwest Sportsman TV show.   And, he's the Co-Author of the best-selling book called, Smallmouth: Modern Fly Fishing Methods, Tactics, and Techniques.

With Host, Steve Haigh

About Tim Landwehr

• Tim's top pictures of the Menominee River: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Tight Lines Fly Fishing Co:  https://tightlinesflyshop.com/
• Follow Tim and TightLines:   Instagram @TightLinesFlyFishingCowi | Facebook @tightlinesflyshop   
• Join the Coalition to save the Menominee river
• Order Tim's Book:  Smallmouth: Modern Fly Fishing Methods, Tactics, and Techniques.

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods:   https://www.jprossflyrods.com/  Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods.  Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Dec 1, 2021.  Episode 54.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/

Our destination is Flaming Gorge near Dutch John, Utah, and the incredible alpine lakes and streams that blanket the high country with guest, expert fly angler, guide, and videographer Ryan Kelly, known on social media as the @GreenRiverFlyFisher.  Few anglers know about the hundreds of alpine lakes and streams in this area, yet for those anglers willing to do a little hiking, the opportunities are endless for backcountry Rainbows, Cutts, Grayling, even Tiger Trout, some topping 20".         

A little bit about Ryan, he has been fishing the Flaming Gorge Area for 40 years and worked in the fly fishing industry for 28.  As a videographer, Ryan is highly sought after with clients such as Simms, FlyLords Magazine, and many of the local businesses.   You'll be blown away by the quality and creativity of his work.  In his movie Escape, which is part of the 2021 Fly Fishing Film Tour, Ryan shares his personal battle with an autoimmune disease that forces him to stay in forced motion to escape the pain.  This movie has some incredible and unique fly fishing footage.   Ryan anticipates it being released soon for the general public.  

What's more, Ryan shares some great tips on creating "moments of addiction" with a camera.    So grab your hiking boots and your camera and let's head into high country northern UT with Ryan Kelly!

With Host, Steve Haigh

About Ryan Kelly

• Ryan's top pictures and videos of the Alpine lakes and streams: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Preview of Ryan's movie, Escape:  https://www.tu.org/magazine/fishing/trout-talk/fishing-and-filming-to-escape-the-pain/
• Follow Ryan:   @GreenRiverFlyFisher on Facebook and Instagram

Our Sponsors:

• JP Ross Fly Rods & Company - specializing in small stream rods:   https://www.jprossflyrods.com/  Facebook @jprossandcompany   Instagram @jprossflyrods.  Use Happyfish for $50 off any rod purchase.
• Catchflo artist crafted fly-fishing themed footware:  https://catchflo.com/    @catchflo.  Use coupon code DAPOD10 for 10% off your first order.

Destination Angler:

• The Destination Angler Website and Show Notes:   http://destinationangler.libsyn.com/

• Get updates and pictures of destinations covered on each podcast: @DestinationAnglerPodcast on Instagram and Facebook
• Join in the conversation with the @DestinationAnglerConnection group on Facebook:

Comments & Suggestions:  host, Steve Haigh, email shaigh50@gmail.com

Available on Apple, Spotify, or where ever you get your podcasts

Recorded Oct 24, 2021.  Episode 53.

Music on the show by A Brother's Fountain, "Hitch Hike-Man".   

Podcast edited by Podcast Volume  https://www.podcastvolume.com/