Fin & Fire with Jeff Mishler

The Best Fly Fishing Is Everywhere is a new book of short stories by Jesse Lance Robbins addressing the "why" of our fishing passion.  In this episode, Jesse and I sit down in a co-op workspace in Springfield, Oregon, share beers and a bunch of personal experiences from our separate lives of discovery on the water. 

In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Elk Calling Champion Tony Gilbertson and I wrap up our conversation about calling and hunting elk. This must-listen conversation is a great primer for any archery elk hunter getting ready for the season.  

Just in time for elk season, Tony Gilbertson and I spend an afternoon sharing elk hunting stories and calling techniques. As a pro staffer for Phelps Game Calls, he discusses the equipment he has designed and uses on his path to victory.  This conversation is broken into two parts. 

If you own any Sitka Gear, you know it's incredibly well designed and very durable.  In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, I chat with Matt Carara at the Sitka facility in Bozeman, Montana.  We tell some hunting and fishing stories, and in the process, define what makes Sitka Gear an industry powerhouse. 

Simms waders and fly fishing go together like peanut butter and jelly.  In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, I sit with Kyle Dresser at the Simms facility near Bozeman, Montana after taking a tour of the factory and discuss Gore-tex wader production and what it takes to maintain the Simms brand and product supply.

Rich Hohne has worked in the fly fishing business for over 30 years.  In that time, he has worked for the largest names in the industry. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, I sit down with Rich at his office in the Skwala Fishing headquarters in Bozeman, Montana and talk about what makes Skwala products exceptional.

Jayson Hayes builds beautiful boats.  Wood boats. One at a time.  In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Jayson and I sit in his shop and discuss his motivations and inspirations behind the effort to build custom boats for customers who understand the pleasures of fishing from a true Mckenzie boat handmade in the land of its origins.

Bob Hodson left Southern California at age 19.  He took a caretaker job at a remote hunting lodge, surrounded by the wildness of a 1970's Alaska. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Bob and I discuss his well lived life while maintaining a solid family unit and the endless pursuit of critters with a fly rod. 

The guy's at Fin and Fire asked me to sit with them in the wake of my interviews with Andy Mill and Tom McGuane.  This episode of Fin and Fire featuring yours truly, puts me in the hot seat to answer the burning questions that the staff at the shop have been dying to ask. 

Tom McGuane invited me to come to Florida and hang out for a few days early in the Tarpon season.  Eventually, this conversation evolved. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler I get to ask the questions I've always wanted to ask, and he shares sincerely his thoughts on inspiration, technique, processes and yes, angling. 

Pursuing tarpon with a fly rod presents an opportunity for the angler to test the limits of their gear and mental capacity.  In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler I chat with Andy Mill and discuss the psychological requirements of steelhead and tarpon fishing while unlocking differences in the respective technical approaches. 

Preparing for wilderness conditions as a chef presents challenges compounded by three things: the number of days in the wild, and the number of people you're cooking for and the weather.  In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Colby and I break down the processes of planning for adversity.  If you cook outdoors on extended trips, this conversation is relevant.

Each winter Fin and Fire host a fly tying challenge at the shop in Redmond, Oregon. This episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler features short interviews with a few participants, past winners, the event organizer and this year's winner.  It's day of community and culture focused on the creative act of putting feathers and thread on a hook.

What makes one steelhead fly more effective that the other? Does size and color matter?  Is there a silver bullet yet to be discovered? In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Jeff Hickman and I pick apart the steelheader's main concern: Should I change my fly? 

Some of us tie our flies, others buy them.  Either way, you need a fly at the end of the line. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Patrick Kilby of Rio Flies and I discuss tying, designing and fishing various patterns throughout our angling experiences and the industry of fly sales. We also share experiences in our quest to improve the quality of our offerings.  

The 2025-2026 Upland season is winding down. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, I revisit my favorite clips from past episodes focused on the processes of hunting upland birds: gun dog training, the gear we use, and the ethics inherent in our hunting experience. If you love hunting upland birds or are curious about the processes, sit back and enjoy.