Fin & Fire with Jeff Mishler

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. 

If you love duck hunting, particularly hunting mallards over decoys, this episode is for you. In this episode of Fin and Fire with Jeff Mishler, Mike Callian and I discuss duck blind construction, the new DSD line of mallard decoys, and how to effectively deploy them for maximum success.  

Tom Larimer has dedicated his career to fly fishing.  In his new role as North American Sales Director for Farbank, he has access to some of the best products in the industry.  In this episode of Fin and Fire With Jeff Mishler, Tom and I discuss his new position and go deep into winter trout techniques utilizing all of the tools in his chest. 

Fall is my favorite time of year. In this episode of Fin and Fire With Jeff Mishler, I mash-up my favorite moments from the waterfowl hunting shows because, it's duck season, and I'm going duck hunting.  Mike Callian and Dave Smith of Dave Smith Decoys and shooting instructor Eric White cover some critical elements in the process of calling and shooting waterfowl.

After all of these episodes featuring the most interesting people in the world of hunting and fish, the guys at Fin and Fire asked me to pull together a mash-up of my favorite spey centric/steelhead interviews.  So here it is.  Ed Ward, Scott O'Donnell, Dec Hogan and Rich Zellman share stories from a life committed to fishing for steelhead with a two handed rod.

In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler I meet up with Dave Pinczkowski on the banks of the Deschutes River during his once in a lifetime, month-long, west coast steelhead adventure. After a few days of fishing together we share some stories and in the process I learn how to fish for sturgeon and catfish with a swinging fly. 

In this episode of Fin And Fire with Jeff Mishler, I share stories with Ken Morrish, a life long angler, fly designer, destination travel professional and international angler seeking the next great adventure. Ken Morrish of Fly Water Travel lays bare the ideas behind his fly designs and motivation to connect you with your next great adventure.

Amy Eichner is a category manager for Benchmade Knives.  In this episode of Fin and Fire With Jeff Mishler we discuss the inspiration and motivation to create this new line of knives. The Water line meets the needs of those seeking a quality knife for a lifestyle spent on the water.

Besides creating some of the most beautiful and effective steelhead flies, Charles St. Pierre seeks the culture of angling for one reason...the people.  In this episode of Fin And Fire with Jeff Mishler, Charles and I talk about flies, presentation, and our gear, but by the end of our conversation it's clear that Charles is in it for the Vibe.

Introducing a new clothing brand into a crowded fishing market takes courage.  But it also requires a quality product filling a specific need. Poncho Outdoors has provided an answer to the question: Why do fishing shirts have to fit like a garbage bag? In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Dexter Levandoski presents Poncho and the answer to that question. They don't.

Our access to public lands remains in the crosshairs of new policy proposals in Washington DC.  These lands are our lands. They make the USA unique. In this episode of Fin and Fire With Jeff Mishler, Steve Kandell and Corey Fisher from Trout Unlimited explain the most recent challenges we face and how to work on the ground to guarantee perpetual access for all. 

Introducing a new line of fly rods into a crowded, competitive market is a bold move.  NAM Rods are a recent addition.  In this episode of Fin and Fire With Jeff Mishler, Dax Messett, head of USA Sales and Development, discusses the array of models offered, the motivation behind the brand, and the qualities of each model in the lineup. NAM rods, available and finandfire.com, present something for everyone. 

Jon Hazlett was a curious young man during the early days of the Sandy River Spey Clave.  Now, he's a featured instructor.  His journey to this point makes for a great conversation. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Jon and I take a break from the clave activities and share stories to discover common ground. 

Dec Hogan was part of a triad which influenced and defined steelhead fishing with a two handed rod as we know it today. In this episode of Fin And Fire With Jeff Mishler, Dec and I sit down for a chat during the 2025 Sandy River Spey and take a long "trip down memory lane" as Dec says, and rekindle a friendship 25 years in the making.