Short answer: if you're new to the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast and want to know where to start, these ten episodes cover the widest ground — saltwater flats to mountain streams, stillwater to musky, and a couple that aren't really about technique at all. Each one below links to the full write-up with the episode embedded.

I've recorded a lot of conversations at this point, and the question I get most often is simply "where do I start?" So here's my answer. I've picked for range rather than for downloads — five that lean saltwater and warmwater, five that lean freshwater trout — because the fastest way to get better is to hear how people solve problems on water you don't fish.

Saltwater and warmwater

1. Keith Rose-Innes — the pioneer of Seychelles fly fishing

If you only listen to one saltwater episode, make it this one. Keith is widely regarded as the father of the Seychelles as a fly fishing destination, and the conversation covers flats tactics that apply anywhere you're sight fishing, not just on an atoll. Listen to the episode.

2. Florida tarpon and other species

Tarpon are the fish that ruin people, in the best way. This one covers the Keys, what it actually takes to get a tarpon to eat, and the other species worth chasing when they won't. Listen to the episode.

3. Odom Wu — carp on the fly

Carp are the most underrated fly rod target in North America, and Odom's journey from Laos to fly fishing mastery is a genuinely good story on its own. If you have muddy water near you and think there's nothing to fish for, start here. Listen to the episode.

4. Ryan Walker — smallmouth and big browns of the Ozarks

Ryan covers targeting big smallmouth and the large brown trout of the White River system, plus the conservation side of protecting them. A great listen if you fish warmwater and trout in the same season. Listen to the episode.

5. Chris Willen — three musky tips

Musky on the fly is the definition of low-percentage, high-reward fishing. Chris gives three specific, usable tips that will put more fish in the net rather than another lecture on "the fish of ten thousand casts." Listen to the episode.

Freshwater and trout

6. Phil Rowley — stillwater tactics

Phil is one of the most respected stillwater anglers going, and lakes are where most anglers are weakest. If you've ever stood on a shoreline with no idea where to start, this episode fixes that. Listen to the episode.

7. Katmai Trophy Lodge — giant Alaskan rainbows

Alaska is on nearly every angler's list, and this covers what fishing for genuinely enormous rainbow trout actually involves. Useful whether you're booking a trip or just want to understand how those fish get that big. Listen to the episode.

8. Kevin Sloan — trout spey and slowing down

Swinging for trout is a completely different rhythm from nymphing, and Skwala's Kevin Sloan makes the case for it better than anyone I've had on. This one changed how I fish certain runs. Listen to the episode.

9. Fred Contaoi — what actually makes a fly rod better

Everyone has opinions about rods; very few people have designed one. Fred from Douglas Outdoors explains what's really going on inside a blank, which will save you money the next time you're rod shopping. Listen to the episode. Then have a look at our fly rods with that knowledge in hand.

10. John Dietsch — more than A River Runs Through It

John was the fly fishing director on the film that brought most of us into this sport. But the conversation goes somewhere else entirely, into the healing power of fly fishing. It's the episode people write to me about. Listen to the episode.

Three more worth your time

If those ten land well, keep going with Allen Campbell on micro structure and shadow lines, Josh Gjelina on loch style and competitive technique, and Lance Egan on nymphing.

Where to listen

Every episode is free on Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch on YouTube. Each linked article above has the episode player embedded alongside the write-up, so you can read the summary and listen in the same place.

If you'd rather read than listen, I've written a few eBooks that are instant downloads: the Beginner Fly Fishing eBook, Dry Fly Tactics for Selective Trout, Tips and Tricks for Fly Fishing, and Essential Elements of Destination Travel for Anglers.

And if one of these episodes has you thinking about a trip, the Book a Trip page covers destination travel through Frontiers International Travel, and our Certified Guides & Lodges are operations we know and stand behind.

Tight lines, everyone!

Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast