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 st...

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. Support the show

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 o...

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 angl...

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, ...

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 understa...

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, h...

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 rep...

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 w...

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 ...

This is a repeat episode from John's Barbless podcast back in 2020.Original description: In this episode, John breaks down the remarkable life history diversity of steelhead, including the benefits of rainbow trout, using very simple language to expand upon a very complex topic. His analogies and metaphors, such as what Danny DeVito, Ah'nold, and the Mountain have in common with O. mykiss, offer a unique glimpse into the attributes that make steelhead stand apart from so many other Pacific sa...

This is a repeat of John McMillan's first Barbless Podcast episode on water temperature, steelhead, and how and why water temperature is critical to swinging flies.Original description from 2020: Winter steelhead season is almost upon us, and with it come colder water temperatures and higher stream flows. Water temperature is considered the master variable for salmon, steelhead and trout because it regulates their metabolism, which in turn determines how active fish will be. While many angler...