In this episode of The DrakeCast, we sit down with Drake Magazine founder and editor, Tom Bie, to talk through the Fall 2025 issue of the magazine. We'll provide some background information on the stories we ran, why we ran them, and hear contributor Mike Fitzgerald read his essay that we both thought was fantastic. The Fall 25 Issue should be on fly shop and newsstand shelves across the country. If you’re a subscriber, feel free to follow along with the print issue. If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can sign up online at Drakemag.com. Its $38 for the year.

In this episode we hear author and Alaskan flyfishing guide George Rogers read his story "The Pink Ranchers" and learn about the hidden threats that Alaskan hatcheries pose to our country's last great wild fishery.

In this episode of The DrakeCast we return to The Lodge at 58* North for the second half of a week of fishing Alaska’s Bristol Bay. In between fishing for pike, rainbows, and king salmon, we'll hear about the troubles facing the region's fisheries.

In this episode of The DrakeCast we head to The Lodge at 58* North for a week of fishing Alaska’s Bristol Bay. In between chasing trout, char, grayling and salmon, we chat with the people who add to this already remarkable place.

In this episode, we'll spend a day on the water with my friend Israel as he searches for his first musky. Along the way, we will chat with a journalist about the early years of fishing in Wisconsin's Northwoods and take a field trip to learn about the role trains played in the Badger State's fishing history.

In 2021, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources completed the removal of a derelict dam from The Dowagiac River, reconnecting the waterway for the first time in over 120 years. What happens when the status quo is thrown out the window and we're forced to confront change? This episode is about how the people, the water way, and the fish have adapted. Make sure to visit our website, drakemag.com to subscribe to the magazine as well as to see images of the dam removal process. Many thanks to this week's sponsors, Windstar Enterprises (windstarsolutions.com) and The Lodge at 58* North (thelodgeat58north.com).

In May of 2025 I found myself in a boat with a trout guy in search of warmwater fish. In this episode of The DrakeCast we throw poppers with Erik Johnsen, the community marketing manager at TroutRoutes, and discuss whether or not he is ruining flyfishing. Many thanks to Patagonia and their improved Swiftcurrent waders for helping make this possible. We'll be back in two weeks with another episode.

Across the country in late June and early July, mulberry trees fruit, producing tasty berries enjoyed by humans, birds, and squirrels alike. You’ll often see evidence of this on sidewalks in suburban neighborhoods stained purple by the fallen berries. But if these mulberry trees are hanging over water, fish are able to enjoy the fruits of their bounty as well. On today's episode we join guide Luke Annear of Freshwater Flats on an unnamed river in Southern Wisconsin in the search of carp and catfish. If you've ever wanted to catch a carp on the fly, and particularly on a mulberry fly, you can find Luke Annear on Instagram @freshwaterflats or on his website www.freshwaterflats.com. Many thanks to Patagonia and their improved Swiftcurrent waders for helping make this possible. We'll be back in two weeks with another episode.

Welcome to Part 2 of the Patagonia Swiftcurrent miniseries. Today, we speak with Alex Gonsiewski about a fishing trip that did not go as planned. Alex is a flyfishing guide in Oregon, where he targets trout and summer steelhead on the Deschutes River, summer steelhead on the John Day, and winter steelhead on the North Oregon coast. Between rainbow runs, Alex hosts angling trips around the world. He's taken clients to Mexico, Belize, Bolivia, Alaska, Christmas Island, and Puerto Rico. In 2023, Alex and a group of clients flew to Sudan for nine days of fishing on the Red Sea's Nubian Flats. Unfortunately, while Alex and company were on the water, the country fell into a vicious civil war that has since claimed the lives of 150,000 people and displaced more than thirteen million. To find out more about Alex and see his stunning photography, you can visit his website: https://www.alexgonsiewski.com/ or find him on IG: @alexgonsiewski Many thanks to Patagonia for making this episode possible. To check out their brand new Swiftcurrent Waders and find out how you can win an Alaskan fishing adventure, visit this link: https://drakemag.com/swiftcurrent-wader-contest/

Cold & Clear by John Larison originally appeared in the Winter 2016 issue of The Drake Magazine and to this day, it is one of best stories about steelheading we've ever run. Today, we bring you the author reading his story. After the reading, we'll hear an interview with John from 2019. This episode is made possible thanks to generous support from the team at Patagonia, who are celebrating the launch of their undated and improved Swiftcurrent Waders. For more information on the waders, and how you can win a trip to Alaska with Frigate Travel, visit our website: https://drakemag.com/swiftcurrent-wader-contest/

A year ago today, May 25, 2022, a fire started in the middle of the Bolivian jungle, burning down a lodge in one of the most sought-after fishing destinations in the world. To tell that story, we have Drake magazine founder, Tom Bie. To get more stories like this pick up a copy of The Drake at your local fly shop or subscribe at drakemag.com. This episode was made possible by generous support from The Eleven Experience, Scott Fly Rods, and Grundens. If you like the show, give em some of your money.

Today we have a story from the Winter 2022/23 issue of The Drake Magazine called “Numbers Game,” that basically asks the question, do I need to catch more fish? The author, Stephen Sautner, does a better job answering that question than I have heard in a long time. To continue this discussion and many others, get your hands on the latest issue of The Drake Magazine either on our website, drakemag.com, or better yet, at your local fly shop. If you like what you heard, make sure to check out Stephen’s new audiobook “Fish on, Fish off.” In it he reads 50 stories about angling and misadventure. Think of it like a six-and-a-half-hour podcast of real-life fishing stories about heartbreak, terror, and triumph. “Fish On, Fish Off” is available on Audible and Audiobooks.com.

Today, with the help of Drake magazine editor and founder, Tom Bie, we’ll be walking through what you can find in the Fall 2022 issue of the Drake. If you’re hearing this, it means you should be able to buy it at your local fly shop or on our website, drakemag.com. Many thanks to Scott Fly Rods and The Eleven Experience for making this episode possible, and a big thanks to all of the advertisers in the print magazine as well. A shout out to Hansi Johnson for chatting with us about his photo. You can find him on instagram @hansski43

This week we have a couple old episodes that we’ve smashed together. They’re both about the Mississippi River, and they’re both about family and fishing on 11/11, Armistice Day, Veterans Day, which is when this episode is being released. If you’re listening on 11/11, I’m currently down on the Mississippi, probably not catching fish. Many thanks to our sponsors The Eleven Experience (https://elevenexperience.com)and Scott Fly Rods (https://www.scottflyrod.com) for helping make this episode possible

A few months ago a family friend gave me a taxidermied brown trout that had been mounted in the 80s. When I went to the friend’s house to get the story behind the fish I somehow left with the rod and reel that had caught it, plus a whole lot more. This episode is the story of that fish, the rod, and the anglers that came before us. Music for this episode was written and recorded by Russell Pedersen and appears on his album, Steal from the Rushes. You can see him live with his band Horseshoes and Hand Grenades at a few concerts this summer in Wisconsin. They always put on a heck of a show. (Link to the album: https://russellpedersen.bandcamp.com/album/steal-from-the-rushes) This episode was made possible by generous support from The Eleven Experience, Scott Fly Rods, and Howler Bros. If you like the show, give em some of your money and tell em we sent ya.

Today, with the help of Drake magazine editor and founder, Tom Bie, we’ll be walking through what you can expect from the coming Fall 2021 issue of the Drake. If you’re hearing this, it means you should be able to buy it at your local fly shop or on our website, Drakemag.com. Many thanks to Scott Fly Rods, The Eleven Experience, and Howler Brothers for making this episode possible, and a big thanks to all of the advertisers in the print magazine as well. A shout out to our voice actor Bobby Eckert, who is a guide in upstate New York. He plays a mean Alec Baldwin and knows what he’s doing behind the oars. You can find him on instagram @freestoneflytours

As you’ll see in the title, this is a continuation of the Steelhead miniseries that started years ago - Chapter 3 to be exact. And while I recognize that the vast majority of anglers will never set foot in a native steelhead watershed, I’m harping on this issue because I think these fish are a bit of a canary in the coal mine for fisheries, and the world as a whole. I’m worried that their health is a sign of things to come for our rivers and really all of us. And the past 12 months have brought But today, I wanna head to a little corner of Oregon where things haven’t quite gone to shit. Where, despite the efforts of miners, noxious air and a million other villains, that lil yellow bird is still chirping. For now. And there might be something you can do to make sure it stays that way. TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK AT THE OCTOBER 15 ODFW COMMISSION MEETING, FOLLOW THIS LINK: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_2jsvNgcdRiCHUZjgmXUJzg TO FURTHER EDUCATE YOURSELF, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE NATIVE FISH SOCIETY WEBSITE: https://nativefishsociety.org/news-media/stand-up-for-wild-fish-in-southern-oregon

When the idea for this podcast was first tossed around, we knew we wanted it to be an extension of the Drake Magazine - and one of the ways we envisioned doing so was by having magazine contributors read their stories. In this episode Andy Harris reads his essay “The Club,” which appeared in the Spring 2021 Issue of the Drake Magazine. The story is about a young man fishing private water forty years ago, but I found it to be pretty timeless because it’s about why we fish, and the social capital that we place on and gain from our piscatorial pursuits - a question I’ve been asking myself for the past few years. If you want to read other stories of this calibre, make sure to subscribe to the Drake. $40 for the year. Every single one of us could benefit from less time on our phones. Let a print magazine help you do so. Finally, many thanks to The Eleven Experience, Scott Fly Rods, and Howler Bros. for making this show possible. If you like the show, give em somma your money and tell em we sent ya.

It’s been a while, but as of right now, despite the fact that no one was asking for it, The DrakeCast is back for a little bit. We’ve got six episodes slated for release between now and the end of 2021. The first of these episodes (which also happens to be the second of the Steelhead Miniseries) is a story of the fine line between exploration and exploitation. 70 miles west of Juneau is the minuscule town of Elfin Cove, which you can only access by boat or floatplane. Instead of roads, wooden boardwalks connect the municipal gas station to the bar that’s open when it wants to, to dozens of boats moored in front of fishing lodges. One of these lodges is the aptly named Elfin Cove Resort, which is where this episode takes place. During the main fishing season, Elfin Cove normally froths with meat-haulin gear guys aiming to fill the freezer. But in May of 2018, hardly anyone was in town. We were certainly the only non-commercial fishermen. And we weren’t there for your typical halibut jigging or king trolling. Instead, we would enter the heart of the Tongass National Forest in search of steelhead. This is the story of what we found, and the questions that you have to ask yourself when fishing. In this episode we slide across glacial bays in a jet boat, eat at a greasy spoon diner with Mark Hieronymus (the Sportfish Outreach Coordinator for Trout Unlimited & part-time Simms model), and wade into unnamed Tongass rivers. This reboot of the DrakeCast would not have been possible without generous support from Howler Brothers, Scott Fly Rods, and The Eleven Experience. If you like the show, go buy their stuff and let 'em know we sent ya.

In this episode of the DrakeCast we meet two characters with similar pasts who have ended up in very different places. They both love steelhead, but in very different ways. We'll also hear from Trout Unlimited Steelhead Biologist John McMillan as we attempt to understand how we can prevent loving these fish to death.