The Deep Wade Podcast

Five Reasons We Love Steelhead

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 behavio

Why one Mykiss goes to sea and the other does not

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 d

Shane Anderson, film-maker, on his trip snorkeling the Elwha River

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, th

Interview with Navajo Flyfisher Ruth Simms

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 A

Interview with Dr. Jack Stanford Professor of Everything Rivers and Fish

In this episode from the original Barbless Podcast John interviews Dr. Jack Stanford, one of the world's preeminent river geomorphologists and fishery biologists. Ja

Interview with The Metal God - Bill Herzog

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 Me

Five Adages of Swinging the Fly for Winter Steelhead

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

Hardcore History of Salmon with Bill McMillan

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 th

Introduction to the podcast and the traits that make each salmonid unique

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 s

To set the hook or not when swinging flies for steelhead?

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 set

Steelhead and their astonishing life history diversity

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

Making sense of water temperature, steelhead, and implications for swinging flies

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.