The BackCast Podcast

The BackCast Podcast episode 66 with guest Steve Johnson

After an unplanned week off; Richard and I are back and have a neat guest for you.  Our fellow board member and unsung hero of the Au Sable, Steve Johnson, sits down with us this week.  Steve’s family has been in the Lovells area for a very long time.  Steve shares insights into his childhood and formative years as well as his adult experiences.  Steve has seen a lot and done a lot.  We hope you enjoy this conversation.

The BackCast Podcast episode 65 with special guest Dr. Ben Jones of RGS

This week, Richard and I are joined by special guest Dr. Ben Jones.  Ben is President and CEO of the Ruffed Grouse Society & American Woodcock Society. RGS & AWS unites conservationists to improve wildlife habitat and forest health for ALL forest wildlife. We promote forest stewardship for our forests, our wildlife and our future. We envision landscapes of diverse, functioning forest ecosystems that provide homes for wildlife and opportunities for people to experience them. Ruffed grouse and American woodcock are bellwethers of forest condition - they can only persist in healthy, diverse forests. These same forests clean the air, filter water, and support local communities.

Working forests work for wildlife!

 

RGS/AWS website: https://ruffedgrousesociety.org

 

RGS Migration Mapping: https://ruffedgrousesociety.org/migration-map/

The BackCast Podcast episode 64 with guest Tim Scott of Tie-a-Thon

This week, Richard & I sit down with Tim Scott.  Tim and Terry Wittorp are the co-founders of the Tie-a-thon program which has gently nudged fly tyers from all over the world to donate over 200,000 flies, and counting, to various good causes over the past 16 years.

 

They have a very simple mission: “To provide quality flies tied by volunteers to non-profit groups and organizations that use fly fishing for therapy or education.”  And, they have done a heck of a job getting results.  Check out these numbers…

 

• 16 years of donating 
• 6 non-profit recipients 
• $661,200 in flies donated
• Donations from American Samoa, 5 provinces of Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Scotland.

• Donations from all 50 states

• 55 tyers have donated over 1,000 flies 

 

Tim is a great person and a heck of a lot of fun to chat with.  We hope you’ll enjoy this episode!

 

You may learn more about Tim and the Tie-A-Thon by visiting their website https://www.tieathon.org or check them out on Instagram!

 

The BackCast Podcast episode 63 with Rod Maker Jeff Wagner

Welcome back.  With Rodmakers at Grayrock in the not too distance future Richard and I are joined this week by rod maker Jeff Wagner.  Rod Maker is applied to a wide swath of craftsmen; Jeff is definitely in the elite portion of this distinction.  His work is magnificent and can be viewed on his website.  We had a very enjoyable chat with Jeff and hope you enjoy listening to him.

The BackCast Podcast episode 62 with guests Mitch Salhaney and Don Boyd

This week John & Richard are joined by Mitch Salhaney and Don Boyd of the Grayling Fish Hatchery.  There are a lot of very cool things happening at the Hatchery, including some breaking news.  We definitely feel you’ll want to hear what is going on.  Mitch and Don have a strong passion for this project and we’re happy to share that with you.

 

If you’re in the area; please consider including a visit to the hatchery in your plans.  You may find out more on their website or on their Facebook page.

 

The BackCast Podcast episode 61 with guest Jim Schottenham

Our guest this week is Jim Schottenham.  Jim is the curator of the American Museum of Fly Fishing.  Jim also has a passion for early American reels.  He can often be found hosting his own podcast (Reel Talk) through the American Museum of Fly Fishing.  As past president of the Old Reel Collectors Association and former reel expert for Lang’s Tackle Auction, Jim has spent decades collecting, studying, and writing about antique reels for numerous publications. 

AMFF Site: https://www.amff.org

Jim’s contact: JSchottenham@amff.org

The BackCast Podcast episode 60 with guest Joan Wulff

We’re posting this episode a few days before the start of Michigan’s Trout Season (or Opener, as we like to call it).  Richard and I have the pleasure of sharing a conversation with Joan Wulff.  Almost everyone has heard her name and she is widely accepted as The First Lady of Fly Fishing.  At 96 years young, she is still super sharp and engaging.

 

As the American Museum of Fly Fishing notes; “The accomplishments of Joan Wulff are staggering. She helped to found the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum; she holds International Women’s Fishing Association club records for Atlantic salmon (1975) and brook trout (1966); she is a trustee of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the International Game Fish Association; she is a senior advisor with the Federation of Fly Fishers; she has made multiple television appearances on ABC, ESPN, and PBS; and she has received more than twenty-two honors and awards, including induction into the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame, the American Museum of Fly Fishing Heritage Award, and the Federation of Fly Fishers Lifetime Achievement Award. Wulff was honored in 1998 when a group of avid anglers from New Jersey named their club the Joan Wulff Fishing Club.”

 

We’re delighted to share this conversation with you.  Best wishes for a great Opener.  We hope you’ll swing through the museums, see this year’s displays and perhaps join us for the Leaky Wader 1K.  We’ll see you there!

The BackCast Podcast - Episode 59 - Remembering Jim Schramm

Welcome to our first episode of 2023.  Trout Season is fast approaching and we’re ready for you.  For this episode Richard and John are joined by Glen Eberly, Dave Cozad and Tom Baird to recognize and remember Jim Schramm.  Jim is our newest inductee to the Unsung Heroes of the Au Sable.  Jim’s legal work on behalf of cold-water conservation is significant and we think you’ll enjoy learning more about this unique gentleman.

The BackCast Podcast episode 58 with guest Michigan Author Joe Heywood

Richard and John are joined by author Joe Heywood.  Joseph Heywood is the author of The Snowfly, Covered Waters, The Berkut, Taxi Dancer, The Domino Conspiracy, the ten previous Woods Cop Mysteries, Hard Ground: Woods Cop Stories, Harder Ground, and the Lute Bapcat Mysteries Red Jacket and Mountains of the Misbegotten. Featuring Grady Service, a contemporary detective in the Upper Peninsula for Michigan's Department of Natural Resources, and Lute Bapcat, a Rough Rider turned Michigan game warden in the 1910s, Heywood's mystery series have earned the author cult status among lovers of the outdoors, law enforcement officials, and mystery devotees. Heywood lives in Portage, Michigan.

The BackCast Podcast episode 57 with guest Joe Hemming of Anglers of the Au Sable

Richard and John are joined by Joe Hemming, President of Anglers of the Au Sable.  Joe practiced law in the Detroit area for 35 years, specializing in family law and mediation/arbitration in the area of business law. He received his J.D. degree from Wayne State University and his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. He currently is pursuing a master’s degree in history.

 

Joe picked up fly fishing as part of his mid-life crisis in the late ‘90s and never looked back. He rapidly honed his skills through Trout Unlimited’s fly-fishing school, then found the perfect little place on the Au Sable River near Wakeley Bridge to lure his family into the fly-fishing fold. Joe, his wife Betsy, and daughters Erin and Caty, have enjoyed this slice of Heaven since 2001.

 

Joe joined the Anglers of the Au Sable several years ago and is honored to be part of this fine organization. Aside from being President, Joe is one of the attorneys who represented Anglers of the Au Sable in the fish farm fight involving the old Grayling Fish Hatchery. He had also been active in the efforts to halt oil and gas drilling along the Mason Tract. Having majored in history in college, Joe is an avid history buff and enjoys gaining historical knowledge about the Au Sable River and surrounding area. He also is a lifetime supporter of the Lovells Township Historical Society and member (and past board member) of the Au Sable River Property Owners Association. In addition, Joe is a member of Fly Fishers International and Trout Unlimited and a past member on the Board of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Alliance. Joe plans to stay actively involved in the protection and preservation of the Au Sable River for many years to come.