The BackCast Podcast

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.

 

The BackCast Podcast episode 56 with guest Chris Wood of Trout Unlimited

For episode 56, Richard and John chat with Chris Wood the President and CEO of Trout Unlimited.  Founded on the banks of our very own Au Sable River; Chris now leads this organization in the endless quest to protect and promote cold-water conservation.  We enjoyed this chat and hope that you do, too!

Beyond being an avid outdoorsman, Chris is the author of numerous papers and books.  You may read some of Chris’ articles, here. 

 

The BackCast Podcast episode 55 with guest Richard Alexander

John and Richard sit down with Richard Alexander.  Richard is a Salt Lake City native who has spent a good portion of his adult life collecting and fishing with vintage fly rods and fly reels. Over the years he has joined and participated with online fly-fishing forums buying and selling rods and reels. He began photographing each item as it passed through his hands, creating a rich photo library of the rare and historical items he had grown to love. To share his passion for vintage fly tackle and insight of antique rods and reels, he created the Antique Rod & Reel Library website www.antiquerodandreels.com . The website was designed to help anyone identify the items in their possession by comparing them to the rods and reels in the online library. Richard is always excited about sharing his knowledge and experiences with anyone interested in vintage fly tackle.

 

Over time, Richard began to identify a niche in today’s fly-fishing market. There was a reason people loved these old fishing items, and he would often hear them say, “They just don’t make them like they used to.” Richard sought to fix that. Combining his love for flyfishing and passion for the sport, as well as almost forty years of experience in engineering design, machining and manufacturing, the RC Alexander Imperial 125 was born. The Alexander Imperial 125 is a modern evolution of Heddon’s Imperial 125 that gives the fisherman the classic look and balance of the vintage reel but the robustness of today’s modern materials and machining tolerances. The Alexander Imperial 125 is machined from solid aircraft grade aluminum bar stock with internal components being made from todays lighter stronger alloys. One characteristic of the Alexander Imperial 125 is an agate line guide as found on the original 1924 version of the reel, along with the three-position check adjustment added to the post WWII reels. The Alexander Imperial 125 reel can be ordered in left- or right-hand retrieve and in several Cerakote colors shown on the website https://rcalexanderreels.com .

 

The BackCast Podcast with guest Greg Corace episode 20 2022 season

For this episode; Richard and I have the pleasure of sitting down with Greg Corace.  Greg is a forestry and wildlife ecologist.  Greg began working at the Alpena-Montmorency Conservation District in 2019. Greg has a Bachelor's of Science (Zoology) and a Master's of Science (Biology) from Northern Michigan University and a Ph.D. (Forest Science) from Michigan Technological University. Greg was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana. Over the last 20+ years, Greg has conducted forest planning, applied research, management, and inventory and monitoring on public and private lands in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For more information on Greg and his past work, visit his ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Greg_Corace  You may also view some of Greg’s “non-academic articles here: http://www.alpenamontcd.org/articles-of-interest/germination-and-soil-scarification

 

The BackCast Podcast with guest Kristin Thomas ep 19 2022 season

This week, Richard & I are joined by Kristin Thomas.  Kristin is an aquatic biologist with Michigan TU.  Among a variety of impressive projects; Kristin has most recently been involved with the placement of large woody debris (big trees carefully placed in the river by a helicopter).  This map link shows the project area. 

The BackCast Podcast with guest Dell Whitman - episode 18 2022 season

This week, John and Richard sit down with expert gunsmith and gun fitter Dell Whitman. 

 

Dell is an upland bird hunting enthusiast, focusing mainly on grouse and woodcock, while also pursuing western and southwestern upland birds. He trains his own bird dogs and owns both flushing and pointing dogs, including a French Brittany and a field-bred English Cocker Spaniel. Dell is an Orvis pro staff member and a technical writer for Shooting Sportsman magazine. Dell enjoys camping, fishing, gardening, beekeeping and shooting 28 GA and 410 GA shotguns.

 

Want to learn more about Dell – search on… D. C. Whitman Custom Gunsmithing, 8455 Maple City Hwy., Lake Ann, MI 49650.  Dell does have a Facebook presence, but not a dedicated website.

 

The BackCast Podcast Michigan TU Youth Camp with Jon Chizmadia and Andy Pokorski

Our guests this week are Jon Chizmadia and Andy Pokorski.  Jon and Andy are two of the leaders involved with running the Michigan TU Youth Camp.  The camp is an amazing opportunity for young people to be exposed to all aspects of fly fishing and cold water conservation.  Amazingly, there are times when some of these spots go open.

 

Jon has offered his TU chapter email address so that interested parties (either as participants or volunteers) may contact him directly.  jonchizmadia@kvctu.org 

 

We hope you’ll find this conversation as enjoyable and inspiring as we did.  Learn more about the camp at this link: https://www.kvctu.org/2022/01/15/2022-michigan-youth-conservation-trout-camp/