The Articulate Fly

Fishing Report Episodes

63
Aug. 30, 2026

S8, Ep 63: Seasonal Shifts: Brian Shumaker's Smallmouth Strategies for Late Summer

Episode Overview Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides returns to The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast for another Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report, breaking down how a fresh round of heavy late summer rain has muddied the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers and reshaped smallmouth positioning heading into Labor Day. Shumaker explains how localized thunderstorm tracks determine which branch of the Susquehanna blows out and which stays clean, meaning anglers who understand the West Bra...
62
Aug. 28, 2026

S8, Ep 62: Late Summer Secrets: George Costa's Central PA Fishing Report

Episode Overview On this Central PA Fishing Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with George Costa of TCO Fly Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, for a late summer conditions update. Water levels across the region are running well above the usual late summer norm thanks to a wet summer, keeping trout streams fishable throughout the day even as afternoon action remains the slowest window. Costa reports Tricos are still bringing fish up in the mornings...
Guest: George Costa
61
Aug. 21, 2026

S8, Ep 61: Smallmouth Chronicles: Matt Reilly's Secrets to Success in SW Virginia

Episode Overview What happens to a Southwest Virginia smallmouth fishery when storm after storm rolls through a watershed for weeks on end? On this Southwest Virginia Fishing Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide and writer Matt Reilly of Matt Reilly Fly Fishing for a late-summer update on a region caught in a relentless rain pattern, with flash floods dumping 6 to 7 inches of rain in an hour on parts of the watershed while the New River hol...
Guest: Matt Reilly
59
Aug. 12, 2026

S8, Ep 59: Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report: Captain Brian Shumaker's Late Summer Strategies

Episode Overview On this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for a mid-August conditions update on the Susquehanna River system in Central Pennsylvania. After a heavy rain event pushed the river up, Shumaker reports flows are now falling and clarity is returning, with roughly two feet of visibility on the edges and more color still out in the main current. That in-between...
58
Aug. 7, 2026

S8, Ep 58: Central PA Fishing Report: George Costa's Summer Strategies for Success

Episode Overview George Costa of TCO Fly Shop returns to The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast for another Central PA Fishing Report with host Marvin Cash, checking in on mid-summer conditions across the region's limestone streams. It's a mixed picture: recent weekend rain has pushed the Little Juniata River high and essentially unfishable for the next few days, while Spring Creek, Fishing Creek and Penns Creek remain in solid seasonal shape with manageable flows. Costa reports classic mi...
Guest: George Costa
56
July 29, 2026

S8, Ep 56: Topwater Tactics: Captain Brian Shumaker's Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report

Episode Overview On this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for a peak-summer conditions update on the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers in Central Pennsylvania. Flows are running skinny with a stretch of cool mornings and low humidity, with rain in the forecast to bump levels back up. Shumaker breaks down a topwater program built around a heavy blue damsel bite, the arriva...
55
July 25, 2026

S8, Ep 55: Summer Secrets: George Costa's Central PA Fishing Report

Episode Overview In this Central PA Fishing Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with George Costa of TCO Fly Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, for an end-of-July conditions update. Costa reports Central Pennsylvania's trout streams running a touch above seasonal averages after a recent shot of rain, with solid dry fly and terrestrial action across the region. Water levels are in good shape for late summer, and while overnight temps have cooled in...
Guest: George Costa
54
July 24, 2026

S8, Ep 54: Weathering the Storm: Matt Reilly on Adapting to Summer Fishing Conditions

Episode Overview What happens to smallmouth bass fishing in Southwest Virginia when a big summer rain event hits after weeks of low, clear water? On this Southwest Virginia Fishing Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide and writer Matt Reilly of Matt Reilly Fly Fishing for a real-time look at a region caught mid-storm, with rain hammering areas south of Radford and across northeast Tennessee while the New River itself stays comparatively unaf...
Guest: Matt Reilly
53
July 22, 2026

S8, Ep 53: Cool Waters and Hot Days: Mac Brown’s Guide to Summer Fishing

Episode Overview With freestone trout streams across the Southeast pushing into the upper 60s and low 70s by mid-morning, serious anglers need a plan for beating the summer heat. On this Casting Angles installment of The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash and Master Casting Instructor Mac Brown of Mac Brown Fly Fish and Fly Fishing Guide School in Bryson City, North Carolina, break down how to keep catching trout — or productively wait it out — when peak summer temperatures ...
Guest: Mac Brown
52
July 15, 2026

S8, Ep 52: Hot Days and Night Bites: Brian Shumaker’s Guide to Pennsylvania Smallmouth Fishing

Episode Overview In this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for a midsummer conditions update on the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers in Central Pennsylvania. Recorded following a stretch of triple-digit heat punctuated by heavy rain, the report finds Shumaker firmly in prime topwater season, with blue damselflies coming off heavy from late morning into the evenings and the ...
51
July 10, 2026

S8, Ep 51: Summer Stream Insights: George Costa on Conditions, Patterns and Upcoming Events

Episode Overview In this Central PA Fishing Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with George Costa of TCO Fly Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, for a real-time midsummer conditions update. A cooler, wetter stretch of weather has replaced the previous week's heat, giving Central Pennsylvania's limestone streams a welcome break heading into the weekend. Costa reports that Spring Creek, Penns Creek and Fishing Creek are all running a little above ave...
Guest: George Costa
50
July 9, 2026

S8, Ep 50: Navigating Summer Waters: Ellis Ward on Trout, Musky and the Art of the Evening Bite

Episode Overview How do East Tennessee anglers keep varied, high-quality fishing going through the peak of summer heat? On this East Tennessee Fishing Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide Ellis Ward for a summer conditions update covering tailwater trout, musky and an evening-into-night program that few outfitters offer. The answer, as Ellis explains, comes down to water: East Tennessee's cold tailwater releases stay productive for trout ev...
Guest: Ellis Ward
48
July 1, 2026

S8, Ep 48: Summer Heat Strategies: Captain Brian Shumaker's Smallmouth Tips

Episode Overview A scorching Fourth of July heat wave is bearing down on Central Pennsylvania, and the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers are about to test every smallmouth angler's heat tolerance. On this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for a candid, safety-first conversation about fishing smallmouth bass through triple-digit conditions. With water temperatures pushin...
47
June 27, 2026

S8, Ep 47: Central PA Fishing Forecast: George Costa's Summer Stream Insights

Episode Overview George Costa, manager at TCO Fly Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, joins host Marvin Cash on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast for the latest Central PA Fishing Report as early summer conditions take hold across the region's limestone streams. Recorded in late June with the calendar almost at July, this report catches Central PA at an important seasonal juncture: stream temperatures have been favorable in the low 60s following a recent shot of rain, but a warming tren...
Guest: George Costa
46
June 26, 2026

S8, Ep 46: Low Water, Big Bugs: Matt Reilly's Southwest Virginia Fishing Update

Episode Overview In this Southwest Virginia Fishing Report from The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide and writer Matt Reilly for a late-June conditions update covering the bug bite, streamer strategy and musky gear. With water running very low and clear across most drainages — and a near-94°F heat spike bearing down on the region for the Fourth of July — Matt explains why the current conditions are still worth fishing hard. Damselflies, dragonflies and ...
Guest: Matt Reilly
45
June 24, 2026

S8, Ep 45: Casting Fundamentals: Mac Brown on the Art of the Reach Mend

Episode Overview In this Casting Angles episode of The Articulate Fly, Master Casting Instructor Mac Brown of Mac Brown Fly Fish joins host Marvin Cash for a focused deep-dive into the reach mend — one of fly fishing's most foundational presentation tools, and one Mac argues has been quietly undervalued since Doug Swisher introduced it to American fly fishing in 1971. The conversation serves as both a how-to for beginners and a useful recalibration for intermediate anglers who have been fishi...
Guest: Mac Brown
43
June 19, 2026

S8, Ep 43: Smallmouth Strategies and Seasonal Shifts: Captain Brian Shumaker's Pennsylvania Report

Episode Overview In this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for an early summer conditions update on the Susquehanna River system in central Pennsylvania. With late spawners still working through a post-spawn funk and a stretch of volatile weather keeping temperatures yo-yoing between the 70s and the low 90s, Shumaker explains why the region hasn't fully transitioned to to...
42
June 12, 2026

S8, Ep 42: Exploring Terrestrials and Summer Patterns: George Costa's Fishing Forecast

Episode Overview In this Central PA Fishing Report from The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash checks in with George Costa, manager at TCO Fly Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, for a timely early-summer conditions and hatch update. The season is at a pivotal transition: the dominant spring hatches are winding down, the summer hatch calendar is coming online and terrestrial season is officially starting — all critical intelligence for anglers planning Central PA trout outings over the weeks a...
Guest: George Costa
41
June 10, 2026

S8, Ep 41: Offbeat Seasons and Terrestrial Tactics: Mac Brown's Fishing Strategies

Episode Overview In this episode of The Articulate Fly's Casting Angles series, host Marvin Cash and Mac Brown — owner of Mac Brown Fly Fish and Fly Fishing Guide School in western North Carolina — deliver a timely early summer conditions update for the Tuckaseegee and Nantahala drainages. With the 2026 season running approximately 60 days ahead of schedule, Mac and Marvin unpack what that means for trout anglers trying to calibrate their approach as delayed harvest season closes and technica...
Guest: Mac Brown
39
June 4, 2026

S8, Ep 39: High Water Strategies: Captain Brian Shumaker's Pennsylvania Smallmouth Insights

Episode Overview In this Pennsylvania Smallmouth Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash reconnects with Captain Brian Shumaker of Susquehanna River Guides for an early-June conditions check on the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers in Central Pennsylvania. Recent heavy rainfall pushed both systems well above normal — the Susquehanna approaching 12 feet, the Juniata topping 10 — and Brian breaks down how he's fishing the receding flows and what anglers can expect as the...
38
May 30, 2026

S8, Ep 38: High Water and Transitional Fish: Matt Reilly's Southwest Virginia Fishing Insights

Episode Overview In this Southwest Virginia Fishing Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide Matt Reilly of Matt Reilly Fly Fishing for a candid late-spring conditions update covering the post-spawn transition, dirty water tactics and the seasonal arc ahead. Recorded amid rising, stained flows on the New River and surrounding drainages — following months of below-average flows — the episode captures a moment when Southwest Virginia smallmouth fis...
Guest: Matt Reilly
37
May 29, 2026

S8, Ep 37: Big Water, Big Fish: Ellis Ward's Strategies for Streamer Fishing Success

Episode Overview In this East Tennessee Fishing Report on The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash checks in with guide Ellis Ward for an early-summer conditions update focused on the Watauga River tailwater. After a dry spring that kept anglers grinding through tough conditions, a stretch of rain and rising water has Ellis bullish on what's ahead: bigger flows, off-color water, and the full slate of techniques that make East Tennessee tailwaters unique. He covers the current Watauga generation s...
Guest: Ellis Ward
36
May 28, 2026

S8, Ep 36: Navigating High Water: Mac Brown's Strategies for Stained Conditions

Episode Overview In this Casting Angles segment on The Articulate Fly, host Marvin Cash and veteran guide and Master Casting Instructor Mac Brown tackle one of the most practical — and underappreciated — skill sets in freshwater fly fishing: how to adapt your approach when elevated, stained water follows prolonged rainfall. Recorded against the backdrop of a week of steady rain across western North Carolina, with more forecast ahead, Mac shares a framework for fly selection, water reading and...
Guest: Mac Brown
35
May 22, 2026

S8, Ep 35: From Sulphurs to Drakes: George Costa's Essential Fishing Report for Central PA

Episode Overview This Central PA Fishing Report on The Articulate Fly fly fishing podcast finds host Marvin Cash checking in with George Costa, manager at TCO Fly Shop in State College, Pennsylvania, for a late-spring conditions update across Central PA's limestone streams. Recorded in late May ahead of Memorial Day weekend, the report captures one of the most productive dry fly windows of the year: sulphurs, March browns and Drakes are all in play simultaneously, and Costa is emphatic that t...
Guest: George Costa