MeatEater Podcast Ep. 476 | Fishing with Jedi Master Son Tao

[@johnathanyant7767]

That’s what I like about the guests on this podcast is they’re super interesting people that we’ve never heard of before

[@terrybennetts7898]

God Bless Son Tao. God Bless our Veterans. Fishing Is a great getaway from life's problems. Being a fisherman, it can get a little pricey but it is worth it. We could use more people Son. Thanks Steven.

[@EskimoChild169]

For those who are not familiar with Son Tao, he has set the standard for tying quality. The dedication to the craft it takes to get there isn't to be underestimated, has an icon in the tying world.

[@stevenboyd6560]

Does he have a link? I was listening to the episode before bed and thought I heard something about him having videos at the end.

[@EskimoChild169]

@@stevenboyd6560He does everything on Instagram

[@andyniblock5386]

The podcast was always amazing, but adding video definitely ads another layer to it. Brilliant as usual

[@fishduckdog]

My father was the 1st American 🇺🇸 soldier to marry a Vietnamese national, in 1962. United States government denied his request, but with the help of a Chaplin, got married by the justice of the peace in Saigon. Then the government had to acknowledge the marriage and I was born in 1964. My Swedish Grandfather and father taught me to fish 🎣 , hunt, trap, tree identification. Minnesota native, consider myself ScandinAsian American 😅. 4 years ago, an old army buddy got me into fly fishing and now my 1 year down the rabbit hole 🕳️ of fly tying. Interesting guest! Thanks for the awesome program.

[@yodavyde8165]

Great Episode always remember Freedom isn’t free. Our Veterans need our support

[@joedrought5468]

I'm a big of the Meateater podcast and have enjoyed every one. However, this podcast is, by far, my favorite. I've followed Son's excellent fly tying video posts from the beginning. Awesome content. His story and discussion about PTSD and suicide prevention is spot on and incredibly necessary. As a volunteer and participant with Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, I thank you for this conversation and exposure to the cause. Keep up the great work.

[@larryduncan4804]

Son Thank you for a tremendous story and for your time served for our country. After 30 years away from it you have me interested in getting back in to tying.

[@IIINJs]

Im So pumped that you have Son Tao on, I have been following him on instagram for a very long time. He is truly an inspirational person and fly tyer.

[@tamtao310]

I'm very proud to have you in my life Son👍I love you very much ❤️

[@joelhunter3812]

Another amazing podcast, the amount of information u can walk away with after watching one of these podcats is unmatched. Keep up the great work👍

[@aaronjenkins8175]

So cool to hear my home flyshop mention in this podcast. Been going there for 20+ years. They helped me when i got started and its no surprise they helped Son.

[@beaubellamy2999]

Bless you MeatEater team! I’m pumped for the new season. I’ve been hounding the KZbin page!

[@mazonbulk73]

Great guest, thank you Son for your service

[@ventureoutdoorswithkirk]

I volunteered at Project Healing Waters, I liked it, thought is was a good program. Heard some great stories and met some really nice people.

[@fishnick1000]

As someone who generally has little interest in fly fishing this was one of my favorite episodes.

[@JeremyReger]

I did my first Project Healing Waters event this weekend... it changed my life..

[@Gilly999999]

Aside from the amount of "whatnots" that Son Tao used, this was a really interesting episode! Thank you!

[@bford98541]

Love y’all stuff man keep it up!

[@sappermills]

Such a great guest\episode, thanks!

[@jasonscott7484]

First time I’ve watched a episode twice Son would be a brilliant edition to the Meateater team

[@freedomstick4028]

Thank you. I really appreciate and needed this.

[@localsource3012]

Glad Steve at the beginning is making fly fishing seem uncool. More room in the River for me!

[@mercertevyn]

Omgsh! Steven, you've out done yourself with this guest!!

[@mattbixler9025]

Another amazing interview as usual.i ran a Lancaster County route for 7yrs and have sat at his fishing spot eating lunch many times small world it is

[@georgetuider654]

Great podcast. Nice follow up after last week's "What killed this eagle?" Answered with "IT'S BLOOD HAD HIGH LEVELS OF LEAD... and then there is all this physical trauma to the wings..." OIF veteran here. Son Tao gave, what I believe to be, one of the best explanations of the challenges the GWOT (and other wars, for that matter) has placed on separating service members. Life is very exciting and then it isn't.

[@heavy6355]

My favorite podcast yet

[@what...5926]

He said Lancaster county as i drive over donegal creek in Lancaster. Son probably fished there many times. Pretty cool.

[@hendu7111]

I live in western Michigan and spent the summer weekends a few miles down stream from the 1st dam on the Muskegon River and the vast majority of fishermen that I saw were traditional rod/reel. Most of the fly fishermen I saw would be floating by in the early morning or late evening and were few and far in between. I do see some fly fishermen wading out in the river instead of floating but they tend to stay in one general area for hours on end so unsure how tell they're doing.

[@jeroenschoondergang5923]

Valid points! I am always amazed about the claim culture in fly fishing/tying in the US. I once saw a list of 'best fly tiers in the world' in a US magazine, containing just American fly tiers. Also the naming of flies is something that annoys me, especially when they add their name to it. In nearly 50 years of fly tying a very important lesson I have learned is that most things have been done before.

[@popcorn417]

I have followed Son Tao for several years now . I consider him a true artist ,his flies are tied to perfection

[@helenamarie33]

Great episode, thank you!

[@ggray19]

Following his fear of civilian life and reporting to "an idiot that shouldn't be running things" with the story of Iraq, and how his platoon was handled (mis-handled)... I think he's gonna knock it out of the park as a retired soldier. Thanks for your service.

[@jero1918]

It would have a tremendous impact if Steve showed up to the Washington wildlife commision meeting in Olympia on October 27th. Its an all hands on deck situation and we need help!

[@danielsullivan4343]

He was my old 1sgt, it’s cool to see more able him.

[@timherrera363]

Great podcast. I follow Son Tao on Instagram and I've always seen some similarities with our fly tying styles but its nice to see the person behind it all!

[@ClintBrubeck]

Retired infantryman, I really enjoyed this one. Enjoy retirement it is great I suggest taking a few years not being in charge of anyone and taking care of yourself and family

[@roberttakatsu3926]

Flyfishing is how it has been done since ancient Egypt. To me it's just fishing. Perhaps tenkara is the purist form of fishing since its limitation in natural. As far as fly tying goes I'm 66 been tying since I was a young boy. In my 30's I actually made a living making Atlantic salmon flies. I my opinion a leadwing coachman will catch just about anything in the river. It easy to make and cheap

[@sherlockbonez]

If you said hare's ear amd you would be correct.

[@kennywolfjr.6413]

I'll add that if you want east coast fly fishing you gotta go into the heart of the Appalachian mountains. It's still big in these areas.

[@Bbuckshot2]

Please get Forrest Galante on the podcast.

[@Richard87H]

Been following son tao for a few years on Instagram. His work is 2nd to NONE!!

[@arniegrammon6255]

DDT has not been banned worldwide....just some countries, including America. One HUGE use for DDT is for malaria-carrying misquitoes in tropical areas, avoiding thousands of human deaths yearly.

[@burtonbird5518]

Love that podcast is CC so that I can watch while at work but on mute. Everyone’s content. Miss some intonation’s do how good the subject content is. Lead also wrapped around lead weighted flies. Wish the podcast was open to live chat. So much more tO offer from the audience. More of Steve’s Alaska Cabin opening follies. Every spring opening of cabins is the same way. Just that Steve’s cabin is a boat ride away from the hardware store. Nothing is done in just one trip to the plumbing section of the hardware store. More trolling out of Spring Lake, Mi. Like the pod casts. Cheers 🎉

[@movax_71]

Great PodCast. I love hearing the story and advice. And for once Steve didn't take over the show!!! HAHAHA

[@SteveSchwartze]

I love Cal to death, but that bit starting around the 48:00 mark about how falcons and vultures eat lead paint because they're super smart and have a lot of free time is straight out of the land of make-believe. I don't know what he read and how he interpreted it this way, but that was some next-level nonsense.

[@tillerjets]

When I was in highschool I spent my bored evenings tying flies. I tied A LOT. But usually when I went fishing I went conventional. It’s fun to tie but I’d rather drift eggs or throw spinners.

[@oakleyfreak45]

im hoping the tour comes to pa. was supposed to come here and had vip tickets and the event was cancelled.

[@mattshanks2604]

How many deer do you shoot where the bullet stays in the animal. Mine don't they zip thru

[@Bbuckshot2]

I know you guys have tons of cool stuff. Yall should start bringing stuff in and do like a show and tell.

[@DoGnarlyStuff]

Great show!

[@RC-pp4on]

Great episode

[@jordang94]

Those people will just discourage young and or new fly fisherman . With the colourful fake flies . Love you steve and cal ! Your the mans !

[@DYEVURSE]

I love his Douglas hat. My cousin used to roll carbon flags for them. I live right up the road. I love their poles

[@squatchy69]

Charlie Craven needs to be mentioned in this

[@CCG26_5]

When and where can we find the tour dates for the bus shows?

[@jcisn]

Remember the jewel thief kinda guy who broke into a museum and stole preserved rare birds and sold the feathers to fly tiers?

[@billybob8228]

How in the world, is it - that Phelps game calls aren't from Phelps Wisconsin and Hodag Deer Systemss ain't from Rhinelander Wisconsin?

[@squatchy69]

Ive tied flies and have fly fished for 45 years and still can’t spend less than $100 every time I go in just to pick up a few things.

[@50finders21]

Maybe in retirement Son Tao should create his own book... might inspire more people to get into tying

[@barnman73]

I am familiar with the little paper sack that costs hundreds of dollars. She has her dispensary, mine sells feathers and tinsel😂

[@KC2BKM]

Read The "The Feather Thief" by Kirk W Johnson. Deep dive into the crazy world of Victorian Salmon fly tying and compitition.

[@coreyjackson8363]

Can we get a meat eater episode where Steve and janni go fly fishing with Son ?

[@judge4all]

Well done. Let’s go army.

[@daviddin8863]

To be 100% serious I owe my sardine consumption habit to my dad. He lived off canned goods like sardines and tuna when he was a Cambodian refugee in the Philippines.

[@brandonkim8892]

Yes sir the asian way of makin smallmouth is to just gut, leave the skin on cause its the best part and fry, hopefully theres the orange sac of goodness for a little bonus, also why is the meat around the face area the best

[@drewandcharlie7583]

Soldiers need to know that we are here. The people they served. Yes there are some terrible people that don’t respect service but they are few. Find blue collar work. Theres a lotta men state side that will treat you well and have your back. Soldiers dont have regular male friends when they get back so marital problems can burst the small ball of protection they have. The fly fishin deal is good. Find something healthy to concentrate on, exercise. Find another way to serve. Its what ya do. Go to the churches. There are folks that need you to fight for them here. And give us a chance. The government never gave a fuck about you but they also dont give a fuck about us. If the government that paid your check doesnt care about you, the people you served will. I promise you. But ya gotta reach out. Ya gotta let us know where ya are.

[@christopherweaver8567]

I need the name of that song so I can play it on my next fishing trip. Anyone?

[@danorris5235]

Maybe someobody can clear this up for me, because I seriously dont understand: Fly tying accuracy. Why is it such a thing that people get super fired up over, and make statements like, "actually catches fish" and such? I've caught fish on plastic pop tops with hooks, whittled scrap boards painted all kinds of nonsense like a hippie on LSD came up with it, and even smashed up floaters that sink like rocks. I've caught fish chugging poppers like they're trying to plow the lake, jigging mepps and spoons, and just by letting a plastic "frog" I've just poked a hole in sink to the bottom. In my entire fishing experience, fish are only picky about two things: The speed of the lure, and the depth of the lure. In other words, "match the hatch" is almost complete BS in my entire fishing experience. To me, if fish are hitting a MtnDew cap I highly doubt they're gonna be concerned with the pattern on a fake bug with a hook sticking out of it. So what makes fly fisherman say otherwise? What am I missing or don't understand?

[@michaelgardner5981]

Love your thoughts on the lead ammo bans, I think the political part to it comes from the anti hunters and gunners. Death by a thousand cuts make ammo more expensive, well shoot less.

[@beyoutube76]

I really do think more gut piles are consumed by bears. Any data on that?

[@talmonclear7502]

I wonder how much of the lead comes from leaded aviation gas

[@enzochiapet]

Meateater crew seemed to not know how to respond to Son Taos opening story.

[@jeffer321]

If you ain't first, you're first runner-up.

[@AJulyWildFire]

A “scissors enthusiast “….. 😂

[@luket2169]

Top 5 and it he aint 5,4,3,or 2 !

[@JimWooddell]

Can anyone show me any peer reviewed studies on lead bullets. I think most of the BS around the subject is just that...BS.

[@coreyjackson8363]

synicl3 The username above is a navy vet trying to set up a call centre where veterans and their family can call for help and talk to other vets

[@kathleen.muste.no.nonsense]

im say something silly imagine flys that are stuck in trees ///could a bird mistake it for a fly and get caught ...i know i have caught many ducks on a fly ///just thinking /// and serious best fly tyree is bulshit trout can catch with some xmas tinsilll at the end of the day //

[@kathleen.muste.no.nonsense]

aluminum foil around a hook will catch a trout ///factt