Great Lakes Dude #13 | Sight Fishing for Smallmouth and Salmon with Phil Cook - Fishing Tools, Backeddy Sales
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Dave Stewart
4.7 • 530 Ratings
🗓️ 27 June 2025
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
#776 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/776
Presented By: Patagonia, Jackson Hole Fly Company, Visit Idaho
Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors
In this episode of the Great Lakes Dude Podcast, Jeff is joined by industry rep Phil Cook, one of the most respected fly anglers in the region. Phil shares his journey from growing up fishing Michigan's Au Sable River to leading Backeddy Sales, where he represents top fly fishing brands. They talk about the evolution of Great Lakes fly fishing—from streamer innovations to smallmouth bass tactics, the rise of Atlantic salmon, and hunting Cohos in skinny water. Phil reveals his passion for sight-fishing, his approach to gear testing, and why movement, research, and Google Earth are anglers' best tools.
They also dive into fishing philosophy, rod design, cutting-edge materials, and even the upcoming cicada hatch—Phil's next big adventure. It's a deep and fishy chat that celebrates curiosity, craftsmanship, and time on the water.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/776
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Wet Fly Swing podcast, Great Lakes. |
| 0:06.6 | This is your host, Jeff Luske, aka Great Lakes Dude. |
| 0:10.8 | Well, we've had a couple good podcasts. |
| 0:13.2 | We had Darcy Egan out, local plane dealer writer for 50 years, |
| 0:17.1 | but super stoked to invite a good friend and one of the fishiest guys that I know |
| 0:23.4 | in and around the Great Lakes lives in Michigan. It's going to be Phil and wait to you hear |
| 0:31.5 | about what he has to say. And Phil Cook has been a long time fisherman in Michigan. |
| 0:38.2 | He's been in the fly fishing industry for at least over 30 years that I know of. |
| 0:43.8 | But wait to hear what we have to say. |
| 0:45.9 | It's going to be super fun. |
| 0:47.2 | We're going to talk and get fishy. |
| 0:48.8 | We're going to get down the details more than just talking about it. |
| 0:51.8 | So welcome to the show, Phil. Thanks, buddy. Yeah. I appreciate the kind words, man, because you, you're one of the fish with people I know too. So that's how we're going to have a good time today, right? Oh yeah. Yeah. Always a good time. Yeah. Well, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, Phil, like, you know, how you got in fishing, when, you know, what do you got? |
| 1:11.7 | Sure. |
| 1:12.2 | So, I mean, you know, I was lucky enough to have a family cabin on the Asabal River that I used to go to pretty much every summer. The Asabler River is up in Michigan, near Grayling, Michigan. It's a trout river. and every summer I'll go there and spend a large chunk of time with my |
| 1:28.9 | grandparents, you know, playing in the swamps around the cabin, catching frogs, catching trout on |
| 1:34.3 | worms, catching trout on flies, you know, probably getting into some things I shouldn't. |
| 1:39.0 | But it was really fun and really caught kind of inspiration for being around water. |
| 1:46.0 | And at that point, my life flowing water. |
| 1:49.0 | So, you know, took that and took some early night fishing experiences with my dad. |
| 1:56.0 | And really, I would say that really lit a fire under me for fly fishing and and uh you know fishing |
| 2:04.4 | in general but mainly fly fishing and uh kind of went from there you know started i think i got |
... |
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