WFS 564 - King Salmon Fishing with Jim Teeny - Teeny Nymph, Alaska, Steelhead
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Dave Stewart
4.7 • 531 Ratings
🗓️ 7 February 2024
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/564
Presented by: Northern Rockies Adventures, Angler's Coffee, Togiak River Lodge
Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors
In this episode, we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with none other than Jim Teeny, a true legend in the fly fishing world, about king salmon fishing. From creating the game-changing Teeny Nymph to revolutionizing fly lines, Jim's done it all. So, grab a cup of your favorite brew, kick back, and let me take you through some of the highlights from our conversation with Jim.
Episode Chapters with Jim Teeny on King Salmon Fishing
00:01:36 - Jim shares his upcoming trips with us including his trip to Jurassic Lake in Argentina where he once caught a giant rainbow trout.
00:03:16 - He takes us down memory lane to the 1960s. Imagine this: Jim and his buddy head out to Oregon's East Lake, not knowing they're about to make fly fishing history. That's where the iconic Teeny Nymph was born. And the fly lines? Well, Jim's quest to better sink rates led to a friendly chat with Scientific Anglers, sparking a revolution in how we think about fly lines. Who knew a simple idea could change so much?
00:09:50 - According to Jim, if the water is high in Alaska, the kings will often be on the brackish side of the water. When he's fishing there, he mostly uses his TS-Series and a short leader like three to four feet. When targeting chinooks, he uses a single-hand rod.
00:17:38 - Jim's philosophy on fishing, "I spot 'em I got 'em", is pretty straightforward – if you can see the fish, you can catch it. He swears by polarized glasses and a keen eye. During our talk, he shared some epic moments on steelhead fishing. It's all about reading and understanding the water and being in the right place at the right time. He also details how he would present a fly to the fish.
00:24:49 - He shares a story that he also wrote in his book titled "Fly Fishing Great Waters". One day on their teeny flies and fly lines, they hooked 77 king salmon. Talking about King Salmon with Jim is like listening to an action-packed adventure novel. He's fished from Alaska to the Pacific Northwest and has stories that'll make your reel spin.
00:41:12 - He gives us valuable tips on fishing for Sockeye salmon in Alaska. He mentions the colors that would get you sockeyes and kings, but their number one is hot pink. He also shares about that time when he won a fishing tournament on saltwater.
00:49:18 - Jim's not one to stay put. He shares tales of his fishing trips around the globe. Each adventure is a mix of stunning scenery, amazing catches, and great company. It's like taking a world tour while chasing after the next big catch.
00:55:08 - He briefly shares how he came to start up a business in fly fishing.
1:00:47 - He gives a shout-out to John Randolph, editor of the Fly Fisherman magazine, and Lefty Kreh whom he looks up to in the industry.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/564
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Today on the Wet Fly Swing podcast, we've got Jim Teeny back on the show. |
| 0:05.7 | Today, Jim gives us his three biggest tips on catching king salmon on the fly. |
| 0:10.4 | Plus, we find out how I spot him, I got him came to be, and how you can see and catch more |
| 0:16.4 | steelhead this year. |
| 0:17.3 | Jim is one of the greatest OGs and ambassadors in fly fishing, having started his |
| 0:21.5 | Teeny Nimp brand in the 1960s and being the one behind creating present-day sinking fly lines. |
| 0:28.7 | It all stretches back to Jim Tini. We're going to talk about that today. He is also a good |
| 0:32.5 | friend of the family, a great guy, so you are going to discover the best color for flies for salmon. |
| 0:39.8 | You're going to discover Jim's number one tip to know when a steelhead is going to strike. |
| 0:43.8 | This is a great one. |
| 0:45.0 | If you can see the fish, he's going to tell you how and when it's going to strike. |
| 0:48.5 | And we get another great tip on spotting fish. |
| 0:51.7 | Here we go. |
| 0:52.5 | One of the best in the business. |
| 1:11.3 | Jim Tini from Jimtini.com. How you doing, Jim? Doing good, Dave. It's always good with you. Yeah, yeah, it is. It's always good. I was looking at the last episode. I saw you had a big smile on your face. I feel like you're one of those people that always has a big smile, which is great. |
| 1:27.8 | And we hear a lot, you know, over the last five years since you were on the podcast, we'll put a link in the show notes to that last episode. I've talked to a lot of people, probably more than anybody else where they've mentioned your name over the years, you know, from whether it's tarp and fishing or, you know, the Midwest or wherever. It seems like you've traveled all around the world. |
| 1:28.8 | Is that kind of the case? |
| 1:27.8 | Have you done a lot of traveling over your time in fly fishing? or the Midwest or wherever. It seems like you've traveled all around the world. |
| 1:28.8 | Is that kind of the case? |
| 1:31.1 | Have you done a lot of traveling over your time in fly fishing? |
| 1:33.0 | You know, I've been really lucky. |
| 1:34.8 | I have done a lot of traveling. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dave Stewart, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dave Stewart and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

