The Classic Sporting Art of Bob White

This week my guest is artist Bob White [36:41], a beloved painter of fly-fishing and bird hunting scenes. Bob has illustrated John Gierach's magazine pieces for years and also illustrated the current version of The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide. Bob talks about making a career in the fly-fishing world, how he balances his painting life with his fishing life, tips for budding wildlife artists, and how his art affects his fly tying.

In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions and tips from listeners: How do I encourage guiding operations to hire more female guides and people of color? I just bought a fly rod and am having trouble casting a 1/16 oz. spoon on it. What am I doing wrong in my casting? Should I go to a heavier lure? Since I will never cast 90 feet with my light fly rod, can I cut off some of the fly line to get more backing on my reel? People say there are no hatches on the streams I fish. So why am I catching trout on nymphs all the time? What part of my line should I stretch? If I am using a Skagit setup, should I stretch my head? And do you stretch cold-water lines any different from warm-water lines? And should I use a leader straightener tool? What resources can I use to figure out what parts of birds and animals I hunt should be saved for fly tying? And where can I learn the fundamentals of fly tying? A tip from a listener on the best gift you can buy yourself--virtual fly-casting lessons. Why do you want the trailing hook so far back on an Intruder fly? A tip on wearing Nitrile gloves over thin merino gloves for fishing The trout seemed to have disappeared from my river this winter. It runs into a lake. Do you think the fish have gone there?