We've recently won a big battle for public lands, and my guest this week, Joel Pedersen [25:56] of Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, fills us in on what we've won and what we need to keep an eye on for the future. But the podcast is much more than that. Joel educates us on the differences between the major classes of public lands—National Forests, BLM land, National Parks, and Wilderness areas and just what uses are allowed on each—and who makes the decision on extractive industries in these vast tracts of land that WE as citizens and taxpayers own.

In the Fly Box this week, as usual we have some great questions that might benefit your own fly fishing, including:

I'm curious about who might be your successor on the podcast
A listener informs us why he thinks a 4-weight rod is a better option for smaller streams than a 3-weight.
Why do most of the hook eyes on flies orient horizontally? When would I want a fly with a vertically oriented eye?
I have the Orvis Essential Trout Fly Selection. What else would I need for fishing the great Arkansas tailwaters this summer?
Another listener asks if a 3-weight or 4-weight rod is better for small streams.
When my indicator is bobbing along in riffles, does that action hurt my presentation?
A good tip from a listener on how to get a stuck rod apart.
What are the pros and cons of using a stand-up paddleboard for carp and pike fishing, and what brand do you recommend?
I have not done well fishing as high water recedes. Is this typical?

• How can I tell what line is on my old reel?
• Should I get a 3-weight or 4-weight rod for small streams?
• Do those devices to remove flies from fish quickly really work?
• I have seen carp opening up their mouths and taking repeated gulps of food from the surface. Is this common and what do you call it?
• A fly shop told me that using tippet rings is not a good idea because I would break off fish. Is this true?
• A listener reports on conditions on the rivers in western North Carolina after the floods.
• I put a nick in my fly line and have to cut off the last 12 inches. Can I still use this line?
• My foam flies keep landing upside-down. How can I correct this?
• How should I fish streamers in clear pools where you can see right to the bottom?
• How should I cast to a fish that is directly below a branch trailing in the water?
• A suggestion from a listener on using a room dehumidifier to dry out waders and boots.
• Can I rig two flies on a blood knot, using both sides of the knot, one longer and one shorter?
• Would a 9-foot, 9-weight rod be the right one for fishing in Chesapeake Bay? And can I use the same rod for steelhead in Michigan?
• I see a lot of goose feathers on my local golf course. Can I use these for biots on flies and which part should I use?
• What can I do with saltwater flies where the hook has gotten slightly rusty?

• What fly line should I use on my Helios 2 rod for dry-fly fishing?
• What can I do to prevent my tippet from kinking?
• What can you do when small stream trout refuse your fly?
• I have been using heavier tippet and seem to be doing just as well as with lighter tippet. What is your take on this?
• Is there a big difference between various brands of tippet material?
• Can I just add a tippet ring to my 9-foot 4X leader to make a nymph leader?
• Should the butt section of my nymph leader be made from fluorocarbon?
• What should I take on a multi-day fishing trip that I would not normally think of?
• Why am I foul-hooking so many trout and whitefish this year?
• What do you think of furled leaders?
• What rod should I get for my 8-year-old daughter? What rig should I start her out with?
• What do you think of Crocs as inexpensive wading shoes?
• What can you tell me about an older Orvis rod I purchased?
• How can I tighten the drag on an older spring-and-pawl fly reel?
• What is the deal with all these multi-fly rigs? Am I missing something by using a single fly?
• Do people fish for trout with poppers?
• Do I need sinking agents as well as flotants?
• At the end of my drift I stripped in a dry fly and got strikes. Should I change my setup and move my flies a bit?