Inventor of the Dahlberg Diver and Flashabou, Larry Dahlberg understands how to transpose his local fishing knowledge onto other bodies of water. On this episode of Anchored, Larry shares his vast angling knowledge, his experience with his long-running tv show, The Hunt for Big Fish, how to fish the thermocline, and so much more. You won’t want to miss this interview with a legend, so press play to listen.
Outline of This Episode
- [2:15] Larry’s first memories of fishing
- [21:35] Larry’s biggest surprise in tv
- [24:56] His experience at Lake Victoria
- [32:15] When to put down the fly rod and pick up the bait rod
- [43:01] The zone of awareness
- [46:40] How the Dahlberg Diver came to be
- [1:00:43] His fishing handle
- [1:11:03] Why Larry stopped doing his show
- [1:17:56] What drives Larry
Larry’s first memory came from fishing
Larry Dahlberg describes his childhood as wild and free-roaming the backwoods of Minnesota in search of fish. His passion stems from his first memories of fishing. As a high schooler, Larry began guiding local fly fishermen who encouraged him to go on to college where he studied English. After working for a sporting goods company in Minneapolis, Larry got back into guiding which led him into fishing media and tv. Eventually, Larry started producing his tv show, The Hunt for Big Fish.
Learning one body of water exceptionally well can help you fish anywhere
Larry still lives within 30 minutes of where he was born and has no desire to live anywhere else. He claims that he doesn’t have the time to learn another fishing area as well. However, he realized that if one learns a body of water extremely well one can take that knowledge and transpose it to another body of water. Recognizing the different types of river flows or mesotrophic, eutrophic, or oligotrophic stillwater lakes is key to figuring out how to fish that body water.
When to put down the fly rod and pick up the bait rod
Fly rods were designed as a way to fish with a weightless object, so does that mean that weighted streamers defeat the purpose of fly fishing? Larry remarks that every tool has a purpose and fishing rods are no different.
The fly rod is simply a tool to use to have fun fishing for fish that eat bugs. Drag-free drift is necessary, but speed and movement is equally important. A fly rod is a tool that provides an advantage in certain circumstances and a hindrance in others.
What Larry is up to today
After visiting 89 countries, Larry no longer travels to produce The Hunt for Big Fish, but he still manages to fish his home waters frequently with his close friends. Larry continues tinkering and creating fishing innovations, although he isn’t sure if he will make anything like the Dahlberg Diver or the Flashabou to sell on a mass scale. Larry will continue to fish with those who enjoy angling and take it seriously, and would like to add to the general body of knowledge about fishing.
Don’t miss out on Larry’s assessment of the fish’s zone of awareness and stick around until the end of the episode to learn about fishing the thermocline.
Resources mentioned on this episode
Connect with Larry Dahlberg
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