Renowned Fly Tyer and 23-Year Army Veteran | TCO Flycast Ep. 8 - Son Tao

<p>Son Tao joins Bill at the TCO Reading shop for a wide ranging conversation about the path that brought him to fly fishing. Son came to the United States as a four year old refugee from Vietnam, served 23 years in the Army with multiple combat deployments, and found his way into fly fishing during his recovery, eventually through Project Healing Waters. He talks about how a single conversation on Hammer Creek planted a seed that took 16 years to grow, how his accidental start on social media turned into one of the most respected voices in fly tying, and why he still walks into a fly shop just to talk to the people behind the counter.</p><p>We get into the engineer and artist behind the vise, his guiding philosophy, what makes Pennsylvania such a humbling fishery, and a closing message for any veteran who might be struggling.</p><p>The best way to support our content is by choosing TCO for all your fly fishing gear. You can find our online store here: https://bit.ly/4eZHOCm</p><p><br></p><p>Chapters</p><p>00:00 Intro</p><p>01:34 Leaving Vietnam as a refugee</p><p>03:41 A spinning rod and the river</p><p>04:31 Answering the call after 9/11</p><p>05:27 Leading soldiers in combat</p><p>09:09 Enlisting instead of becoming an officer</p><p>10:37 The Hammer Creek spark</p><p>12:36 A bonefish in Hawaii</p><p>14:29 Finding Project Healing Waters</p><p>17:26 What Project Healing Waters really does</p><p>20:10 From participant to volunteer</p><p>21:32 Winning the national fly tying competition</p><p>23:46 How the social media took off by accident</p><p>25:23 Staying authentic with sponsors</p><p>28:22 Cigars on the river</p><p>29:12 Learning to tie from books</p><p>32:03 The engineer&#39;s eye for a fly</p><p>34:44 From artist to fly tier</p><p>37:05 When is a fly finished</p><p>39:17 Why he doesn&#39;t sell flies</p><p>40:22 Tying for the conditions</p><p>41:52 Better tier or better angler</p><p>43:46 Photography on the water</p><p>45:21 From film to digital</p><p>47:20 The three second rule</p><p>50:35 Measuring success on your own terms</p><p>52:18 Answering every question</p><p>54:40 The human connection of a fly shop</p><p>56:06 Guiding in Pennsylvania</p><p>58:33 Guiding mixed experience groups</p><p>01:01:18 How Pennsylvania ranks as a fishery</p><p>01:02:17 The 24 inch brown that ended the day</p><p>01:03:39 Favorite species to target</p><p>01:05:31 Catering gear to the species</p><p>01:06:21 Advice for the first timer</p><p>01:08:01 His favorite fly ever tied</p><p>01:09:37 A message for veterans</p><p><br></p>