The craft
Hatches, drifts, refusals, tiny flies, honest technique — we take the fishing seriously, just never ourselves.
The lies
Every fish story, properly told. Fish sizes governed by the R&L Exaggeration Index: one honest inch per retelling.
The guests
Guides, fly tyers, and shop owners — the people who actually know what they’re doing, on the record, over a beer.
The archive
More episodes
First episode is on the vise. Subscribe below so you don’t miss it.
Your hosts
Two guys, one river, occasional facts
Renato Vanzella
Half the lies
Carries some 300 fly boxes and will cast every last one of them at a single rising fish. Takes every refusal personally. The trout know him by name — they warn each other.
Cole Atchley
The other half
Lands fish while Renato is still retying. Beard, cigar, dries or nothing — and "honest inches," a unit he invented and refuses to define.
Plus the guides, tyers, and shop owners who actually know what they're doing — more on the show →
The essentials
Frequently asked
- What is Risers & Lies?
- Risers & Lies is a video-first fly-fishing podcast about dry-fly fishing in Colorado, filmed at Peak Fly Shop in Colorado Springs. New episodes release every other week.
- Who hosts Risers & Lies?
- Renato Vanzella and Cole Atchley. Cole is a working Colorado fly-fishing guide — about 30 years reading water, 8 of them guiding. Renato writes about Colorado fly fishing for an established publication and carries around 300 fly boxes.
- What is the show about?
- Dry-fly fishing done seriously and talked about un-seriously: hatches, drifts, refusals, and gear, plus the stories that grow an inch with every telling — and interviews with guides, fly tyers, and shop owners.
- How often do new episodes come out?
- A new episode every other week.
- Where can I watch or listen?
- Full video episodes on YouTube, with audio on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen once Season 1 launches. Clips live on Instagram and YouTube.
- Where is Risers & Lies filmed?
- At Peak Fly Shop in Colorado Springs, Colorado — and out on the water. The home water itself stays undisclosed.
Rise Notes — the newsletter
One email every other week: the new episode, what's hatching on our home water, and one lie we almost got away with.