Episode 261 Tristan Casaus ( Beaver T )

·1 hr 32 min·5 clips

Tristan Casaus describes how a bass fishing addiction replaced his three-year opioid dependency after going cold turkey.

The episode is an interview with Tristan Casaus, a young angler from Yuma, Arizona, who runs the Beaver T YouTube channel. The host introduces Tristan as a funny guy with a cool story about YouTube and life trials. Tristan recounts moving from Phoenix to Yuma at age five and catching his first bass with his dad, sparking a lifelong passion. He reveals a three-year opioid addiction in high school, which he quit cold turkey, and how fishing became a healthy coping mechanism. Tristan explains the origin of his channel name 'Beaver T,' combining 'The Beaver' movie with his initial, conceived while high with a friend. He started the channel in 2014 or 2015, initially with poor fishing knowledge and basic equipment. A turning point was messaging Billy Skinner for pre-release Cheater swimbaits, leading to a tournament catch documented in a viral video. Tristan discusses learning the Colorado River system through trial and error, including a scary incident getting lost with his dad and being rescued by the sheriff. He talks about the river's fluctuating water levels, sandbars, and techniques like skipping the Cheater. The conversation covers local tournaments, the big bass derby, and the competitive, secretive nature of Yuma anglers. Tristan explains his YouTube strategy of posting only after bites die to avoid spot-burning. He also mentions his boat, named Titty Uber, and his upgrade from a small aluminum boat to a Bass Tracker. The episode touches on fishing gear, camera setups, and interactions with other anglers like Michael Cahill and Billy Skinner.

As heard by us

A funny, scrappy fishing origin story about a small boat, a fast river, and chasing big fish on camera.

Cast and Crank follows Tristan Casas from bank fishing into a wider kind of obsession, sparked when Michael Cahill gets him onto a boat and shows him how much water he has been missing.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if a tiny aluminum boat, a fast river, and a YouTube origin story sound like your kind of afternoon.

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