Recent content by Mike Cline

“Those folks are just trying to have some fun, wouldn't lump them in the Touron category.” I remember one observation I encountered on the Firehole many years back in the Fountain Flats area of the Firehole. It was late June and I’d been on the river since dawn. While walking back to my...

Not really. The fishery on these waters is generally really poor in July and August and most authorities discourage angling on the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison in the park due to high water temps influenced by thermal features. The advice is if you must fish then do it in the morning when...

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/26015.htm

Certain species of gulf shrimp don’t reside near the surface but do reside in extremely shallow conditions inside eel grass flats. On outgoing tides during low light conditions, especially in the evening, they will leave the security of the eel grass and move into the tidal water column to feed...

Camouflage. Spots against a contrasting background, in this case dark spots against a silvery skin is one way Specks survive hiding in the eel grass. We are lucky they are prolific breeders as they get hammered by #1-dolphins, #2-cormorants and #3-sharks. A speck caught out in the open is...

One of the most commonly sought after targets on the inshore grass flats along the Gulf of America shoreline is the Speckled Sea Trout. They are ambush predators that aggressively attack baitfish and crustaceans that venture into their path. Although the largest specimens are usually solitary...

The density of the head sealed up with UV resin usually causes the fly to ride hook point up.

Couldn't agree more. A great platform for a lot of different tweaks. For someone like me with an aversion to weighted flies and a distinct preference for long sink tips, here's my favorite tweak--unweighted dumbbell eyes. Get the same Clouser Deep Minnow profile without the weight. Tied with...

Yes, but in a little different setting. While living in the South, I routinely fished a small reservoir that was pretty much river-run with only one major tributary arm. The reservoir was 7.5 miles long and its upper end directly below a 44,000 acre reservoir impounded by a 168 foot high dam...

What do you do when there is a free day at the Zoo—stay home. Here in Montana the 4th is a Zoo with everyone under the sun hitting all the rivers and parades. You can’t travel through Ennis for hours because of the parade. It’s a lot more satisfying to stay home and enjoy patriotic films on...

One of the great joys of living in Bozeman, MT is that within a 100-mile radius of town, there are innumerable miles of high quality, trout infested water, no matter which direction you head. Yesterday morning I headed out well before dawn to a small creek just 72 miles as the crow flies away...

Sure, but not really an expert. Once you are in town, connect with: The International Angler fly shop out towards the airport. They always had a good take on what’s going on and where. Also connect with the Penn’s Woods West chapter of Trout Unlimited. I attended a few of their meetings...

Once I retired from the USAF in ‘96 I became a consultant and landed several clients in Pittsburgh. Although I was at first living in Alabama then Bozeman I spent an average of 50 days annually on the road in the Pittsburgh area until the pandemic hit in ‘20. Lots to see and do. Great sports...

I’ve got a Hardy Fly Weight loaded with 1/2 of a 3 wgt DT SA line. I pair it with one of the below rods when visiting small headwaters streams. Diamondback Diamondglass 7’ 3wgt. Scott F403/3 7’ Winston Retro 7’ 3 wgt.