Recent content by Mike Cline

Made my way to Distributary Creek this morning with the kayak and a new rod. My GoTo T&T No Sanctuary II 5 wgt is being repaired and I really didn't have another ultra-fast 5 wgt so I went all in on the new TFO Legacy 9' 5wgt which they tout as ultra-fast. First trip verified the marketing...

I’ve used these for years. Always stays fresh and useful.

https://www.myspicesage.com/pages/search-results-page?q=paprika

SBS: Myakka Minnow The Myakka Minnow is a simple, versatile baitfish imitation fly, originally tied by Steve Gibson for bass and panfish on Florida’s Myakka River, effective in both freshwater and saltwater. Origin and Purpose The Myakka Minnow was created by Steve Gibson in 2005 after a...

The 200 grain will be a rocket with a ultrafast 5 weight or fast 6 wgt. Good find. Rig it up with 12” of 20# Amnesia with perfection loops at both ends, Attach 3-5’ 0X tippet with a perfection loops on one end to attach to the Amnesia. The Amnesia will protect the fly line if you snag and...

This 1996 work by the Johnsons is an excellent treatise on the subject.

The most important tying materials are somewhere to be found in this conglomeration of stuff. Depends on the day and what I am tying. I will comment on two materials mentioned by the OP and others—thread and chenille. Although I am sure I have a huge stash of traditional chenille in there, I...

While I was still in the service in the mid-1990s we’d (my wife and I) make an annual trip to Lake Kabetogama in Voyguers National Park. We’d haul the bass boat up to the same cabin resort every year to catch smallmouth and pike. The resort owner was from an old family that settled on Lake...

All the usual suspects—Improved Clinch, Perfection Loop, Non-slip Loop pretty much covers my needs. However whenever I venture down to Florida for some inshore saltwater work, I carry, in addition to the fly gear, a spinning outfit using 10# Power Pro braid and a 6-8’ 15# fluoro leader to chuck...

A 28 year USAF career exposed me (and eventually my wife now of 54 years) to a lot of the world. Assignments in Vietnam, Philippines, Alaska, England, Germany, Turkey and of course multiple locations in the US provided tremendous opportunities to see and experience the world. We’ve been to...

Based on the information you provided here’s what I’d recommend. 1) The Tidal isn’t an exceptionally fast rod so as a 7wt, a 200 grain tip would be in its wheel house. 2) Two lines come to mind that would meet your requirements—trout-big-med rivers, streamers down deep. SA SONAR Trout Express...

As a taxidermist in my high school and college days it is a simple skinning job. Slice throat to asshole along the breast. Peel away the skin carefully to remove from carcass. Clip off legs and wings without takeing too many feathers from the pelt. Lay flat and try to remove any fat from the...

I’ll be the first to admit that I rarely fish a double nymph or dry dropper rig but the bugger/soft hackle trailer gets a lot of use on certain waters. As I transitioned to pretty much 100% use of barbless hooks for freshwater flies many years back I needed to innovate a solution to a common...

Poppers, although I don’t use them as much work very well for Specks. When there is a lot of baitfish in the water and Specks and Ladyfish are pushing them around, anything that looks like a struggling baitfish at the surface will entice strikes.