Pros

Mike was born and raised in beautiful Butte America and is proud to be a native “Butte Rat”.  Things were no different for him than any other Montanan growing up with much of his time spent fishing, camping, hiking, shooting, and enjoying big sky country.  Mike graduated a bulldog from Butte High School prepped and ready for college.  It was shortly after he moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah that fly fishing started to consume his life.  A college buddy got Mike into fly fishing and there was no turning back.  Most days and nights were spent learning and studying this fine art on many Utah fisheries including the Provo River and Weber River, these being his top picks.  Mike ended up getting his BS in Parks, Recreation, & Tourism with an emphasis of Commercial Recreation.  With his heart still back home, it was no surprise Mike moved back to Butte, Montana immediately.

Mike took his love for fly fishing to the next level by opening The StoneFly Fly Shop in the spring of 2006 with his fishing buddy, who is also his brother-in-law.  The fly shop is located in Butte in a log cabin built by Mike’s father, John.  John, now past, had a gun shop in the log cabin.  He chopped down all the trees for the cabin, hand shaved each one, and hoisted them all into place alone.  Mike’s hand print can still be found outside the door with an ’87 by it, the year John finished.

Many of Mike’s days are still consumed with the passion of fly fishing.  He is always found with his number one fan, his overly energetic yellow lab Rio, usually on their favorite piece of Montana treasure, the Big Hole River.  Mike has also accomplished being a signature tyer, and enjoys cranking out bugs for customers coast to coast, or for that epic dry fly day out on the river.  His product knowledge and customer service when he is running The StoneFly is unprecedented, and Mike can be found many days laughing it up and talking fishing within the walls of the log cabin.

Mike has found one fishing tool throughout his adventures that is his number one go to, Scott Fly Rods.  It means a lot that these rods are built in the USA and handcrafted by people that are just as passionate about fly fishing as he is.  Mike is still quoting some of his favorite stuff from past Scott catalogs.  His favorite being something like “Scott fly rods are not made with pixie dust and fairy tales, they are handcrafted in the United States with the best materials available, by the best fly rod builders in the industry that are just as passionate about fly fishing as you are.”  Scott fly rods do have soul, and Mike is part of the family.  That’s the Scott difference.