Mike Wallace

Mike grew up fishing for bass, crappie, and bream in Alabama and Mississippi with his dad and grandparents. At about 5 or 6, he learned the basic clinch knot from his grandmother. He started fishing professionally on charter boats in Destin, Florida at age 15. He learned to catch everything in the Gulf of Mexico from inshore redfish and speckled trout to offshore blue marlin, dolphin, wahoo, and tuna. They also frequently fished for grouper, red snapper, amberjack, and triggerfish. Later, Mike worked on private yachts where he traveled to the Bahamas. They did everything from billfish tournaments to light tackle fishing for cobia, king mackerel, tarpon, bonefish and anything else that would bite. A few years later, in 2001, Mike’s dad brought a Fenwick 8wt fly rod on one of his visits from Alabama. This rod relit the fire and soon after, Mike scored a 5wt Sage outfit on sale and has been addicted to fly fishing ever since.

Quick Facts

  • Hometown: Destin, FL 
  • Favorite Local Fishing Spot: Middle Blue River 
  • Most Used Rod, Reel & Line: TFO BBK 5 wt/Lamson Guru II/Rio Grand 
  • Destinations Fished: Wind River Wyoming, Galletin/Madison/Missouri in Montana, Florida, Cat Island Bahamas, Stanley and Samsons Key Bahamas, Palm Beach Coast Florida, Eleuthera Bahamas, Green River Utah, Provo River Utah 
  • When I’m Not Fishing I mountain bike, backcountry ski, rock climb, sit at the vice and drink beers. 
  • I love to fish Colorado because the diversity of the rivers.  Each river has its own character.

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