Traveled #14 - Drift Lodge & Fly Shop with Mike Wilson - Tiger Trout, Hebgen Lake, Henrys Lake
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Dave Stewart
4.7 • 532 Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2023
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/541
Presented by: Yellowstone Teton Territory
Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/teton
Get ready to embark on a virtual journey to the serene waters of Island Park, Idaho as we sit down with Mike Wilson of the Drift Lodge & Fly Shop. In this episode, Mike will be our guide to the abundant fishing opportunities that surround their lodge, offering insights into the thriving angling scene in Henrys Lake.
From insider tips to the must-have flies, Mike will be unveiling the secrets to a fulfilling day on the water, whether you're targeting trout or other captivating catches. So, grab your favorite beverage, kick back, and prepare to be enthralled by Mike's wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the angler's haven of Island Park, Idaho.
Episode Chapters with Mike Wilson on Drift Lodge & Fly Shop
1:06 - Mike's first memory of fishing is watching his dad fly fish in a lake in Central Utah.
5:08 - He tells us the interesting story of how he made a career out of fly fishing.
6:41 - He shares how the Drift Lodge & Fly Shop came to be in 2013 with the support and help of his wife.
11:15 - He mentions Lonnie Allen of the Three Rivers Ranch who he says has made living in Island Park and working in the industry a joy.
16:15 - He walks us through his guiding services for those who are interested to do stillwater fishing in Henry's Lake.
17:18 - He tells us how fishing at Hebgen Lake is different from that at Henry's Lake.
19:50 - He mentions other fishing opportunities in the area such as the Island Park Reservoir, Hebgen, Quake Lake, and Elk Lake.
20:30 - He talks about the regulation changes in Henry's Lake.
21:30 - He describes ice-off fishing in Idaho in April and May. He says that indicator fishing is great at that time of the year.
23:38 - Growing up, he used to ice fish in Scofield Reservoir in Central Utah. That's where he saw the biggest tiger trout he had ever seen.
26:25 - Their fishing season in Island Park kicks off in the Memorial Weekend.
27:45 - He talks about Bill Schiess, an advocate of their fly shop and author of the book Fishing Henrys Lake.
30:12 - He talks about his son Patrick who came back from the army with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) due to a traumatic brain injury. He's now doing meaningful work for veterans.
They have worked with non-profit organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Project Healing Waters.
33:15 - His son now found his passion for fly fishing. He is their best-reviewed fishing guide.
36:00 - He tells us his gear setup for stillwater fishing in Hebgen and Henrys Lake. He carries five reels with him when stillwater fishing.
44:10 - He talks about his trip to Labrador where they fished for northern pike.
45:38 - He gives us some insider tips for those wanting to do a fishing trip in Island Park, Idaho.
53:12 - He mentions the species you can fish in Hebgen and Henrys Lake.
56:10 - We give a shout-out to Yellowstone Teton Territory. He talks about his role in the said organization and how it boosts tourism in Idaho.
57:50 - He mentions the other activities you can do in their area aside from fly fishing.
1:00:00 - He tells us more about their facilities in the Drift Lodge & Fly Shop.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/541
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Travel, where we take a journey to a specific region so you discover what makes this part of the world so unique. |
| 0:08.9 | Before we get rolling with our guests this week, I wanted to share the love with our traveled sponsor. |
| 0:13.4 | This podcast is powered by Swing Outdoors, the Wet Fly Swing podcast, and Yellowstone Teton territory. |
| 0:19.9 | Please head over to wetfly swing.com slash titan to connect with the great brands that make up this amazing region of the country. |
| 0:29.3 | Let's do it. |
| 0:30.0 | Let's jump in and find out where that road less traveled is going to lead us today. |
| 0:35.6 | How you doing, Mike? |
| 0:36.9 | Good. |
| 0:37.3 | How are you doing today? Good. Good. Thanks for putting some time aside today to talk. We're back to the |
| 0:42.8 | Stillwater, the Stillwater game. We've got, we're just talking off air. Phil Roley. You know him well. He's been up |
| 0:50.0 | there fishing with you, fishing some of your Stillwater waters. We've got them on doing a webinar series |
| 0:54.8 | on the podcast as well now. But I want to talk everything, stillwater, kind of your shop, the Drift Lodge. |
| 1:01.2 | But before we get there, take it back to fly fishing really quick. How'd you get into it? |
| 1:05.2 | What's your first memory? Oh, my first memory is standing next to my dad on some smaller lakes in central Utah |
| 1:13.7 | and watching him fly fish and me with a spinning rod and bubble. |
| 1:20.3 | And then once he felt that I was old enough and able to start waiting, |
| 1:24.9 | I was out there with him. |
| 1:30.9 | And this started probably at six years old. |
| 1:36.7 | Right. So from the very beginning, you, was this in, were you fishing streams and lakes? |
| 1:42.2 | You know, was your dad into both of those things? We were doing both. My dad would let me go out on the streams with him once he felt that I could follow |
| 1:44.9 | and keep up with him. But, you know, the standard fishing story is I always got to fish |
| 1:50.5 | everything second. I had to follow him up, so I was catching more fish. Right. When did that change |
... |
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