Mike has been immersed in the sport of fishing since the age of five when he caught his first trout on the fly. Both his Grandfather and Father were avid anglers who introduced him to the sport at an early age, exploring rivers and lakes in the Adirondacks and Poconos. His Grandfather helped found Deep Water Cay Bonefishing Club in the Bahamas, where Mike had his first taste of saltwater fishing and where Mike later worked for a year.
A graduate of St. Lawrence University (1996), Mike moved to Denver, where he received an MBA in Marketing from University of Denver Daniels College of Business (2000). To help pay business school expenses, Mike worked in a local Fly Shop in Denver, exploring Colorado fisheries every chance he could get. After graduating and attending one job interview, Mike opted out of the real world and instead used the remaining funds from his student loans to purchase a plane ticket to SouthEast Asia where he spent months backpacking between 4 countries.
With a business marketing degree in hand and his passion for travel intensified, Mike dreamed of a career in the fishing business full time. But it wasn’t until he was recovering from a major surgery in 2001, where he donated a portion of his liver to his father, that he realized that he needed to work in a field he was truly passionate about. He has worked full time in the fishing business ever since.
Mike spent a season with Rock Creek Anglers in Saddlestring WY before making his way over to Jackson Hole, WY / Victor, ID where he would end up taking the job as the Vice President of WorldCast Anglers in 2001. After the company sold in 2008, Mike continued on as the President until he resigned in 2021 to spend more time with his family, pursue creative outlets and new opportunities.
While Mike is passionate about all types of fishing and hosts many different types of trips, Permit fishing with a fly consumes him and he attributes that to the forced meditation in the pursuit.
His love of permit fishing led him to the competitive arena where he won the Del Brown Permit Tournament, and was a two time winner of the March Merkin Permit Tournament and a three time winner of the Black Tail Invitational permit tournament. Mike has been featured in numerous publications and featured in several films namely, Corazon, Scorpion Expedition, Carpland, Frontera Norte.
Mike currently sits on the board of The South Fork Initiative, and has previously served on the Friends of the Teton River and the Teton Valley Foundation and is proud to work alongside the following companies: ORVIS, Costa Del Mar, Adipose Boatworks, Scientific Anglers, and YETI.
Mike resides in Jackson Hole, WY with his wife Jenn, two children, Cooke (9) and Rumsey (6) and dog, Moxie. In between trips, sports practices and dance recitals Mike can be found with his family exploring the mountains and rivers in his backyard, camping, rafting, mt. biking, skiing, hunting and, of course, fishing.
Coming Soon!
Had to take a little break, but it is really nice to start rolling again.
Episode 22: Harry Tebay. In this episode I sit down with Harry Tebay, and we discuss his path from art to guiding, health, family and plenty more.
You can listen to this episode via the link in my bio.
#podcast #flyfishing #flyfishingpodcast #outdoorspodcast #permittothink
I was always aware of the mystique of dogtooth tuna but never really understood it til I felt the fish and the power ...
I tested the reel and the setup when I got home, and it takes over 16lbs of pressure to peel any line off. The boys helped me get my glasses on when the fight angle changed closer to the boat as the rod should have broken 100% the way I was fighting the fish 100%. It didn’t, and the reel was an absolute champion as well. The mystique makes complete sense. Also learned that doggies have a large swim bladder (which allows them to sit still in heavy current for ambush), and they are technically not a tuna but the largest of the bonitos. They got their name from the conical dog-like teeth. They also have the coolest lateral line out there…
#westbankanglers #westbankanglersguides #flyfishing #flyfish #saltwaterflyfishing #dogtoothtuna
I am excited to announce new ownership at Westbank Anglers and my new role as a co-owner and manager of this historic fly shop and outfitter.
With the new year comes new horizons, and I am honored to be a part of @westbankanglers and to continue serving the loyal clientele while cultivating new opportunities for the years to come. We have an amazing ownership group, made up of many long-time clients of the business, and I am excited to be a part of the group and serve as the manager. We look forward to preserving Westbank Anglers’ legacy in its current location and expanding the offerings in retail, outfitting, and international travel. We will be remodeling the shop this winter and will have a fresh look on the historic building! Plenty of more to come but for right now we are thankful for our loyal clientele and staff, and we look forward to welcoming new faces as we roll into a big new year.
#westbankanglers #westbankanglersguides #flyfishing #flyfish #jacksonhole
Episode 21: AJ Sanders
In this episode I sit down with AJ Sanders from the Wyoming Angling Company, and we discuss saltwater firsts, avalanches, farming, the South Fork skiff, and plenty more!
You can listen to this episode via the link in my bio.
#podcast #flyfishing #flyfishingpodcast #outdoorspodcast #permittothink
Episode 20.
In this episode I sit down with Darren Calhoun from Wind River Canyon Whitewater & Fly Fishing. We discuss the recent film "Tribal Waters," growing up on the Wind River Indian Reservation, psychology, team roping and plenty more!
You can listen to this episode via the link in my bio.
#podcast #flyfishing #flyfishingpodcast #outdoorspodcast #permittothink
Episode 19.
In this episode I sit down with my good friend Jeff Currier. We discuss some of our escapades together, Jeff’s 430 species on a fly rod in over 60 countries, and plenty more about Jeff’s lifelong journey. You can listen to this episode via the link in my bio.
#podcast #flyfishing #flyfishingpodcast #outdoorspodcast #permittothink
Episode 18.
In this episode I sit down with Hal Hutchinson, and we discuss being an identical twin and a life of community, land, and conservation planning!
Listen to this episode via the link in my bio.
#podcast #flyfishing #flyfishingpodcast #outdoorspodcast #permittothink
Episode 17.
In this episode I sit down with Shawn Combs of the Orvis Company. After a long day on the water, we power through and follow Shawn’s journey from Kentucky to mechanical engineer to creating products at the Orvis Company in a roundabout way!
Listen to this episode via the link in my bio.
#podcast #flyfishing #flyfishingpodcast #outdoorspodcast #permittothink
Please visit my podcast PermitToThink give a listen, review
and please pass along to anyone that might dig it.
Permit To Think spawned from Mike Dawes’ 30 years of fishing travel, the people he has met along the way and an intense curiosity of their stories.
