Scott Stanko

After a sun-soaked November in Louisiana, December finally brought clouds and rain. Once a few rough weather days passed, we were able to get back out during calm, overcast low-tide conditions, which provided plenty of tailing shots at red fish and black drum. They’re definitely harder to spot under cloud cover, but with patience and focus, it can still be done. While cloud cover can influence fly-fishing success, it hardly matters if you’re willing to pick up a spinning rod. The Robinson...

This November’s weather in Louisiana was truly one for the books. We had three straight weeks of sunshine and light winds, interrupted only by a brief cold front that pushed even more fish into the shallows. We fished everything from narrow creeks and pond mouths to wide-open bays packed with schools of fish. The tides couldn’t have been better, steady falling water all day. The northwest wind forced out so much water that by afternoon we were seeing 18 inches or more of exposed mud below the...

The Montana scenery in September did not disappoint. Unlike past years, our usual fall fishing weather; cool, cloudy, and rainy never arrived, and September felt more like an extension of summer. That wasn’t a problem, though, as the trico hatches on the Bitterroot River continued to test anglers each morning. Without the clouds and cooler temperatures, mahogany and blue-winged olive mayflies were scarce, making hopper and dropper fishing the most effective approach. With the Blackfoot River...