Clay Coffman
The first young angler interviewed for our new series was Clay Coffman. When Clay isn't out on the football field or on the basketball court, you will probably find him out on the water fly fishing. Clay is a sophomore at Ennis High School and he is as busy as ever with school and extracurricular activities. Talking to Clay you can tell that he has a passion for all things fishing related, which is no surprise considering he is the grandson of local legend Coach Cleverley. Bobby Cleverley taught and coached football at Ennis High School for 38 years. He also spent his summers guiding the Madison River, enjoying his love of fly fishing.
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Clay with a nice rainbow |
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Clay has been fishing for about six years now. He first learned how to fish on spinning rods from a cousin but quickly advanced to fly fishing. Clay recently completed a Science Fair project on the strength of fishing leaders. He tested different brands of leaders to see if they held up to the weight they claimed to. He shared his findings that the fly lines did hold up to the strength tests. Clay has been taking advantage of the warmer temperatures lately and been out fishing with his five weight rod. He told me a story of how he was fishing tiny nymphs recently at 3 Dollar Bridge with a friend and they both hooked up on the first cast out. An experience like that is a reminder of why winter fishing can be worth it. I asked Clay about what he believed to be the biggest issue that Madison River is facing in regards to fishing. He spoke of overcrowding on the Madison and the fact that there are more boats out on the water than ever before. Last year, locals saw pressure coming in from the Big Hole, Beaverhead area, and Yellowstone after the closure. Clay described the warmer water temperatures that you have to combat while fishing during the summer. He said he was only able to fish successfully several hours in the morning and in the evening. Clay is looking forward to another season filled with fishing adventures.
By: Chelsea Pardo
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