Mike Butler’s carving origins follow a circuitous path back to the
1970’s when as a Junior champion road cyclist
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he developed an
appreciation for the period’s beautifully rendered hand made racing
bicycles, and passion for his interests. Educated at the University of
Maine with some influential experiences along the way that included a
teaching stint in Japan, spending several glorious years as a bird and
trout bum, and a fly fishing guide - “a pleasant way to be
compensated for one of my passions and be near the species that
inspires me to recreate them from wood and paint.”
He began carving working decoys in the mid-nineties as a duck
hunter enamored with the art and beauty of finely crafted decoys, but
his passion for fly fishing and trout made for a natural transition to
fish carving.
He is an active and dedicated cold water conservationist, especially in
regard to endangered Atlantic salmon, and a former Trout Unlimited
chapter president. He has been fly fishing for more than 20 years and
has guided for more than a decade.
His mission is to create unique heirloom quality fish carvings while
mitigating their environmental footprint, advocate Catch and Release
angling and the conservation of wild indigenous fish species and
their habitat.
