Page 100 - North 40 Outfitters

What you do in the springtime for your hives sets the stage for the success of the season. For well over a month, established bees have been out looking for water, pollen and nectar with some days being more productive than others depending on the weather and bloom times. Order pollen paddies online to feed your bees from us here. And while the health of your hives at this time of the year is partly determined by how they were put to bed for the winter, there is a lot you can do now to strengthen colonies or start anew. Assess Winter Hive Losses By now you should know which hives made it, and which didn't. The greater question is "why?" Was there enough honey storage in the hive, and was it accessible to the cluster? Read about our first attempts at beekeeping here and see if you can relate. There are times when you open the hive in the ...

One of the first things that gets asked by people interested in fly fishing is what gear do I need to get started in fly fishing. The perception for many people is that this is an expensive sport, which can be absolutely true if you want it to be, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, I would argue that compared to many similar sports such as archery, hunting, golf, camping and many other activities--fly fishing can be one of the most economical. This is a list of what you NEED, in my opinion, to be successful. Fly Rod: 9ft 5wt Fly Reel: Matching 5wt Backing: 20-30lb Fly Line: Weight forward 5wt Tapered Leader: 9 foot 3-4X Tippet: 3X and 4X spool Flies: What flies do you need to get started? Forceps: Preferably with built in scissors Strike indicators Fly Floatant Net Optional, but Recommended: Waders Boots So as you can see, if you...

If there's one limiting factor that inhibits more people from getting into fly fishing it's sticker shock. With $1,000 fly rods, $800 waders, to $130 fly lines, it's completely understandable why people often walk out of a fly shop without spending a dime. Especially when the salesperson behind counter is pushing only those products. Most fly fishing manufacturers and retailers have realized that selling only expensive equipment isn't exactly the best business strategy for getting new anglers into the sport. RIO Products, producers of some of the best fly lines on the market, recognized this and came out with the MainStream series of fly lines for anglers looking to get a quality fly line without breaking the bank. MainStream fly lines are offered in floating, sink tip, and full sinking to cover any situation you might encounter on rive...

When I was first introduced to Savage Gear, we were fishing a local lake here in North Idaho. To say the least, I was more than impressed. Unlike my normal fishing schedule of waking up at 4:00 and being on the water at 4:15, this day we got out at 3:00- p.m. Not what I would consider "early bird getting the worm." Order these three swim baits right here. Savage Ridicule Becomes Disbelief- Becomes a Double Bass Bonanza While casting my normal presentations of swimbaits, spinners, and twitch baits, my partner pulls out this insanely offensive colored swim bait... As I start ridiculing him about the colors of this "beacon for the space shuttle," he casts toward the main lake, and after about 3 seconds, snap! I thought it was his line that broke, but no, it was the tip of his rod- after that I stopped laughing. Is this bait right for you? ...

We’ve had BWO weather and the BWO hatch is in full swing. What is BWO weather? Some people consider it to be crappy. BWO weather is cool, damp, rainy stuff. The little mayflies come off in the afternoons and are forced to float for a long time, trying to dry their wings for flying. Sometimes, they never make it off the water. This makes the fish very happy. Easy snacking. We've got a good selection of BWOs online right here. On top, try the Spotlight May, Tilted BWO, Sparkle Flag, Purple Haze or a good old Para Adams. If you don’t like fishing in crappy weather, wait for a sunny day, but don’t expect any rising fish. A few March Browns have been spotted, but then the water temp dropped a few degrees. For now, it’s BWO’s and midges with the larger March Browns on the horizon. BWO nymphs are now a major player, but the March Bro...

Medical Lake has cleared up nicely since my last report and is fishing well. I was able to spend a couple hours fishing from shore this past weekend and landed a few nice rainbows on olive balanced leeches. People fishing from boats were having success both trolling streamers and fishing chironomids under an indicator. If you're going to try trolling be prepared with both a fast-sinking and intermediate fly line. You'll often find fish cruising shallow water early in the day before dropping back down into the depths as the sun comes up. If you're lucky enough to get out there on a calm day you can expect to find some fish rising to chironomids along the shoreline and at either end of the lake. A simple size 16 Parachute Adams is often all you need to fool these cruising fish. Stop by the shop for the latest reports, fresh flies, and supp...

With warm weather coming around the corner (hopefully), I have been tossing and turning at night thinking of fishing for smallies. When I start to noticed loss of sleep, fishing becomes an issue. So I decided to take matters into my own hands, and fish for smallmouth no matter the weather. The Memorial Field boat launch is still inaccessible, but the City Beach launch has plenty of clearance. The bass don't seem to be interested in the fly just yet. Which is understandable considering water temperatures are in the 40s. The bass we found were associated with small sandy points anywhere from 5-10 feet of water. All of the bass were very white due to lack of sun, and having just moved from deeper water. Like I said, the sluggish smallies wanted nothing to do with the Chartreuse Hud's Bushwacker. Instead, I found my bass on a green with gold...

The lake has been hit or miss, but mainly hit. Meaning that lake has been fishing good for the most part. The trout are still heavily keyed in on a #6 Olive Woolly Bugger, #6 Olive Balanced Leech, and a #6 Thinmint. Intermediate line has still been the best line to use, however I will be trying Type III Full Sinking Line next time. I believe there are trout and bass still holding in deeper water that I am not currently reaching. I ventured out away from shore looking for fish, and still had a few grabs. Check out our line selection here. This tells me the trout are cruising heavier towards shore, but there are still plenty off shore. I greatly believe the trout species vary depending on which side of the lake you fish. For instance, I always seem to catch rainbows in front of the boat launch, but not anywhere else. This could only be my...

Finally, we’re beginning to see the signs of spring, color beginning to show on trees and all the ice has retreated off (most) lakes. It looks like a perfect time to knock the dust off the rods and put a good stretch in lines coiled since last fall. Spring can be one of the best and worst times of year to catch fish. Beauty can abound one moment and the fishing can be phenomenal, but, like the flick of a switch, the clouds can come in or the fish can be gone. This can be one of the most aggravating things when you know the fish are there, but you can’t find any willing participants. This is when you need a systematic approach to finding and catching fish. Want to catch more fish on stillwater? Then read this. Phil Rowley is one of the foremost anglers when it comes to devising ways to catch fish in still waters. He approaches everyday...

With Washington’s general lakes opener coming up this weekend, we’ve put together a list of best spots to go for your Central, WA fly fishing itinerary this weekend. Based on our own eyeball reports and the many anglers strolling through the shop, this roundup includes waters that are free of ice, accessible now and may contain large fish! Bad news first. Some Roads Closed: Here’s How to Travel We have also had some weather-related road issues throughout the county so be aware of the roads as you travel on them. Highway 20 from Twisp to Okanogan remains closed due to a couple of washouts. So, to get from there to here or here to there you will have to travel south on Highway 97 on the Okanogan side and connect with Highway 153 going up the Methow Valley or visa versa from Twisp to Okanogan. Chopaka Lake: Probably Closed The one lak...

April fly fishing results can be sporadic, like the hatches and the weather. Lots of midges are finally coming off, but there has been little surface feeding in the main river. Some pockets and channels will bulge with some eats if you know where to look, but the big time dry fly fishing has not been happening yet. Maybe today? BWO’s are popping off in bursts in some stretches of the river. If you are on the right run at the right time, you can find some great emerger action. A good old size 20 Pheasant Tail can get lots of attention in the early afternoon. If the sun is shining or the wind is blowing hard, you won’t find many risers or any once the hatch is underway. Clouds and modest wind are the ticket. Everything is conditional and sporadic. One of these days it will be really good. I hope I’m out there, but if not, I know I’l...

When I left work on Saturday, I somehow took a left onto I-90 east instead of going west. Instead of turning around, I took a 90-mile detour to get home and went about 30 miles up the Coeur d'Alene River. Maybe it was some of the reports coming into the shop over the past week, but more than likely it was newborn-induced sleep deprivation that caused me to make the wrong turn. As soon I started to make my way up the river, I could see some mayflies dancing in the sunlight along the riverbank. Clarity is good and the fish are rising even though the river remains above 5,000 cfs. Find a soft seam along the bank and you'll catch some fish. Curious how the river is doing? Check out flows here.  Fishing during the middle part of the day will bring the most dry fly action, with Skwalas, BWOs, and March Browns all on the menu. I was using a Skw...