Page 111 - North 40 Outfitters

I've always liked to study, although my grades in school didn't always reflect it. As a kid I would research all the local outdoor publications I could find, then beg my father to drive me around the state of Maine every weekend. I loved to explore new water. When I moved to Washington I was completely unaware of all the fishing opportunities available to me. I knew a little about the saltwater and anadromous fisheries, but I had no idea about the quality of trout fishing in the state. Once again I became a student, voraciously reading everything I could get my hands on. I would ask questions at the local fly shops, but that would only get me so far. I wanted to explore beyond the locations on their report boards. When you get ready to go exploring, make sure you have a selection of decent searching flies. Those are here. Fly fishermen, e...

It actually feels like late fall today. Freezing temperature has been reached. Snow on the windshield this morning. I already see the shift in sales. Fly sales are down and fly tying materials are up. Fly tying season is coming, but there really is some great fly fishing yet to be had. The last two customers I talked to were both grinning about their most recent days on the water. For those of you who keep on fishing regardless of the weather or the season, changes are manifesting. The water has finally dropped below 50 degrees. The trout will soon be shifting toward winter patterns, but not yet. Not quite. They are still eating steadily. Curious how the river is doing? Check out current river flows here While they are still eating, they are not quite as spread around as they were during the summer. Some areas are barren, while others ar...

The Spokane Fly Fishers will be holding their annual fly auction next Wednesday, November 16th, beginning at 7:00 PM. The auction will take place at the St. Francis School, 1104 W Heroy Ave. Money raised at this event will help offset the fees associated with hosting featured speakers from across the Pacific Northwest at their monthly meetings. Every year, several local tyers and fly shops donate flies to this fundraiser, and if your fly boxes look like mine right now, this might be a good opportunity to replenish your inventory with locally tied flies. I'll be donating a bunch of flies again this year, and I usually invite the winners of my flies to tag along on a fishing trip with me, so bid early and often when you see a box of my flies! I've had the pleasure of listening to the likes of Rick Hafele, Kelly Galloup, Phil Rowley, among...

Fishing has come to a close for the year on several Spokane area lakes, but there are still a few that are open and fishing well. Amber Lake is always a safe bet this time of year for consistent fishing, and you don't even need a boat to have an opportunity to catch some fish. Just remember, the lake is catch-and-release only and selective gear rules apply until it closes on November 30th so, don't forget to pinch those barbs! Amber Lake is a great day trip for families, and one that I've always enjoyed taking my son to. It's a beautiful 45-minute drive from Spokane with plenty of opportunities to see deer, elk, turkey, coyotes and other wildlife. I usually spend a couple of hours fishing and then I will take my son to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (https://www.fws.gov/refuge/turnbull/), when he gets bored with dad's whole fly fishi...

Fall is a very busy time of year for anyone who loves the outdoors. Hunting is taking up everyone's time. I find a lot of people saying that they haven't had time to fish because they've been too busy hunting, myself included. The sad thing is that fishermen are missing out on a great opportunity to fish for bass. Winter Feeding & Fishing Depth The bass are feeding heavily to get ready for the winter when there is less forage. This is my favorite time of year to fish because there is little to no boat traffic and very little fishing pressure on these fish. Need help dialing in the fishing depth? Check out these fish finders. At first it may be hard to find what depth the fish are at but they should be in that 10-20 ft. range with some fish going shallower. I would recommend fishing suspended weed lines. A simple but very important to...

We are moving deeper into the month of November and yet, it appears we still have a handful of mild days ahead. The weather has been beautiful and the fishing has been quite good. Some folks are actually complaining about the too nice weather. I look at fishing on a beautiful day as a good thing, even if the bite may be better on a crappy one. Remember, winter will be here soon enough. Later next week, we’ll see some typical November temps and possibly some rain and snow. Then the fishing should get really good. You won’t hear me complaining about that either. If you're looking to stay current on river flows and temps, you can check them out here The sunny and often breezy days of late have not been ideal for dry fly fishing, yet I’ve had several anglers loading up on #16-#20 Para Adams, Purple Haze and Donatello’s. They reported...

For those of us who have been fly fishing most of our lives, we have seen some major changes to our beloved waters. Beyond fish behavior and hatch variances, I regularly hear long time anglers complain about how busy our rivers are, particularly the Missouri.  Some fly fishers keep on going to the same favored places and continue to complain.  Others only fish in the winter.  Some focus on lakes and private ponds.  Some simply hang out in fly shops and drink free coffee.  If you are struggling to find some fly fishing solitude, I have some simple solutions. Get Out And Explore More... Find New Water I don’t mean quit fishing the Missouri.  That would be ridiculous.  Just spread out a little.  If you continually fish the most popular access points, then you should expect that you will be sharing the experience with other anglers...

While not highly regarded among anglers, Arctic Grayling have long captured my interest. What the "Sailfin of the North" lack in robust fighting power they more than makeup for in beauty. Montana is home to the last remaining native wild populations of this unusual member of the trout family in the lower 48 but introduced populations can be found throughout the western United States. Having recently moved to northern Idaho I was eager to connect with these enigmatic fish. I packed my 5 wt Echo glass rod, an assortment of woolly buggers and nymphs, and loaded my kayak for a weekend fishing on Lake Rogers nested in the Salish Mountains southwest of Kalispell. I arrived at the lake to find a healthy 15 mph south wind ripping across the lake but I launched the kayak anyway and made for the opposite bank hoping to seek shelter from the chilly...

I've been wanting to get up to Omak Lake lately, so I was able to slip away this morning for a couple of hours for some water time. It was a bit chilly, but not that bad. There was fog hanging just above the lake when I got there, but the lake looked nice and calm with a little gentle wave action. I was shore fishing it this morning, but I had a feeling that was going to be just right. After about my 3rd cast, my reward was a scrappy 14" Lahontan cutthroat. I was getting plenty of action from the fish in the 14"-16" range for the next 45 minutes. As I was taking a break, I heard a loud splash just over from me. Keeping still and not moving, I scanned the water and spotted what had made to commotion. What I saw was a stocky Lahontan cruising the shallows. Once I started looking harder, I could see others in the area. Then I saw what they ...

Expectations were high when we hit the water yesterday afternoon. I have heard a couple reports of Kokanee running up the Clark Fork River, so I figured other trout would be closely following. With several rods on the boat ready to rock, I did not see how we couldn't hook into a few beauties. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Air temperatures were in the low 50s, and the sun was out. It didn't take long for me to shed my jacket, and fish with just a long sleeve shirt. Water clarity was excellent, and there wasn't a breath of wind in the air. Curious how river is doing? Check out the current river flows here Our minds were set to swing and strip streamers the entire time. Looking back now, I wish we tried nymphing. After 4 hours of heavy swinging, we had 2 grabs. Color didn't seem to make a difference because we tried every color in t...

The weather over the next week looks really good. Possibly too good for prime dry fly and streamer fishing, but it’s going to be hard to complain. It is November.  You can’t take a nice day for granted. Especially a week of them. So the question is not do you go fishing. The question is how you approach the fish. Want to know how the river is doing? Check out current river flows here Nymphing is going strong. Really strong. If you want lots of action, you should definitely get out there and drift some nymphs. Lots of flies are working. The Tufted Zebra, Mo Zebra, and any small mayflies in the #18-#20 range are in the game. It’s hard to beat the good old scuds, sows and worms though. Mini Mo Czech, Tailwater Sow, Rainbow Czech, UV Czech, Wire Worm, and the classic chenille San Juan Worm are on the menu daily. Dry fly fishing is var...

Last month, we saw the wettest October on record, with up to 9 inches of rain falling in parts of Idaho and Washington. I guess the old adage "be careful what you wish for" is coming true for me because it seems like only yesterday I was begging for some rain. Do the higher water levels mean you can’t catch fish? Absolutely not! You'll just have to change up your tactics a bit. While there may be more water in the river, there’s actually less holding water for fish due to increased flows. Trout will not expend their energy in fast currents, especially as water temperatures drop, so focus your efforts on the edge of seams and soft water. Back eddies that form during high water are another spot that you can consistently find trout. Look in the swirling foam and you'll often find bugs struggling to escape the whirlpool of impending doom...