Page 14 - North 40 Outfitters

Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - Late August and into September is a prime time to fish tiny nymphs. There are lots of micro mayflies of the trico, pseudo, and bwo swimming around. Scuds and sowbugs are also strong players this time of year, so pair them up with the little guy. Daily hatches are sporadic with some larger mayflies of the pmd, ped and callibaetis variety in play.  Caddis are also present, so a mayfly spinner pattern behind a caddis is a good searching choice.  The best option for finding heads is likely to be from fish feeding on tiny trico spinners when the weather cooperates.  Warm stable weather is the best for trico action.  Unstable temperatures and wind can throw off the trico game. Terrestrials have provided some really nice fish on the Mo lately.  You won’...

The kids are getting ready for school and Labor Day is coming up. Everyone is trying to cram in their last few family weekends.  Nights are getting much cooler, days are getting shorter. Fall is on its way and this means some of the best fishing of the year is coming.  The fishing is very good right now. It can be a difficult decision now on where to go.  Usually, the crowds start tapering off here in a couple of weeks as the tourist start to head home and the rivers are far more peaceful.  There are lots of good hatches now and the hopper fishing on our rivers is going off in a good way.  We have had, in my mind one, of the better weather summers in recent history.  Temperatures hardly hit the 90s, and there were very few fires.  There has also been good rain throughout the summer too.  Hop...

Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - We’ve had some water fluctuations from thunderstorm activity and as of this report, we are above 5K again. Water temperatures remain favorable and the fish are healthy and really strong.  The increased flows have temporarily disrupted some of the dry fly activity, but nymphing has been excellent. We expect solid dry fly opportunities to unfold over the next month with tricos, pseudos, ants, beetles, hoppers and general fun attractor flies all bringing fish to the top. Weeds are not a big problem as they often are in August.  Traffic on the river is light and the fishing conditions are great. Creeks and Smaller Rivers - Sporadic rains and cool nights have kept the majority of the smaller streams flowing and fishing well this summer.  We expec...

The good news is, the rivers have not dropped anymore since last week. Instead, they have come up a little with the recent rains we have had in the last week. Mornings are still going to be your best bet if you are able to hit the waters. The area lakes are still running a little high in temperature. Current Conditions Bonaparte Lake - It seems fishing has taken a back seat to most people on the lake lately. The good thing about that means less competition for those that choose to wet a line. Morning time as it has been for the last few weeks is the best time to be on the water. The smallies are still taking topwater poppers in and around the weeds. Another couple of good flies to use, just outside of the weed line, are the Canadian black or crystal simi seal leeches. Besides the small...

The extended forecast is showing things heating back up to the mid/upper 70s and lower 80s during the upcoming days. We’ll see overnight temperatures hovering around the low 50s, so early morning and late evening fishing will remain best, with slower periods during the day. Trout fishing will take you away from the Sandpoint area, everything is either too warm or just too skinny. However, the Big Lake is a giant playground for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, pike, walleye, and more! Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - We will see a slow decrease of boat traffic over the next few weeks as the kids get ready to go back to school. However, shorter days and cooler overnight temperatures will bring fish towards shallower waters early and late in the day. Smallmouth are everywhere right now, so focus on docks and submer...

Looks like my rain dance worked!  What a blessing to get some really good rain in August.  It's been a  long time since we've had this kind of rain in the middle of summer.  Hopefully, it helped quell some fires, and it for sure helped the water temperatures on our rivers.  We fished Sunday on the St. Joe and had a great time in the rain -nothing a little Goretex can’t solve. Looks as if we are going to be back in the mid-'80s for the foreseeable future.  It will at least be a bit cooler than it typically is in August.  We’re long overdue for a temperate summer like this.  It's been awesome, to say the least.  Hopefully, we get a few more of these types of storms from here on into the fall.  It will do nothing but good for fishing. September is right around the corner and th...

Putting the Husqvarna 450 to the test... When we all ended up in Monarch staring up at a 70' blue-stain pine, the Husqvarna 450 Chainsaw looked a little- puny for the task at hand. This was a horrible assumption as you can see from the photographs below. The Husqvarna Rancher 450 chainsaw packs a real wallop, if you'll allow me to usurp a colloquialism. It's a 50.2 cc, 3.2 HP made for all-around usage. While we cut down, limbed, and sectioned a huge tree this chainsaw works just as well on broken fence, railroad ties, or any other everyday usage typical on properties here in the Northwest. You can learn more about the specifics of the 450 Rancher on our product page, here. Another cool product spec that was directly related to our little outing in Monarch is the air injection in this chainsaw versus other chainsaws. It has a centrifuga...

Up, up and up the temp has climbed in the last week.  Solid 90's and close to 100 degree temps for the next few days.  However, there is a good possibility of a storm coming in later this week to the weekend.  Hopefully, no major lightning comes with this and also good rain. The forecast shows rain and mid 60's for Sunday.  This is a really good thing if we get this.  The fishing should be killer if it happens.  The forests are very dry and high probability of fires now.  Please, please be responsible out there.  We have had a really tough last few summers with fires.  Also, we need to be respectful of our fish in these higher temps.  Consider getting up early, fishing the early am with cooler temps and also the last couple hours of the day.  The middle of the day fishing will b...

Current Conditions It is HOT! Weather has been in the 100’s as of lately. The bass fishing on the Snake and Grande Ronde have been amazing. I also heard the Clearwater above Orofino has been fishing great for Bass. As for our Trout Rivers, they seem to be fishing great in the early morning when temps are lower. Best thing to do in the afternoon is to give the fish a break and have lunch. Then get back to it in the evening. Lochsa River near Lowell, ID - The Lochsa flows at 540 its perfect for wet wadding. Fishing has been good early in the morning to late evening. You will want to focus on Deep pockets of water or riffles. Stimulators and Parachute Adams are our go-to fly right now. Also, Terrestrials are out Hoppers, Ants, and Beetle patterns. NF Clearwater River near Canyon Ranger Station, ID - Fishing has been grea...

Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - The water has dropped below 5K CFS.  That means easy wading opportunities and fish looking up for bugs in skinny water.  For the dry fly crew, its tricos in the morning and terrestrials through mid-day, including ants, hoppers and beetles.  Caddis, callibaetis and even damsel flies can also get the attention of surface oriented fish. Underneath, there are a large variety of nymphs getting it done.  As we dip later into August, the tiny micro mayflies and midge sized offerings become key players.  A larger attractor nymph like a standard hare’s ear, pheasant tail or something with a little flash followed by a zebra, tufted zebra or any size #18-22 micro pattern is a reliable combo. Creeks and Smaller Rivers - Waters are late summer low....