Page 16 - North 40 Outfitters

Things have turned around since last week with the area lakes. Hot weather has brought an upturn in lake temperatures. Only one lake is still reporting cooler waters than the rest.  So, I would say for now it's time to hit the rivers and break out the hoppers. Current Conditions Bonaparte Lake - Water temperatures are still holding below 65 degrees for now. With projected night time temperatures in the mid to the low 50s and daytime temperatures in the mid-80s, we should be okay here for a while. If smallmouth bass is your game, you'll want to hit the water at first light and fish for the first five hours of the morning for the topwater action. Fish in and around the shallow vegetation close to the shoreline. You may need to go through a few different poppers in color and design to find the one that will give you the most action. Once ...

Hey, guys fishing has been solid on our trout rivers as of late.  The Lochsa, Northfork and Selway are all in great summer shape and hatches are popping.  The weather has turned warm so start thinking summer mode.  Beat the heat by getting on the water early and taking a break middle of the day.  Take advantage of the late fishing too. The caddis and pale evening dun hatches in the late afternoon are solid and consistent. The Grande Ronde and Snake are fishing great. I had a gentleman come in last week and said he was catching some real dandies on the Ronde and in good quantity. The clearwater steelhead are coming. Numbers over the dam are increasing over the dam, water temperature is cool and ready. Lochsa, Selway, NF Clearwater River Flows are steady with consistent fishing. Dries are great in the early morning when temps are coole...

We just had some intense thunderstorms that brought a brief cool down and moisture to the region. Higher elevations and oxygenated waters will have healthy trout and some summertime opportunities. Down low, waters are warming and flows are low. Focus your efforts to bass and pike on the big lake. Plus, warm water fly fishing is a great way to give the trout a break during the dog days of summer, and Sandpoint is the perfect location to do just that. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - Boat traffic is increasing and will continue through the upcoming hot days. The early morning and evening bass fishing has been good. Check out the evening and nighttime Hex hatch. Smallmouth will chase Hex nymphs to the surface and then feed on them at night. For pike, Denton Slough is the best bet. Focus on weed lines and deeper slots. Chartreuse and...

We are expecting a big warm-up here this weekend and early next week. Expect hoppers to arrive in force throughout this week. Lake fishing will remain consistent for bass, pike, and walleye. Trout fishing on lakes will be almost all subsurface and down deep, so pack some sink tips. Local streams and rivers will be warming, so focus your efforts in the early morning and late evening to hit the hatches. Higher elevation lakes are in play, so hiking up to one is a great way to beat the intense heat and wet a line in a timberline lake. North Idaho is a playground, so pick your poison. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - Boat traffic is increasing and will continue through the hot days upcoming. Early morning and evening bass fishing has been good. Check out the evening and nighttime hex hatch. Smallmouth will chase hex nymphs to the sur...

There are so many good options out there right now, it’s hard to pick.  Great dry fly fishing on the Missouri, the creeks, and even the lakes.  Coldwater species and warm water species options abound.  I had a day recently where I caught a goldeye, a pike, a carp, a smallmouth, a brown trout, and a rainbow on the same creek within two hours.  My 4-weight got one heck of a workout! Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - The Missouri River is above 6K again and staying in the low 60s.  Pmds are still hatching along with a host of other small and larger mayflies, including brown drakes.  Great numbers of caddis are out, and they provide prime topwater action at various times during the day.  Some evenings the egg layers bring lots of fish to the top. The current flows and water temperatures are ideal for fishing.  L...

The way the weather has been it’s a wonder why we are not getting a little more action at the lakes. I know during a normal year we would be at that time when the waters might be a little too warm to fish the lakes for trout. This year, so far, it seems we are getting the water temperatures that are giving us a little more time to hit some of our area lakes. Depending on the lake, the average water temperature is right around 60 degrees until mid-day. Current Conditions Chopaka Lake - Water temperatures are still holding good. A warm sunning day may bump the temperatures up close to 65 degrees, so checking the water temperature and then again while you're on the water would be a good idea too. The shallower waters on the south end of the lake have been less productive than the northern waters. The only exception to this would be cast...

If you're a new gardener, you need a water bath canning strategy, period. "Wait... Why does my new garden need a canning strategy?" Here's why: Because chances are you can't eat 12 pounds of strawberries, 20 pounds of tomatoes or 17 pounds of cucumbers all before they go bad... if you can (pun intended) then you don't need to eat all of your produce in one go. If you can eat all of your produce at once, disregard this entire post. For the rest of us mere mortals looking to preserve the longevity of our garden bounty, there is a new thing just invented and perfected by Pinterest--it's called "canning." No, canning wasn't REALLY invented by Pinterest, but you can find some amazing recipes there. Below we are going to give you some insight into the various things you need to begin water bath canning. What is Water Bath Canning? What is "wa...

What a great summer in North Idaho.  Cooler temperatures, frequent rainstorms, cold water what more could you want?  Oh, lots of big fish eating dries like nobody's business?  Yeah, that's happening too. Historically we would be seeing some higher temperatures by now.  Mid-70s and low 80s are perfect if you ask me.  Fishing has been solid on all of our local streams and lakes too.  Summer mode is upon us and we should be expecting hotter weather in the middle of July towards the first of August.  Prepare for thinking about fishing earlier and later in the days as this happens.  As always, the weekends are crowded with folks enjoying our waters.  Mid-week should be better and again early and late will prove better action.  Beating the crowds this time of year is all about being the early and late bird.  The middle of the day a...

Stillwater fishing for trout is in that slow down period. Even though some of the lakes are still on the cool side right now, most anglers are hitting the rivers, and a few are chasing after bass. The weather has been relatively cool for this time of the year, that’s a big plus for us here. Current Conditions Chopaka Lake - Water temperatures are edging close to that point where it is not healthy for the trout's survival if they are caught and released. The north end is staying cooler than the more popular mid to south end. You’ll need to go down to the 20-foot level to find them most of the time. Mornings will be your best time before the day time temperatures warm up too much. Small leeches are working best followed by a couple of different colored chironomid patterns. Bonaparte Lake - Nice cool waters are helping to keep ...