Page 173 - North 40 Outfitters

STEELHEAD OPENER IS PRODUCING RESULTS With the recent opener in the Omak/Okanogan area for steelhead Matt (North 40 Archery Lead, Omak, WA) and myself have been chomping at the bit to spend some much needed time in the water.  The Okanogan River is a particular favorite for myself because of its low fishing pressure and public fishing access points.  Keeping in mind that steelhead are selfish and difficult to catch even on a good day, the fishery receives less numbers then its counterpart, the Methow River, making it a true challenge to land a chromed giant. Spending every moment possible in the river is perhaps a goal for Matt and myself this time of the year, and this year the effort is paying off nicely.  Accessing the Okanogan River is best done on foot by wading.  The entire river is littered with access points and perhaps the ...

Mo Report 10.21.14 We spent the weekend camped on the lower Missouri but fished the canyon section from Dearborn down to Cascade pretty thoroughly.  The hot weather was not ideal for swinging streamers but we did catch a few, and as soon as this weather gets back to normal it should be game on.  We did catch a few good fish on the swing and a number of home brewed swing patterns, as well as any of Ish’s swing patterns (which we have a big selection of in the bins) were producing.  Some of the best swing patterns in the bins include Ish’s swinger cray, Ish’s Kool Herc, and Ish’s Grand Master Flash.  The weeds have mostly exited the river except in the back eddies but the faster runs are mostly weed free, especially compared to even just a few weeks ago. Fish were chasing the stripped streamer out of the boat.  There is a mix...

For those of you who visit our Great Falls shop from time to time, you have probably met Fred Telleen. He has been helping us out in the shop from about November to March each year during his off season from guiding on the Kenai as a fly fishing guide in Alaska. Fred has been guiding in Alaska for 26 years and is a well-known and respected angler and guide. He is heading home and meeting up with Calvin, Paul, Sam, Keith, and Denver to make final decisions on gear and flies for the 2015 season this week. Fred tweeted us this message from Alaska earlier this week- "My last first cast of the 2014 season. 26 fine years #alaskaflyfishing #Mysticwaters @north40flyshop : See you soon" Fred will be running the Great Falls shop now with the help of Joe O’brien and Rick Pasquele. Denver, who currently heads the Great Falls locations will be head...

Dogs on the River's Edge Trail in Great Falls, MT. These are my two pals, Dida and Copper. Dida is almost two-years old and a Siberian Husky. Copper is almost one and a mixed breed. I have had them both since they were puppies and at almost at 39 years old myself, they are pretty much my first companion pets. I have had some great working ranch dogs in the past but these two have taught me a lot about pet relationships and we have formed a strong bond in a short amount of time. They love being outdoors with me and going all out just as much as I do on our many adventures. When not running or mountain biking all over the Missouri River breaks, these two love to play and wrestle aggressively with one another. Needless to say we are pretty hard on pet supplies. Cycle Dog: Innovative Collars Built to Last We have been in the market for a ne...

What's better than American grown wheat straight from the field to your table? When that wheat becomes a cookie, of course. Now that our name is out there, (when we wrote this, we'd just changed our name... learn about that here) I've had some extra time in the evenings and have found myself anxious to bake now that fall is settling in. ...Cool weather + fresh baked goods = yes, please. As I was browsing Pinterest after dinner, I realized it would be the perfect night to bake something. My husband was out of town working, the cat was sleeping on the chair and I was still hungry. Given my track record with the bread machine, I knew that if I attempted to bake bread- it would be just that: an attempt. I remembered seeing a recipe on the back of the Wheat Montana flour bag so I decided to give it a shot and see if their "Family Farm F...

Today is the season opener of the upper Columbia steelhead season and it's tributaries that surround our Omak, WA fly shop. The Wenatchee, Icicle, Methow, and Okanogan Rivers are all open for Steelhead fishing until further notice. The Similkameen will be open starting November 1st. I guess Keith in Omak was almost dead on with his predictions of an opening date in this months emag. As of the most recent count data on 10/4 there were over 18,000 steelhead over Priest Rapids Dam. Stop in our shop and get your steelhead license and catch card, sink tips, Spey lines, the best local steelhead fly selection for central Washington anywhere, and whatever else you need. If you're a skier you might say its a "powder day"... Go fish.    

Last week I had the pleasure to spend the morning taking two, of the most avid outdoors people, I know fishing. Mike has harvested just about every big game animal in North America and Jess spent her summers growing up at her Dad's lodge in Illiamna. I kept telling Mike how good the fishing was and he wouldn't even consider fishing until he harvested his elk. With fresh elk meat in the freezer, we decided to take our two boys out fishing for the morning on a local river. If you have ever tried planning a last minute fly fishing trip with a couple of 4 year olds, you know how hard that can be. Pushing on, we made it happen and a couple hours later Mike and Jess were at the boat ramp with their oldest son in tow. The morning was perfect. High overcast, mahogany's, tricos, and caddis everywhere and the fish were up eating. We found a few go...

I remember when I moved to Great Falls and first felt our company's passion for fly fishing. Not everyone was doing it, but you could definitely tell it was there and that it would grow into something important. Though an old college roommate taught me the fundamentals of casting many years ago and I was comfortable with a rod, I really never had the time or had yet met a person with a passion to push me. I began to grow comfortable with the idea that it was a good fit for me. I got over my previously formed opinion of fly fishing when I finally accepted my new opinion of fly fishing being equally important to my own beliefs of what makes Montana really cool. So I immersed myself into knowing all things fly fishing in normal fashion my wife refers to as "being bored." But I wasn't bored...I was genuinely interested because it was my way...

An estimated 30,000 or more Coho salmon are expected for the Upper Columbia and its tributaries. Yesterday WDFW issued a rules change opening the Columbia river above Priest Rapids dam to Chief Joseph dam, along with the Methow, Wenatchee and Icicle rivers for coho fishing. Click here for the new emergency rules info. For flies use marabou and rabbit streamers in sizes #1-#2/0. Colors to use are pinks, chartreuse, blues, blacks, purples and reds tied in combinations. Best to add some weight to them and keep them moving when you fish them. This will be a nice bonus fishery for us up here. Swing by the shop for info and supplies. Keith Roe, Omak

We arrived late Thursday night on the lower Clearwater River to spend the next three days on the river chasing steelhead. Reports had been awesome with anglers landing 10+ fish a day on gear and a 2-3 a day on swung flies. Most of the campsite on lower Hog Island were taken so we resorted to a new spot with a friendly kitty cat as a neighbor. The cat was less than 6 months old and fat and happy from snacking on all the trash that was left in the camp spot we chose. Around midnight the rest of the crew showed up consisting of Denver, Paul, Keaton, and David. Excitement built as we told stories around the fire till the pre-dawn hours. When the alarm when off at 5:00am thoughts of steelhead made getting out of bed a little easier. This year we pulled down three jet sleds and had a crew of 15 people. Joining us later that morning were White...

Smartwoolâ„¢  Men's PHD Ultra Light Mini Our Sock of the Month for September 2014 is the Men's PHD Ultra Light Mini Smartwoolâ„¢ for $6.95. This is by far the most comfortable sock I have ever worn- perhaps after writing a bunch of these Sock of the Month blogs (now a regular posting), it will be harder for me to write those words, but for now, let me reiterate: this is by far the most comfortable sock I have ever worn. I came home from the Great Falls store with this sock, went to my friend's house to have the kids color Cecelia and get free Sprecher root beer opened it up and promptly lost it to my friend K, "I better try that on for you," she says to me in a "I'm-doing-this-for-your-own-good" kind of tone. Two days later, I got the sock back so I could actually wear it around and write it up here. After I got my socks back f...

North 40 Outfitters (formerly Big R Store) is offering a fun deal: All you need to do is print out this picture, have your little one color it in, and bring it into the store for a free root beer. The picture is of the North 40 Outfitters' mascot, Cecelia, a delivery truck who harkens back to the good old days of face-to-face interaction with customers, and something they still do today. Click for a printable PDF Click for a printable PDF It's a fun little project to do with the kids, not to mention the reward is free root beer.   I've always thought of Big R as just another part of Great Falls. There's Giant Springs on one end of town, Ford's Drive-In out Central Avenue West, and at the end of 10th Avenue, there's Big R.   Growing up, I remember going to Big R for all sorts of things. I would go in with my grandma to buy fenci...