Page 188 - North 40 Outfitters

There is not a lot of writing out there on what flies are best to bring down to Baja-and now I realize why. In Baja the 2 major food sources for the Roosterfish as well as other targets are the sardinas and mullet. Sounds easy. The problems that occur become apparent quick. First of all the size of the baitfish schools of sardinas that are close in to the beach change almost every week. Second, Mullet are huge- like the size of reasonable size 10-15 inch trout here. It’s not hard to tie a fly that big and imitate a mullet-it is difficult to cast a fly that big from the beach with a head wind and the tide coming in and out. The sardinas are much easier to cast, but larger Roosterfish key in on the larger baitfish, we saw them often crashing on large schools of Jack Crevalle. We found the best flies from the beach to be small mullet patt...

All kinds of things were thrown at us this weekend-Mom turned 50, it was Father’s day, and relatives were in town-Belt Rodeo. All the shop guys were floating the Dearborn this weekend, so I was forced to call Paul to come down and help me get the family some fish. It was my mom and cousin’s first time with a fly rod-and Danielle’s 2nd time out. The dry fly fishing was probably unbelievable (which KK and I found out the next day) but we had to start somewhere and rigged up PMD nymphs for our guests. About 100 yards after launching the boat I already heard war whoops coming from Paul’s boat and our cousin Linda had already got 2 fish to the boat-a split second later one came from my boat-got off. With Mom in the front of the boat and Danielle in the back-Mom got one at Cali Island. Paul caught up to us there, and when we tallied the...

This is not your everyday purist fly fishing bunch, in fact it’s Christian and some buddies that came up to spend a few days on the Missouri a few weeks ago, as well as his custom General Lee retro Clackacraft. I’ve been told more than once that I have one of the messiest drift boats on the Missouri River. I believe you can tell a lot about a fly fisher by their drift boat. I know guys that don’t have a scratch on their oar blades (means they don’t fish enough or at all)-but most of the guys that I fish with that have drift boats fish a lot. Generally their boats are old highsides or used low sides. The floors are so rock worn that they move with the current and you wonder how many more fiberglass fibers you have left down there. The seats are either broken or taken out because if you are sitting you are rowing -there’s 2 optio...

Lately I've logged in a lot of time on the river as well as a lot of time on the vise (summer-school procrastination at its finest). A few weeks ago I was anchored up on the lower Mo and watched a 5lb brown come out of the depths and eat a dead or dying fish that was on the rise to the surface (the baitfish was around 5"" long). Putting my biology and fishing backgrounds together, I came up with a weightless, foam headed, articulated streamer that mimics a dying or dead fish on the rise. Needless to say after doing a little research, I wasn't the first to come up with this idea. I'm still experimenting a little bit, but so far 2-4' of 8-12lb. maxima on a streamer express, stripped two or three times, then paused allowing it to rise has been the ticket. I'm yet to LAND any brutes, but I've hooked into a few, and let me tell you the take is...

I read a quote from Charlie Smith (Crazy Charlie who invented the most famous Bonefish fly in the Bahamas of all time) from when he was up fishing in Montana with some guide friends-I can’t remember which magazine it was (Fly Rod and Reel, Drake, American Angler or another one of my other favorites). Charlie swore that he was catching Bonefish up in Montana, and when the guys asked him why the fish didn’t fight as hard up here in Montana as in the Bahamas he replied in pretty obvious fashion-"There is no shrimp and crabs to make them strong." The Whitefish is a native fish for us here in Montana and while it lacks pretty spots and most likely won’t put you in your backing-I sure seem to see a lot of grins when they are being caught-including myself.

With my family and a few close friends, it's time to head back to my favorite lake for our annual (for the most part) pilgrimage 800 + miles north to Lake Amisk, Saskatchewan. Although the walleye fishing has always been priority #1, along with an elaborate shore lunch, my friends and I have begun to take the fly fishing opportunities for pike just as much, if not more seriously. This is a slam dunk trip if you live in the NW. It's close, it's inexpensive, there are unlimited opportunities to fish uncrowded water and a lot of big fish. We make the trip inexpensive by being our own guides, renting or bringing our own boats, cooking food at the resort ourselves, and driving the whole way up. I have been making this trip since I was in 1st grade when my grandpa, dad, and uncles took me up there, and I remember breaking ice that May on our w...

Currents of Belize from McJ Digital on Vimeo. This is one of the coolest little documentaries on Belize. Currents of Belize from McJ Digital on Vimeo.

The snowpack is coming down, but so has the Missouri River. How does that work?  Apparently, the water managers ran water out early and are now gradually filling up Canyon Ferry.  That means the Mo should remain an excellent option going forward. After some warmth, rain and cooler temperatures are happening again.  The rain will likely continue melting snow and add to the stream flows.  The Sun, Smith, Belt, Highwood and other smaller streams are going to be pushed up for a while. Current Conditions See current Missouri River below Holter Dam conditions More good news! Missouri River below Holter Dam flows have dropped to the 8K range.  Wading is more realistic at these flows, though less is still better.  The water has been in great shape. Match the Hatch As always, balanced leeches and a variety of nymphs can be effective.  Try...

Lake Pend Oreille is without a doubt a world class fishery with plenty of different fishing opportunities to offer. Whether you aim to chase state record smallmouth, once-in-a-lifetime rainbows, energetic westslope cutthroat, or 4-foot pike, it has you covered in spades. The trick is to recognize the right time of year and the weather conditions. One fishing opportunity that continues to get me fired up year after year is the carpenter ant hatch in May. Thousands of, size 10, ants take flight and litter the calm lake’s surface on the first few hot spring evenings that reach 70 to 80 degrees. Trout, bass, whitefish, and pike minnow rise to the surface by the hundreds to partake in this annual event of fine dining. When the hatch is hot and heavy, the lake’s surface looks like it is being hailed upon as hungry fish suck down juicy ants....