Page 22 - North 40 Outfitters

Chuck Kraft designed this fly some years ago and it has been a true fish-catching machine. This is another one of those flies that is tied with simplicity in mind. The first one was tied in a silver and gold combination. Freshwater or saltwater, it didn’t matter—the Kraft's Kreelex championed both. The first time I used the Kreelex Fly I was fishing a multi-species lake. By days end I’d caught, largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, crappie and rainbow trout—all on the same gold and brown/copper Kreelex Fly. Want to fool a fish on a fly you've created? Learn fly tying recipes here. Essentially, the Kreelex is a streamer that is all flash. It’s tied with dumbbell eyes in a way that allows the hook to ride up, thereby reducing the potential to snag on bottom when fishing this fly. The Kreelex flash material comes in a number of...

Flash N’ Grab Intruder I’m a big fan of using flashabou in my trout, salmon, and steelhead flies. Beyond the flash, flashabou has great movement in the water and does not bleach out or get torn off the fly like marabou. During the years I was guiding in Alaska, I found that the Flash N’ Grab Intruder fly would hold up through lots and lots of fish. When the hook wears out, it can be replaced. Most flies last through several hook changes. When you don’t want a bright flashy fly; blue, black and purple are the perfect colors to focus on. They flash, but not too much. They also show up really well in stained or clearer water, so you can rely on them in varied conditions. When you deliver these colors with the pulsating movement of flashabou in front of all but the stalest of fish, you can expect a grab. Material List: Thread: 140 UT...

Runoff is Happening 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. Ponds and Reservoirs If runoff has you in a funk, get out on some flat water.  Fish are coming off the spawn and beginning to feed.  Chironomids (midges) have been effective and callibaetis (mayflies) should be popping off the latter half of May.  As always, balanced leeches and a variety of nymphs can be effective.  Try a purple boa...

Chopaka Lake (WA) Right now, Chopaka Lake is the number one lake I get questions asked about daily. I just got off the phone with a gentleman from Alaska that was going to be in the area for a few days and had not fished it in over twenty years. A little has changed since then, mainly the average size of the fish. Don’t get me wrong, you will catch some rainbows over 20 inches but not a lot of them. The average size is going to be around 16 inches but, they are nice scrappy fighters. Like fishing anywhere there are good days and some not so good. The way I look at it is if you are out on the water fishing, it’s already a good day. What you catch and how many is just the bonus. I have yet to be told that no one was not able to find a place to camp, so that’s a plus. The diehard chironomid anglers are doing really well with a fe...

Coeur d'Alene River Looks like we are going to get a break in the high flows for a bit.  This morning the CdA is on the drop and is flowing at 4,770 cfs.  Now, this is still fairly high but fishable.  The water clarity is good and improving.  However, in about a week from now the Northwest River forecast is saying we are going to get another good bump in flows.  This is spring in Idaho for you.  Up and down, up and down.  We did get some good reports from over the weekend that fishing was steady and that there was good bug activity, with lots of March browns, rusty spinners, a few pmds, caddis, and lots of stoneflies, plus, both golden stones and salmon flies.  I suspect that we will see some yellow sallies soon too.  Nymphing and streamer fishing has been solid as well.  So, stay in tune with the flows as we should get a break...

Lake Pend Orielle The lake has been fishing well, and the smallmouth are on fire! Pre-spawn is here and fish are moving up. Check out rocky flats that are in 10-15 feet of water, perfect for targeting fish with a fly. As the month continues, we will see the fish move even shallower and it will be perfect for both top-water and subsurface action. Baitfish patterns, as well as crawfish patterns on intermediate tips (1.5 – 2 ips), will catch fish. Swim flies like a drunk & disorderly or swingin’ d will crush with a sink tip setup (Type III to V, or 3-6 ips), causing the flies to dive and swim sporadically. Sunnyside, Oden Bay, Fisherman’s Island, and the Pend Orielle Bay Trail are great places for smallmouth action. Pike are still being caught in sloughs, as well as largemouth. Pitter patter! Clark Fork River (ID) Not much happeni...

Trout Rivers These high and blown out conditions make fishing tough. The Lochsa, Selway, NF of the Clearwater are all above fishing levels. It looks like Ovaltine out there! Your best bet is to find some lakes to fish. Lake Fishing We have some muddy looking water ahead captain! Don’t let that turn you off from the fishing though. We have reports that the crappie and bass fishing at Winchester Lake is really good at the moment. Good fly choices to use would be; an olive, white, or black woolly bugger, black elk hair caddis, black ant patterns, and chironomids. Mann’s Lake has been producing some bass for folks around the area. Good flies to use would be a Clouser minnow, golden shiner pattern, sparkle minnow, and any other baitfish pattern. Bass Fishing The Snake and Grande Ronde Rivers have been cranking out some big ol’ dandies a...

It’s inevitable.  Temperatures warm, snow melts, rains fall, and rivers rise.  Who does not love spring?  It seems ironic to me that when the fair-weather fishers show up after the first warm days of the year, they are surprised that the waters are running high.  They could have been fishing for weeks in pre-runoff conditions, but they wait for those first warm days. Flushing flows help clean fish habitat. Learn how to plan for runoff. So, what’s an angler to do when the weather draws them forth, but the waters seem to be raging? Like always, they need to determine where the fish are located, what they are eating, and decide how to approach them. It's high water nymphing time. High Water Nymphing - Where are the Fish? Fish will always search out the most comfortable water and feeding locations.&n...

Western Green Drake Mayfly - The Start of Summer The western green drake mayfly hatch is synonymous with North Idaho.  Especially the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.  This hatch is, to me, the start of summer.  When these bugs come off, it is impressive how the trout respond to them.  They are a rather large mayfly and very hard for the trout to dismiss.  The western green drake mayfly is not quite as big as the renowned Michigan mayfly, or properly Hexagenia Limbata, but close.  They are a beautiful fly in shades of dark green and light yellow with mottled gray and black wings that stand tall. These aquatic bugs will start to hatch in May and continue throughout the first part of July here in North Idaho.  Typically, you will see them in bigger quantities in the middle of the day to late evening, and typically, cloudy ...

Murdich Minnow By far my favorite smallmouth bass pattern, Murdich’s Minnow can also be utilized for trout fishing, as well as in the saltwater scene. This pattern moves in the water just like a wounded baitfish, kicking back and forth in the water with each strip of the line. Tied on a universal platform, mixing up your colors is a must, and you can find yourself imitating many different forage species. Material List: Hook: Gamakatsu S11-4L2H #2 (4x Long, 2x Heavy) Thread: Veevus Power Thread 140, White Tail: Spirit River UV2 White Bucktail Flash: MFC UV Pearl Kreelex Flash Kicker/Veil: EP Streamer Brush, White Body: Spirit River Estaz, UV White Eyes: Flymen's Fish-Skull Living Eyes Earth 7.0mm Color: Prisimatic Permanent Craft Marker Video Transcription Intro to the Murdich Minnow I'm Taylor Hess with North 40 Fly Shop in Ponde...

Oh, the ups and down of fly fishing. A lot of the fly anglers that travel into the area, stop here at the shop on their way to their favorite water. I am greeted by smiles and stories of past trips. Stories of unbelievable catches and trout begging, “catch me catch me.” Then comes the next couple of days of either the look of joy or that look that says, “what happened.” One thing I always say, “good or bad you got to go fishing.” Always measure the degree of your trip not by the fish you catch but, by the peace you gain in your heart by being out doing what you enjoy. Green Lakes (WA) If you can get past all the recent 10 to 12-inch rainbows that were stocked a few weeks ago, you might find some nice 17 to 18-inch carryovers. Then again, I had a couple of guys that came in yesterday and told me they had a blast catching the s...

Runoff is Coming Snowpack readings this past week reflected 113-127 percent of normal for the Sun, Missouri, and Smith River drainages.  We have not experienced any really warm weather yet, so expect waters to be rising as we begin warming into the coming week. Ponds and Reservoirs If you don’t have a boat, now is the best time of the year for shoreside success.  Water temperatures have been cool and spawning cycles are running a couple of weeks behind normal.  Fish are still cruising near shorelines. You’ll want to arm yourself with several colors of balanced leeches, some red chironomids, and a couple of jigged hare’s ear and pheasant tails. Creeks and Smaller Rivers The creeks and smaller river have been hit and miss depending on weather and runoff. That being said, a couple of creeks have been producing really well lately. ...