Page 23 - North 40 Outfitters

Coeur d'Alene River Well folks, if you didn't get out on the river this weekend, you may have missed your window.  This morning at Cataldo it measured 3,760 cfs and it was on the rise big time.  The forecast for this week is sunny and in the mid-70s to low 80s.  Now, I'm not complaining about the weather but this is going to spell big runoff for all of the rivers around.  We had good fishing over the weekend with multiple reports of good dry fly action on the lower river and good streamer fishing on the upper. With the rise in the flows, I think it will be mostly a streamer and nymph game.  I'm sure you could find a soft pocket with some riser in it. There is no shortage of food for the fish, you just need to find slow enough water to catch them in.  There are salmon flies, golden stones, skwalas, March browns, pale morning duns, G...

Clark Fork River (ID) The Clark Fork is remaining high, and there isn’t much going on in these flows. Access can be difficult, but if you have access to a boat, you may find some cutties feeding on the surface in the few riffles that remain. The flying ants are out, so get stocked up on a handful! The water releases have been fluctuating between 25,000 and 40,000 all week, and we expect this to continue -most likely within the week, they will increase with more runoff. Upriver into Cabinet Gorge or Noxon Reservoirs will offer some good opportunities for pike, so that is a good alternative. Lake Pend Oreille Pike have been on the spawn and have moved into the sloughs and bays. A few of these fish are giving good follows and eats on the fly. Largemouth are starting to transition up into the back bays and sloughs, and you can find some ho...

Trout Rivers The Lochsa, Selway, and North Fork of the Clearwater are on the rise! Warm weather is in the forecast and is going to be here for a while, summer is approaching. Blown out condition is what you will find. Lake Fishing Winchester, Soldiers Meadow, and Manns Lake are going to be off-colored with barely any visibility. The feeder creeks are going to be running muddy with this warm weather and the amount of snowpack the area still has. Bass will still be active if you can get it in front of their face. Baitfish patterns will be good, the fish are going to be aggressive due to spawning. See past reports from the Lewiston region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.

In late April and into May, Lake Pend Oreille comes to life. The big lake is often overlooked for fly fishing opportunities, especially during peak runoff periods. As the lake level increases, pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass, crappie, and other targetable species fill bays and sloughs. As the water temperature increases, we see a lot of weed growth, creating structure for these fish in shallower water, making it a bit easier to target them with a fly. Flushing flows are good for fish habitat. Read how to plan for runoff. Spring Pike Fishing Spring Pike Fishing on Lake Pend Oreille can be excellent in many areas, offering an exciting getaway for the angler looking for a tight line. Last time I was out, I caught two pike around seven pounds, but Pend Oreille is known for fish up to and exceeding 20 pounds. Most of your larger pike wil...

Like bands of nomadic tribes, we congregate each year at Chopaka Lake to fly fish this venerable, fly-fishing-only sensation.  At an elevation of almost 3,000 feet, Chopaka isn’t an easy jaunt from the valley floor.  In fact, Chopaka isn’t an easy jaunt from just about anywhere -even Omak! Unless you are a resident of Loomis, WA, you’re going to be lining the oil companies’ nests in order to cast your line upon these tranquil waters.  Nevertheless, Chopaka calls us back. It beckons year after year for some, once in a while for others, and once upon a bucket list for the rest. But, come, we fly fishermen and fisherwomen do. And Chopaka seldom disappoints. Heading to Omak Lake instead? Read best springtime tactics on Omak Lake before you go. What does Chopaka Mean? This year I arrived opening weekend to fly ...

The snow has finally melted in town.  You take the old beat up tarp off the S.S. Cutthroat and take a big sigh.  Why you ask?  Well, if you are like me and lots of other drift boat fishermen, there is always a list of to-dos with the drift boat that seem to never get done, especially after a long winter.  Kid, jobs, house chores, and all the different distractions of life always seem to take precedence over taking care of the ol' trusty drift boat.  I know some guys obsess over theirs but, to me, the drift boat is a tool and needs to get used.  Now, that is no excuse to not take care of it.  I usually will dedicate a day or two in the spring, typically during runoff when fishing is not great and go through the boat. Drift boats are a pretty simple boat.  They are designed to be robust and tough.  A ding or chip here or there is n...

Purple Peril Ken Mcleod was the originator of the Purple Peril. This fly attracts steelhead in all sorts of conditions. Trey Combs writes in his book “Steelhead Fly Fishing” that he likes to fish bright flies when the rivers become off colored. With its bright purple color, this fly will attract the fish on those off colored water days. It is a very effective summer and fall fly. With it being very sparse, it has the capability to be fished effectively in the water column that the steelhead are holding in. Material List: Hook: Daiichi 2051 #7 Thread: UTC 140 Red Tail: Strung Saddle Hackle Purple Rib: Veevus French Tinsel Medium THREAD6 Body: Hareline STS Trilobal Dub Purple Hackle: Strung Saddle Hackle Purple Wing: Wapsi Squirrel Tail   Video Transcription Intro to the Purple Peril Hello everybody. This is Dylan here, at t...

Trout Rivers They are in shape and looking great! The water has been dropping off at a steady rate. The Lochsa River has been producing nice fish for anglers as of lately.  The clarity is good, making the fishing very promising as well as every trout river in the area. The weather has been staying cold in the evenings and mild during the day. You should be seeing a lot of insect activity on the stream. Skwala’s and March browns can show up throughout the day. The streamer bite will still be producing fish. Nymphing is a good route to go as well. Find the slower seams with a good drift and you’ll be successful. Lake Fishing It takes a while for our lakes around here to get the color back to a decent visibility, but that does not mean fishing is bad. Largemouth are starting to become very active due to the spawn. Baitfish patterns are...

Mother nature threw us a curve for the opener for our area lowland lake opener this last weekend. Colder temperatures and high winds made fishing a test for the most dedicated angler. Chopaka Lake (WA) Even with the temperamental weather, those that plied the water were rewarded with some hard-fighting rainbows. The weather must have kept a few of our traveling fly angler home for the weekend because the number of boats on the lake was only moderate. In between the rain, snow, and high winds, you could see several rods bent over with fat feisty rainbows on the other end. The diehard chironomid anglers were anchored up in their normal areas on the south end of the lake, and the action was pretty good with strike indicators going under on a pretty regular basis. Black chironomids or other styles of dark chironomids seemed to be enti...

Coeur d'Alene River It's on!  Flows have dropped quite a bit in the last week.  This morning at Cataldo the river is running 3,500 cfs.   This is an amazing flow for this time of year.  There have been lots of great reports coming through in the last couple of days.  Skwalas are out and there are also lots of March browns too.  This weekend should be fantastic.  Whether you want to nymph, streamer fish or dry fly fish, you will catch fish on any of these techniques.  The mornings will be better for streamer or nymph fishing, and the afternoons will pick up with the dry fly fishing.  An olive chubby chernobyl with a longer bead head dropper will be a great set up all day on the Joe.  You’ll want to have a good assortment of soft hackles too.  If you find fish up in the flats, try a March brown adult trailed with a soft hackl...

Planning for Runoff It is inescapable when we have normal or high snowpack, and it’s a good thing.  Rivers need runoff to flush out the old detritus and silt and to revitalize spawning gravels.  Flushing flows are good for caddis, stoneflies, and mayflies too.  Basically, fish need their habitat spring cleaned. Unfortunately, there will be times, sometimes weeks, when some rivers and streams will simply not be in fishable condition.  A couple of warm spring days followed by a rain shower can turn a river or stream into something that looks like a caramel macchiato.  A nice treat for drinking, but not for finding fish in. So, what is an angler who’s frothing to fish going to do when the water has been frothed like a latte?  Here on the western side of central Montana, we’ve still got some great options. Door Number One Door nu...

The healing waters of Omak Lake soothe my body and soul every spring when the water begins to warm. The warmer times of spring signals the beginning for the resident Lahontan cutthroat trout to start moving closer to the shore of Omak Lake located outside of Omak, WA.  When the water temperature and daylight hit a certain mark, the giant fish begin to move into the shallows making them a targetable species with a fly rod from shore.  When this happens, it is not uncommon to see pods of fish moving around in three to four feet of water.  Lahontan cutthroats feed primarily on small baitfish with the primary baitfish being the red-side shiner. The other baitfish that they will feed on are, sculpins, peamouth chubs, and bridgelip suckers. Talk to anyone that has fished this lake much and I'm sure they will tell you about catching a 20-plus...