Page 35 - North 40 Outfitters

Clearwater River (ID) The current flow is 4,630 cfs at Spaulding. The Clearwater is still dropping as well as its water temperatures. We had some fly shop friends from out of town fishing these last couple of days. They had not caught a fish and didn’t get a single sniff. I know that they are swinging sink tips and intruders. What will work? Your guess is as good as mine is. It’s best to get out and go fishing while you can before IDFG closes the fishing on December 7th. For more information on the closure, you can call the fly shop or go to this link https://idfg.idaho.gov/press/fish-and-game-commission-suspends-steelhead-fishing-due-threatened-lawsuit. Snake River (WA) The current flow is 14,000 at Anatone. The Snake has been sitting steady at the current flow. The temperatures are holding in the mid-forties. No reports have come f...

Some interesting changes happen as November progresses.  The days shorten and warm up less and less.  Waters steadily cool to their chilly winter lows.  Fish begin to shift to winter levels of activity, which means they often activate later and for shorter durations during the day.  None of this sounds awesome unless you are into the game we call trout Spey.  Then, it’s your season of swing. Swinging flies often works best when fish are holding in predictable locations.  When the water gets cold, trout will concentrate in areas where they don’t need to work very hard to live.  Shelves, deep buckets, soft converging flows and inside turns become key zones to target.  A slowly swung fly dangled in the face of a group of hungry trout is bound to provoke a grab.  We all love the grab.  If you want to set yourself up for some gra...

Lightweight and comfortable, the Itaska County Hiking Shoe has an EVA midsole. Featuring a leather and nylon upper, and rubber-accent outsole, the County is a great day hiker for easy trails or running chores around town. Watch the video below to learn more.   Today what we're going to do is review some of the features of the County Hiker, from my Itaska footwear. As you'll note with this particular hiker here, it does have an EVA midsole, which provides great comfort as well as very lightweight construction. It has the rubber accents on the outsole itself, and it is a combination of leather, PUs, and nylon for the upper. It is a typical five lace design on this. It does come with the removable Itaska footbed to it, and so if a person ever needs a new insole or what to upgrade to a different type of an insole, that's certainly an...

You have to understand your vehicle's maximum towing capacity before you tow. To exceed the manufacturer's rated capacity is to create an unsafe driving situation. This could possibly lead to damage to your vehicle's engine, transmission, rear axle, brakes and wheel bearings. It will definitely void the manufacturer's warranty. That's why we put this blog together... so we could answer the age old question: How do I determine towing capacity? If you're looking to buy a trailer, you can submit a quote request here, and we will work to get your order filled as soon as possible.  When considering the capacity you will need, always buy high, meaning get more than you think you will actually use you don't want to be out in the middle of Neihart in winter wondering if loading an extra horse will put you over the maximum towing capacity. Buy h...

Coeur d'Alene River Well, it's been a heck of a season guys!  Things are winding down on the CdA and this week the cold temperatures are going to mean tougher fishing.  You may still find a few fish up at the warmest time of the day, but it is going to be a small window at best.  Nymphing and slow pulled streamers are going to be a better bet though, and honestly more of a nymph game from here on out as it gets colder. If you do find fish up, small offerings are going to be the go-to.  You’ll want to use blue-winged olives in #18-20s and try dropping a small non-bead head, flash-back pheasant tail in the same size behind your dry.  This is a good option if the fish are very wary.  Your casts will need to be spot on now as any rising fish now will be pretty lethargic due to the water temperatures. They will not be too willing to...

Clearwater River (ID) The current flow is 5,200 cfs at Spaulding. With the river dropping, fishing has been productive for a few anglers. Yet, I have still had some folks coming in reporting that the fishing has not been treating them well. Fishing in the lower river could be more productive. The upper river has been heavily fished by the conventional anglers. A type-8 sink tip with a black and blue hoh-bo Spey should be able to move some fish. Snake River (WA) The current flow is 14,400 cfs at Anatone. It is dropping slowly and fishing well for most folks. The water temperatures are hovering in the high 40s. This is a good time to fish an intermediate poly-leader with a heavier ironed traditional. Intruders on light sink tips can also bring fish to hand. Grande Ronde (WA) The flow is 770 cfs at Troy, Oregon. Fishing on the Ronde has bee...

Clark Fork River (ID) The flows on the Clark Fork below Cabinet Gorge have been better in the past week. Generally, they are ranging between 4,000 and 18,000 cfs, and drawn out overnight and into the mornings. I’ve been seeing only a few people fishing since the first snow flew last week. Bug activity has been minimal. However, a few caddis and mahoganies remain, along with standard midges. I’ve been catching plenty of cutthroat and smaller rainbows swinging small streamers and soft hackles. Stripping streamers such as a double dirty hippie or home invader will turn heads and give you the potential of hooking something big. Swinging patterns such as a bald eagle or stinging smolt will bring some nice trout to the net. Soft hackles in various colors with peacock bodies have been the ticket for me. Standard nymphing rigs will catch fis...

Missouri River Winter relented after the start of the week.  Fall seems to be back, and you should make the best of it while it lasts.  Water temperatures on the Missouri are still at a level where fish stay active throughout most of the day.  Fishing options remain pretty darn good. Swing Season The best part about the fall swing season is that the fish can still be found in quick water.  That translates to lots of swings and lots of solid grabs.  You can seldom go wrong swinging black balanced leeches, but there are a variety of ways to approach the swing game. The micro-swing experience consists of throwing a little 2 or 3-weight with an integrated floating line or Scandi head and long tapered leader.  Then tie in a brace of flies with a soft hackle off the back.  The front fly can be a larger soft hackle, a small Clouser or a ...

Rufus Woods (WA) It wasn’t fast and furious but, we caught enough to make it a good day. That is the report I was given a couple of days ago from one of my regular customers. He told me they would catch a couple of nice rainbows then they would move to the next fishy-looking spot. They were keying in on small points coming out from the shoreline, then fish the inside seam.  He was all smiles when he was giving me his report and told me it was one of his best trips to the river. Most of the rainbows ran between 18 to 22 inches. My suggestions for what type of rod to use for throwing streamers here would be a 6 to 8-weight, 9 to 10. For line, a good floating sinking tip like the airflo streamer max is what I use. And, the streamers that have worked well for me are; black, olive, or gray and white peanut envy, and an olive or black che...

Click it and forget it, the Sharkbite Connection System easily connects fittings without tools, glue, and without soldering. This system will connect pipe from 1/4-inch up to one inch. “Cut. Push. Done.”    Hi, I'm Dan Snyder and I'm with the SharkBite Company. In my hands today I have our demonstration piece that is used to show people how the SharkBite connection system works.   You'll notice that there are three different types of tubing in this demo piece. There's CPVC, copper and the very popular PEX tubing. This SharkBite fitting can connect all three of these different pipes together without any tools, without glue and without soldering as well. You'll notice this device here, which is called a detention clip, can be used to disassemble the product by simply pushing down on the retaining clip and actually removi...

  Double-walled insulated, the Yeti Rambler Tumbler keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold without question. Made of durable stainless steel, the Yeti Rambler Tumbler comes in a limited-edition Harbor Pink color for this season in a 14-ounce mug, and 20-ounce and 30-ounce sizes. Watch the video below to learn more.     Hi, I'm Casey Sellers. I’m with Yeti here to talk about a few new products. Specifically, this time, Harbor Pink. We’re doing it again this year, limited edition pink.   This year it’s a little bit of a different shade. We are going with a richer shade. It’s going to be a little darker. We’re going to have this available in the 20 oz. and 30 oz. Watch the video to learn more.

Omak Lake (WA)  When I have been able to get a little of time, when the wind is not howling like a freight train, the fishing hasn’t been too bad. I have found that a little wind blowing into shore, i.e. my face, seems to produce a little better right now than when the lake is dead calm.  I have found that a 7 or 8-weight rod will give you the power to cast a little better into the wind. And a type-3 sink tip or a full-intermediate are the two lines I would recommend. I’m still casting small to medium streamers most of the time. I have also done pretty well on balanced leeches under an indicator when there is a little chop on the water. You may have to switch flies until you find what is working for that day. So, make sure you have a variety in your box. Finally, dress warmly as morning temperatures right now are ...