Page 36 - North 40 Outfitters

Coeur d'Alene River Well, with the big bump in the rivers last week and the colder weather, the CdA has been kind of rough.  This week should be good though as the rivers are dropping back to normal and we are supposed to have sunny weather.  The sun is now welcome as the water temperatures have dropped substantially and this will help get the bugs more active.  Your window of goodness will be from noon into the afternoon when the water has had a chance to warm up.  However, this is diminishing.  The nights are getting much colder and it takes that much longer the next day to warm things up enough to get the bugs out.  If you are not seeing much surface activity, throw some smaller tandem nymph rigs or slow pulling a streamer should get some eats.  Small copper johns, pheasant tails, bead head soft hackles, red brassies are...

Clark Fork River (ID) Flows out of Cabinet Gorge Dam have been between 4,000- 27,000 cfs during the daily releases. Clarity is around 10 feet, and water temperatures are in the low-mid 50s. Hatches have been slower through the warm of the day. Sun on the water will bring a few remaining mahogany duns, bwos, tricos, caddis, and midges out. My best luck has been subsurface. Swing soft hackles or emergers if you want to fish close to the surface. Streamers like Galloup’s dungeon or a cheech leech are effective right now. Temperatures aren’t low enough yet to make fish lethargic, so they will chase a large meal to prep for the cold of winter. Look for cutties and rainbows in the riffles below the dam. A few browns have been caught as well. Nymphing through runs with baetis, midge, and caddis imitations will produce fish. Micro-Spey enthu...

Clearwater River (ID) The current flow is 10,300 cfs at Spaulding. The Clearwater is up and off color. It hasn’t been fishing that well for fly anglers. Will it come back into shape? We’re not sure. Rain is predicted for Kooskia for the next two days, so I would imagine that it won’t drop into shape by the weekend. Go slow and deep if you plan on fishing. Snake River (WA) The current flow is 16,500 cfs at Anatone. Fishing the Snake has been great for anglers. It has the best clarity right now, and the water has been the most consistent around the area. As far as catching, I have not heard of anyone catching any fish. With its water temperatures and consistent flows, that’s where we would focus our fishing time. Slow moving flies will work well. Make sure you’re consistent with your casting and focus on water that has structure....

Missouri River We recently had a dose of winter.  Our first major cold snap with several inches of snow.  Don’t be alarmed.  Fall will return, and the fishing should remain be pretty darn good.  Just be prepared for chilly conditions.  Get your hats, gloves, and warm weather gear organized and ready to roll.  If you need anything, we got you covered at North 40 Fly Shop. We’ve even have heated socks and heated gloves to make your cold weather fishing super enjoyable. Nymphs As the water cools and natural food choices are reduced, your nymphs become high probability targets.  Natural colored scuds and sows paired with mayfly nymphs and the ever-effective zebra and tufted zebra are the primary players. Dry Flies Last week in mild weather, and despite strong winds most of the time, the dry fly fishing was stellar.  Fish were str...

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As fly anglers, we’d generally prefer to be fly fishing, but when winter rolls around, we shift into fly tying and fly fishing social mode. This tying season, North 40 Fly Shop Great Falls is hosting five fly tying nights in the banquet room @ The Do.  If you’ve attended any of the Missouri River Fly Fishers events recently, you know the place.  We have chosen the venue for several reasons.  Firstly, the folks at The Do have always been gracious hosts.  Secondly, the Banquet Hall offers ample space for fly tying and has multiple screens to show fly fishing films during our tying nights.  Thirdly, inside The Do, you can pick up a pizza and soft drinks at Godfather’s or choose from plenty of great beers and a full bar. Watch Spectators are welcome, and we appreciate the support!  We will have fly fishing videos rolling on the p...

Lake Closures in the areas: Just a reminder that several area lakes close today, so be sure to check the Rules Pamphlet for what lakes are affected. Campbell Lake (WA) Campbell lake out of Winthrop is still fishing good. The catching might not be fast but what you do catch will be worth it. Rainbows in the 16 to 18-inch range are showing up for those willing to put the time in. The weather is changing, and we are getting some rain so be sure to dress for it. A #14 black and red chironomids are always a safe bet for this time of year. Also, using #8 and #10 black leeches and buggers are a good choice right now. The bows are on the feed to fatten up before winter sets in. For the shallower water down to 5 feet I would use an intermediate line, and, for anything deeper, a type-3 full sinking will handle it. Green Lake (WA) Green...

Missouri River Late fall weather is always a wild card.  As the weather goes, so goes the fishing.  Sunny, windy days can be challenging.  Overcast periods with moderate to light winds can provide fantastic action.  It looks to continue. It will be rather mild with some clouds and rain possible over the next week.  That’s generally a good thing for fly fishing. Nymphs Nymphing is a bit hit and miss right now.  The water is low and many of the fish are still spread out over skinny flats looking for baetis and midges.  Short leaders with small stealthy indicators or dry droppers are the best approach to fishing the skinny water.  If you focus on the deeper runs and outside bends of the river, you can use longer leaders, larger indicators and scuds, sows, and attractor nymphs. Dry Flies Drifting caddis, ants, and beetles over prod...

Clark Fork River (ID) Flows out of Cabinet Gorge Dam have been between 6,000- 24,000 cfs during the daily releases. Clarity is around 10 feet, and the water temperatures are in the low-mid 50s. Hatches have been stellar throughout the day. You’ll want to look for mahogany duns mainly and a few October caddis, tricos, bwos, and midges. If the trout aren’t eating the naturals, throw something wild like a #10 red hippie stomper, a #12 purple chubby chernobyl, and a yellow hopper pattern. Nymphs work very well this time of year, so use tandem rig flies like a #10 jigged pheasant tail and a #16 hare’s ear. Keep it simple. Fall is a great time of year to break out the trout Spey and swing soft hackles and streamers. Skating October caddis and small mice can produce results. Swing riffles, ledges, and eddy seams for your best chances for ...

Coeur d'Alene River If you haven't been able to partake in the incredible fishing on this river as of late, you are missing out.  Numerous killer reports here on the CDA.  From great nymphing to fantastic dry fly fishing, and streamer fishing, it’s been great.  This river has been giving it up big time.  There have been big fish too, guys and gals.  The big boys are out to play and are eating dry flies like nobody's business.  The weather has become cooler so, this will shorten the hatches somewhat but at times can be denser as well.  Still, there have been lots of mahoganies and blue-winged olives.  These guys will be the main players on all of our rivers for the remainder of the fall.  Midges are prevalent too along with a few smaller caddis.  The October caddis are around but not as many.  You’ll want to try some stream...

Clearwater River (ID) The current flow is 5,850 cfs at Spaulding. The rain has brought the river up and it doesn’t look like the rain is going to let up anytime soon. Kooskia, which is upriver, is predicted to have rain from Wednesday through next Monday. Fishing the Clearwater is possibly out of the question. Check the USGS Gauges before you head out to fish or give us a buzz on the line. Snake River (WA) The current flow is 15,600 cfs at Anatone. The fishing has still been treating anglers well on the Snake. The water temperatures have been sitting in the mid-fifties making the critters frisky. With the rain coming up, the Snake might be the best river to focus your efforts on. It might be a little off colored if the Salmon and Grande Ronde Rivers blow out. Traditionals, intruders, and nymphs will all find you fish. Grande Ronde (WA)...