Page 52 - North 40 Outfitters

Lochsa River (ID) The flow is 1370 cfs at Lowell. The fishing should be good in the morning and in the evening. Be mindful of the water temperatures when it gets to mid-day. Fishing riffles should make for some productive fishing. Also, use attractor patterns like the royal wulff, renegade, and the royal coachman. North Fork Clearwater River (ID) The flow is 1850 cfs at Canyon Ranger Station. The fishing will be better in the morning and in the evenings. Water temperatures are getting up into the high 60's. So, taking a break from fishing in the afternoon would be the best for the fish. You’ll want to use black caddis, parachute adams, and hopper patterns. Nymphing can be productive as well, Hares Ear and the Pheasant Tail will also be productive. Grande Ronde (WA) The current flow is 607 cfs at Troy, Oregon. If you're looking for trou...

Missouri River The river has dropped. You can go wading again. Summer is officially here.  The best fishing is typically early and late when the weather is hot. Nymphs The Zirdle continues to produce, probably because so many have discovered it and are fishing with confidence.  Caddis pupa are solid as are the fifty or so different patterns of mayfly nymphs we stock. Now is the time to play and have fun.  There are so many options. Dry Flies Trico time is here.  If you need more info, check out my Trico post from last week.  Sometimes, the hatch is stronger on different reaches of the river on any given day, but they are out there and the fish are taking notice. Make sure you’ve got your best caddis patterns ready to roll.  We like low riding CDC patterns like the double duck, party-on-top, hot mess or the TFP hi-vis spent.  You...

Methow River (WA) The Methow is running at 717 cfs as of today and dropping. We are in our hot days of summer now with daytime temperatures of 95 to 100 degrees and nighttime temperatures of about 65 degrees. I took a couple of water temperature reading this morning at 8:00 a.m. One reading was 63 degrees and a few miles south I had a reading of 65 degrees. Talking to a couple of locals that have been on the water after 2:00 p.m., they reported they had readings of 70 degrees. This goes without saying, they cut their day of fishing short for the sake of the health of the trout. First light until about noon will be your best time to be on the water -just keep checking the water temperature. Once it hits 68 degrees, I would recommend calling it a day. Hoppers and foam flies will get the bulk of your action. To increase your c...

Coeur d'Alene River The current flow is 512 cfs at Cataldo.  Fishing is good but, the water is dropping into a normal summer flow.  The water temperature is much warmer so, you may want to consider starting earlier and, or fishing later.  The mid-day fishing can be slower this time of year.  There are currently lots of bugs out including; caddis, pmd's, golden stones, yellow sallies, and hoppers.  Smaller hoppers are kicking out of the taller grass right now so, try using a smaller hopper with a beetle dropper, or a bead head too.  Keep nymphing the faster riffles and pocket water, since the fish like to hide in the faster water during the heat of the day.  Streamer fishing is still okay but there is no need to throw big patterns.  Smaller black and olive sculpins will do the trick.  The evening caddis and pmd fishing is great. ...

With the sun high overhead, I grimaced under the weight of an overloaded pack and began the off-trail grind towards alpine fishing nirvana. Hours later, I pushed through the last patches of stunted timber and broke into the open, right next to the edge of an emerald-green and ice-cold mountain lake, teeming with cutthroat trout. Sore feet and aching back were immediately forgotten at the sight of trout rising to the surface. Within minutes, my hastily strung flyline was zipping through polished eyelets and sailing through the air, sending an artificial insect in the direction of the ruckus just below the surface. Although human error and a fickle wind resulted in less than perfect delivery, the fly barely begun to settle when a brilliantly colored cutthroat struck from below, shattering the mirrored finish of the otherwise serene lake. W...

Clark Fork River (ID) We are starting to see summer flows out of the Clark Fork River below Cabinet Gorge Dam. Flows have been bouncing from 30,000 cfs to 15,000 cfs. Water clarity is good, and temperatures aren’t too hot. The best access for this river will be from a jet boat. Expect to see hatches of western yellow mayflies and caddis. If the trout aren’t eating the natural fly imitations, try attractors like #10 purple Hippie Stomper, or a #12 H&L Variant. Swinging streamers like a #6 CH Krystal Woolly Bugger, or a #8 black Sculpzilla can be deadly at times. Nymphing common flies like a #14 red Copper John, a  #12 Dirty Bird, or a #14 Taylor’s Gut Instinct can be very productive. The best fishing will be from 8:30 p.m. -10 p.m. in the evening. Lake Pend Oreille The lake is shaping up nicely! Water visibility is roughly 5-8 ...

I met Ken Morrish years ago during a guided trip on north Idaho’s St. Joe River. After spending the day with him I realized he’s a great angler and an incredible fly tier. Morrish’s patterns are well known and have become staples in fly shops around the West and beyond. The Morrish Hopper is no exception. We carry around five versions of this fly, ranging from pink to gold and beyond. The thing I like about this fly is its realism and simplicity. We all recognize the power of foam and rubber legs, which this fly has. But, the way Morrish laminates and razor cuts the foam is genius. The fly looks awesome and fishes equally well. We carry the Morrish Hopper in a wide array of sizes too. That means you can fish a small spring creek for tough-to-please trout and use a small pattern that gives fish confidence. Or, if you are banging th...

Missouri River Nymphs The Zirdle has become a very popular fly and it continues to produce when drifted along under an indicator. In high-water years, Missouri River trout eat a lot of crayfish.  Snapping Craws, Kory’s Crayfish and Clouser’s Crayfish are also solid drifters. With ample caddis about, pupa patterns such as Bloom’s Tung dart can provide great action, especially in the morning.  All the usual mayfly patterns from #14-#18 such as; Tung Jig Hares Ears, Split Case PMDs, Two Bit Hookers and Radiation Baetis can get you into the game.  Sow bugs are a great fall back if you want to keep it simple, or can’t figure out the fly de jour. Dry Flies The PMD’s are not heavy but I would not venture forth without an emerger, cripple and a spinner or two.  The TFP PMD Cripple happens to be our fly of the week. There are also a...

IFTD is considered the largest fly tackle dealer show in the world. If it’s relevant to fly fishing, you’ll find it here. This year’s IFTD didn’t showcase as many vendors as it had in previous years -even some of the biggest names were atypically absent. It’s likely, that more vendors will participate in next year’s show when it moves to Denver, Colorado That being said, IFTD still had plenty to offer us. What it lacked this year in size, it made up for in all the cool, new things we saw. Here are our top five favorites.   1. Rio In Touch Big Nasty Sink Tip Made to cast large and heavy flies, the Rio In Touch Big Nasty Sink Tip is a multiple density sink tip line, which has a nice, steady drop to give you a tight line to your fly. Designed with an ultra-low stretch core, the Big Nasty delivers maximum sensitivity and per...

Chewuch River (WA) The Chewuch River is finally starting to come into shape with the river running at approximately 300 cfs. The Chewuch has both westslope cutthroat and rainbow trout. The average size trout will be right around 12 inches with a fair number above that. Plus, every now and then a nice fat 18 incher will make a surprise appearance. If the river keeps dropping like it is, you should have no problem wading most of the open waters. Dry flies are the name of the game now. A selection of your favorite surface flies is a must. Some of the normal hatches are coming such as; stone flies, caddis and a mix of mayflies. This is not to say to, don’t bring along your nymph box. We all know that a good nymph will, most of the time, end in good results. Some of the dry flies that have had good results are the; #12 black, royal or red H...

A couple of hours working up 2,000 feet of switchbacks takes me from the valley floor to Alpine Lake, nestled in its cirque below Packrat Peak, and the smaller “frog ponds” just beyond. But it’s not until I climb the final mile, up to the crest of the ridge itself—well above 9,000 feet—and peer into the Baron Lakes Basin, that the scope of the rugged Sawtooth Mountains hits home. The imposing summits of Monte Verita, Warbonnet and Tohobit dominate the massif, rising above Baron Lakes, while Decker Peak looms across the valley to the south, and Braxon and Horstman fill the eastern horizon. From my ridge-top vantage, the wild beauty of the landscape offers mute if irrefutable evidence why the cognescenti, those mountain lovers lucky enough to know the Sawtooths, speak of them with frank awe. The cluster of 10,000-foot peaks in ...

ICAST for the uninitiated is like walking onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. It’s a thrilling feeling that hits you with a ton of energy. It’s the place you want to be if you want to be on the cutting edge of the fishing industry. People attend because they expect to see to the newest technology in fishing tackle. And, they expect to get a feel for where the sport is going. For those already familiar with ICAST, this year’s show seemed more grounded compared to last year’s show. It was our impression that vendors really listened to anglers and then developed products that built upon existing technologies. Of all that we saw, here is the best of ICAST 2018 we think you should know about.   Shimano Curado DC Baitcasting Reel We first saw this reel in our ICAST: A First Look. Because we think it is a game changer, i...