Page 63 - North 40 Outfitters

When anglers consider Idaho, they definitely don't think about 30-plus pound northern pike. And yet, the state record is a little over 40 pounds and there are great opportunities to tie into one of these toothy critters—especially at this time of year. In order to do just that, however, you’ll need the right lures. Here are my top five, all proven winners for me, in reverse order from last to first. 1oz. Dardevle (perch coloration) This is the first lure I threw at pike, and is something I continue to carry whenever chasing these leader shredders. As far as lures go, they don't get any easier to operate than a Daredevil. This is the lure you give your friend who can't fish. It’s as easy as this: Cast it a quarter mile, and once it touches the surface, start reeling. These spoons display an erratic, defenseless action n...

The G3 wader is Simms’ bestselling wader and has been so for many years. When word came out that a redesign was in the works, many wondered what they could really do to make it worthy of a new release. Would it simply be repackaged in a new color scheme or completely re-engineered? We were happy to see that it is completely re-engineered and deserves the title of being a new wader. Completely re-engineered The first sign that something special occurred was when, in July, the fly-fishing industry voted the G3 as the best new wader of 2017 at Icast’s new products showcase . That’s kind of a big deal. What changed? Notably, the color changed. Customer feedback said the older model was kind of dark, so the new model was lightened up. They look pretty good hanging on the wall and they look pretty good in the pictures I’ve seen on the ...

The bright red, luscious looking strawberries in the grocery store might be a shining example of perfection, but don’t let them fool you. The taste is closer to sweetened styrofoam. I’ve succumbed over the years to the store-bought berries, but am frequently disappointed. This year, I’m planting more beds of these delicious fruit to be able to eat them fresh, freeze them, can them, and hopefully dehydrate some for the trail. And this may be something you want to do, too. New strawberries in the bed Choosing June-bearing or ever-bearing berries June-bearing is a bit of a misnomer as you can find varieties of strawberries that bloom at different times of the summer, but the basic premise is these strawberries give you a single big harvest in the summer, oftentimes with nice-sized berries. If you prefer larger crops, particularly if ...

The mighty Skwala—as soon as you hear someone mention this bug, you know it's spring in the Northwest. From the Bitterroot to the Clark Fork, from the Big Hole to the Beaverhead, to the Yakima and beyond, this hatch is well recognized by anglers and trout alike. And that’s with good reason: The Skwala is the first large bug of the year and the fish eat it under the surface and, more importantly, above. Anglers used to throwing tiny midges and Baetis get a reprieve by casting size-8 stones off 4X tippet. This extended-body Skwala has a realistic look and the poly wing and foam ensure it floats great.  Leave the silicone legs fairly long when you tie this one; that way they’ll flex when you twitch this bug. The "twitch" as it's called, is important when fishing stoneflies. Rarely do we see a stonefly sitting still on the water. So, ...

The most important companion to a quality rod is the correct line. In the case of stillwater fly fishing it is the correct lines. That's because lake fisheries are ever-changing an anglers must be adaptive. The best way to cover a range of hatches and fishing methods and depths is with a diverse line selection. During a presentation titled, “Stillwater Success,” expert lake fisherman Phil Rowley said, “It’s not uncommon for a competitor to take 40 lines to the water” when fishing competitively in Britain. Not that it takes 40 lines to be a success stillwater angler in Washington, but having enough line to adapt to changing conditions increases the odds of finding fish on any given day. In common “gear” fishing, depth is most often achieved through some type of concentrated weight. This does two things—it carries line out ...

As the days get longer and the coldsnaps get shorter, my pulse quickens—it’s ice out-time again. Lakes often hold the largest trout we see each year and when spring finally arrives, the urge to tangle with large, hungry fish is impossible to ignore. As the ice breaks up, oxygen pumps into the water and the shallows quickly warm a few degrees. Fish metabolism spikes along with their need to eat. What are you going to give them? Think about it: Big, hungry fish and little-to no insect activity. Give them what they want, meaning something big enough to chew on. Feed them a Balanced Leech. While leeches are not likely to be active in the chill waters of spring, the Balanced Leech fly is hard for fish to pass up. It might mimic a small minnow, but regardless, it must look like food, because it fools large trout again and again. If you had...

Missouri River The Mo is already up over 7K, but plenty of good wade water is available. Floating from the Dam to Cascade is all good. Water temps coming out of Holter Dam are pushing 39 degrees and warming up a few degrees going downstream. By Cascade, it should be reaching the low 40s and hitting BWO temps this coming week. We’ve got the Crust Nymph on sale for your BWO Nymphing pleasure. Lots of other great nymphs and dries are stocked and waiting in our fly bins too. Holter is Open! While the ice is not gone, it’s open enough to fish and the fishing is good. We’ve got balanced leeches, chironomids, scuds and some really good nymphs to temp them. Sent some folks up with balanced leeches this week and they crushed. Lots of people have been asking about Willow Creek. Ice bound for now. We’ll let you know. On the Streamer Side Ap...

Lochsa River One of our shop employees just went up and fished the Lochsa on his days off. He had some very productive fishing. The flows where sitting around 5,700 cubic feet per second. He hooked multiple fish on a size-12 stonefly nymph, and also on tan and black Zebra Midges, size 16. He also threw some articulated sculpins and caught fish swinging those. The rain did blow him off the water, although he did catch fish with it coming down hard today (April 11). If you're planning on heading up that way, I would check the USGS water data to make sure that it hasn't blown out. If it sits below 7,000 cfs you can find places to fish. Down around 5,000 cfs gives you way more options. Call the shop or stop in and we can give you detailed info. We have some more rain predicted in the forecast for the next week so keep an eye on those flows. ...

Clark Fork (ID) Flows can be anywhere from 4,000 to 35,000 cubic feet per second. Lately, the river has been topping out its flows pre-sunrise, and staying up until post-sunset. Weekends are anyone’s guess. I swear there is a monkey running the dam that turns up flows whenever he is in a good mood. These are not optimal wading conditions. The best time to fish this river from shore is once flows have bottomed out, and the cutthroat are exposed. If your cabin fever is too brutal to sit another day at home, run a double nymph rig of flies like a #8 DB Stone, #14 red Copper John, #12 pink Squirmie Wormie, or a #18 Crust Nymph BWO. Swinging streamers can be extremely effective this time of year, just don’t forget your sink-tips. Try swinging a #8 rust Slump Buster, #6 olive Conehead Krystal Bugger, or #8 Sculpzilla. Lake Pend Oreille The...

Coeur d' Alene River Flow 11,000 cfs and dropping. Well guys I'd call this normal for this time of year, but sorry to tell you the river is blown out. It is dropping currently, but with more rain in the forecast picturing yourself on the water anytime soon is wishful thinking. If flows drop in the next couple weeks to 3,000-4,000 cfs the river will fish. It will still be a little high for wading, but you’ll be able to float. While the water is high you might want to start looking for bass and pike on local lakes. St. Joe Flow 6,350 cfs and dropping fast. Well, there might be a slight window in the next week if it gets down around 4,000-5,000 cfs. That would be a perfect flow for floating. However, we are supposed to get more rain, so this might not happen. Think lakes—the bass and pike fishing is starting to get good. Clark Fork Rive...

Omak Lake If I have learned anything when it comes to fishing it is this: expect the unexpected. For Omak Lake right now, that seems to be the case. Normally by this time of the year you would see pods of Lahontan cutthroats cruising the shallows close to shore. That is not the case . . . yet. I’m not saying that cutties are not being caught, it’s just not like we caught them in past years. From what I’ve seen and been told, most of the cutts being caught are in about 15 feet of water. A few are being caught close to shore but, you won’t be site casting to them right now. I have had some good reports from anglers in boats fishing just a little out from the shoreline. Some people doing just that have had 20 fish days. Interestingly, I’ve had anglers tell me is how one fly will be on fire, then an hour later the fish turn off of ...

Northern Pike are a streamer fisherman’s best friend. The way they mercilessly slaughter your biggest streamer will take your breath away, and leave you wanting more. I have been told, many times, you cannot tie a fly too big for a northern. And I believe it—a 3-pound  northern will murder a 12-inch fly faster than you can pull the fly out of the water. Amped up yet? Before you do a burn-out in the driveway, you should know the ins-and-outs of choosing the right fly line for pike. Otherwise you may fish above or below where the pike are and there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to reach the right water column because you have the wrong line. There are three schools of thought on fly lines, and choosing one or the other can influence when you might hook into your next water-wolf. Floating Few things are more excitin...