Page 66 - North 40 Outfitters

Individual tolerances for weather conditions vary, but in general the Missouri River is fishable for 12 months of the year. I’m one of those crazy people who still fly-fishes during the frigid days of January. Maybe that is why I appreciate spring so much. Winter fishing is good, but prolific hatches that make the Missouri River a famous destination don’t really get going until April. Spring can be an ephemeral thing in Montana. A few warm days can be broken by a blizzard, followed soon after by a heat wave reminiscent of a mid-summer day. In the fish’s world, what really defines spring are water temperatures and bug hatches. I consider spring on the Mo to start when water temps climb between 40 and 60 degrees. Early Spring BWOs In the chill waters of February and March, midges are the hatch. By April however, water temps climb abo...

No matter where you fish around the country, you always recognize the sound of a fishing blowing up on the surface.  Bass, Pike, and Muskie are reaction hunters and will attack just about anything that comes near or creates a commotion on the surface.  The Savage Gear 3D Bat is the first of its kind: a 3D scanned, hard body, surface-walking bat bait. Learn more about this bait below, or buy the Savage Gear 3D Bat here. Hi, I'm Mike Bennett, Product Manager at Savage Gear USA. I wanna show you our new Savage Gear 3D Bat. Comes in a four inch and a five inch. This is considered a metal wing crawler. They've been very popular in the musky markets for decades. You see them a lot in the Japanese bass market and they're starting to cross into the U.S. It's just a real simple, straight wind top water bait. You fire it out as far you can. The ...

The Little Green Machine has become one of the staples of tailwater fisheries where Baetis, also called blue-winged olives, are prevalent. Originally tied and designed by Vince Wilcox, and commercially produced by Umpqua, the Little Green Machine offers a very thin profile for a mayfly nymph. That’s important when fishing in clear water to choosy fish because the bodies of the naturals are also very thin. The fish see that similarity, figure your fly is an actual insect, and make the mistake.The Machine’s body is tied with a thin tubing material called micro-tubing. This material allows for that thin profile, which is this fly’s secret to success. The Machine’s thorax is flashy, a combination of ice dub encased by tinsel, with white wings jutting out on either side. We start fishing this fly during spring, as soon as we see midge...

Vegetables and spices with deep, natural hues create surprisingly beautiful colored eggs for any time of the year. But, spring is known for coloring eggs and, like us, you probably spend a night or two before Easter creating these beautiful items. Most people head to the grocery to secure dyes for their eggs, but you have the tools for beautiful egg decorations right in your cupboard. A different way of looking at dyeing Dyeing eggs with commercial products is quick and easy. Simply drop a tablet in a vinegar-water solution and away you go. But we live in the Northwest where individualism reigns, so why wouldn’t we do something slightly unique? Using items from the garden and spice cabinet undoubtedly takes longer to prepare, but that’s part of the fun of dying and coloring your Easter eggs and is one of the reasons the end results a...

Step up your camping game with these bomb tacos. To make these great tacos you need a camp stove. One we suggest is the Camp Chef Rainier Campers Combo Camp Stove. This stove is the your next best camping investment. Featuring everything you'd look for in a stove like two burners, non-stick grill, and coated aluminum griddle - this compact stove is both convenient and portable. Check it out below as we make camp tacos.

The Green Drake Quigley Cripple is one of the most productive emerger/dry flies of all time and right now is the season tie some. The green drake comes off in late June and through July on north Idaho waters and the fish pay attention. If you can’t match this hatch when it comes off you’ll forever regret your decision not to tie or buy some imitations. The trout simply kill these bugs when they get the chance, especially on cold days when these insects struggle to dry their wings and spend a good amount of time floating on the surface. On warm or hot days these bugs don’t come off in big numbers. Those that hit the surface don’t spend long there—their wings dry quickly and they fly away often before a trout can reach them. This pattern can be tied in many formats, meaning pale morning dun, blue-winged olive, grey drake, etc. It...

The Clearwater River Blown out Lochsa River (ID) The Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Pat Hylton, told our conventional lead Caleb, that people are starting to pick up fish using nymphs. I did not get a report on what nymph was working. I would imagine that Pheasant Tails, Hare's Ear, Pat's Rubberlegs, and other stonefly patterns will work. The Cubic Feet per Second is 2040 at the Lowell gauge, with the weather predicted for this upcoming weekend, there is potential for it to go high again. Be careful while wading this system. Grande Ronde River (WA) Blown out Snake River (WA) High water with lots of debris. I have been hearing conventional anglers are starting to catch bass on the system. If I were to go out and target them, I would be trying to get a crayfish pattern or heavy streamer deep on a current seam. Read past reports f...

Omak Lake We are at that wait and see time for the start of what we call the spring cruising at Omak Lake. Most years at about this time we start to see the pods of lahontan cutthroats cruising in close to the shore lines. I would wager that after this weekend we might start seeing some positive signs of this event. Don’t let the lack of visible fish deter you from casting a line. The areas at the north end of the lake have been slow around Nicholson (Beer Can) Beach and Mission Bay. The southern area at Cowpie Beach has been producing a little more action. #14 red Conehead chironomids and #8 black leech patterns suspended under an indicator was getting results. #6 olive Sculpinator would be my choice for streamer action. We will keep our fingers crossed that the pods start cruising real soon. Click here to see past reports from this r...

There is finally enough light to fish after work again and I love it! The outlook shows highs ranging in the 40s and 50s. Missouri river conditions are good. Water is above 6K and still a bit chilly at 37 degrees, but fish can be had by playing the nymphing game or working them on the trout spey. Good to excellent reports have been coming in over the past week. I just saw a picture of a really nice streamer eating brown. As always, some days are better than others, but there is no good reason not to go fishing when you have the chance. The season is upon us. Streamers. Lots of flies are working. Smaller stuff will get the most consistent eats, especially on the swing game. Trout Medusa, Montana Mini Intruder, Kreelex, TFP Polar Minnow, Jawbreaker Tubes, Vendetta Cray, Grand Master Phoenix, BB Damsel Dragon Bugger, GB Bugger, OB Squirrel ...

Coeur d' Alene River Flow at Cataldo 2,540 cfs and dropping.  This is a killer flow right now for floating guys.  Weather is stable and water is dropping at a good rate.  Walk wading is still an option but you will have to find slower inside bends and soft water to do so.  Streamer fishing is awesome right now as well as nymphing.  We are seeing Midges, Blue Wing olives, Numera stone flies and Skwalas are soon to come.  Bigger stone fly nymphs like a Pat's rubber legs or a Kauffman's stone fly with a smaller bead head dropper under an indicator will clean house.  Look for rising fish in tail outs and soft water mid day.  Griffiths gnats with a small Zebra midge as a dropper will be a good set up or try nymphing with two Midge pupae or Skinny Nelsons.  The dry fly activity will be short lived though mid day as the mornings and...

A high-quality projectile enhances the accuracy of a mediocre gun, while a low-quality pill will downgrade its performance. For practice, use a wadcutter design. Opt for a tipped, lightweight, high-velocity round when reaching out to touch furred and feathered varmints. Photo by Gary Lewis Pigeons. If a person needs a good reason to have an airgun, it is the feral pigeon. They are a nuisance, costing homeowners, businesses, farmers and city governments hundreds and even thousands of dollars to control. Control, because eradication of this invasive species is nigh on impossible. Pigeons can carry toxoplasmosis, cryptococcosis and salmonella. Their droppings spread diseases and promote the growth of fungus, which causes histoplasmosis. And although my friend, who manages a warehouse, can't pronounce those words, he knew he had to get rid o...

Taking a boat out on the Queets River was like hoisting a rhino up a black-diamond ski run. We had just finished the lower float through Olympic National Park and were taking out just inside the Quinault Indian Reservation. After rearranging our trailer for the easiest hoist up the embankment, we gasped as some local old-timers pulled out an aluminum driftboat twice the size of ours in half the time. “Any bug-tugs?” they asked us as they recalled rowing behind us while we swung. “As a matter of fact, we went one for four”, we replied. Of course, we left out the fact that it took us over two and a half days. . . but, that’s steelheading right? This is primetime for OP winter chrome, which ramps up in mid-January, peaks in March and swings through early April on some streams. Our favorite fly fishing methods this time of year, in...