Page 79 - North 40 Outfitters

Omak Lake If you can endure cold temperatures, fishing at Omak Lake is really good right now. Reports say the size of some of the Lahontan cutthroats has also improved. I've had a few cutts in the 26" range reported and a number of fish in the 20”-22" range. Much of the fishing activity has been from shore. People are getting them on medium-size streamers or Balanced Leech patterns under an indicator. Streamers, such as, #4 grey/white Galloup’s Barely Legal, #4 olive/white Galloup's Peanut Envy, #6 white or olive Keller's Montana Mouthwash, or #6 olive or tan Near Nuff Sculpin, are getting grabs too. For leech patterns, I would recommend a #8 black or purple TFP Balanced Squirrel leech, or a #10 black/blue Simi Seal Leech. A 5-to 7-weight fast-action rod is a good choice. Have a couple of different spools/reels loaded with a Type 3 f...

Missouri River If you have not been fishing this fall and early winter, you’ve missed out. It’s been really good out there. The extended forecast remains mild for the season, meaning you’ve still got some great opportunity waiting. Trout Spey Swing season is on. Trout spey fishing is about as enjoyable as it gets. We have lots of great swing patterns and few secret recipes for fly tiers. Stop in and we’ll be glad to show you these deadly favorites. We’ve got Simms Freestone Half Finger and Extreme Foldover Mitts on sale at 25 percent off and these will keep you in the game in cold temperatures and wind. Lots of great layers and socks in the house as well. Grab a Yeti Rambler Bottle to keep a hot drink or soup at hand when you venture forth on the MO. You’ll be glad you did. Nymphs Pink season has arrived. Once that water gets...

Clark Fork River (ID) Flows have ranged from 9,000 to 28,000 cubic feet per second this week. Water clarity is excellent, and fishing can be good when flows are down. There hasn’t been much of anything hatching, and won’t be until spring. Few midges are popping on warm afternoons, but not enough to throw dries. Nymphs and streamers are, without a doubt, the most effective way to fish. Tie on a double nymph rig with a split-shot or two, and try a couple flies like a #16 black Psycho Prince or a #18 Zebra Midge. If the swing is your thing, tie on a #6 white Woolly Bugger, or a #6 olive Slump Buster. Lake Cocolalla It won’t be long before the lake is completely frozen over. The water is still a greenish color, limiting visibility to just under a couple feet. All of the warmwater species are on the bottom between 20-35 feet of water. T...

You may find it difficult to get outside on these short and often cold winter days. But you can add a little incentive to that equation if you consider the possibility of ice fishing and a mid-winter fresh fish fry. Fortunately, ice fishing is a relatively inexpensive sport to get into, it’s easy to master, and most of us in the Evergreen State live close to good ice-fishing options, whether that’s pulling yellow perch, trout, whitefish, walleye or kokanee salmon out of the “hard-water.” In recent years cold winter weather has provided an abundance of opportunity, which makes it a great time to join us at North 40’s free ice-fishing seminar, where you can learn all the tricks to taking fish from the hard-water. And, you can take advantage of great deals on the last day of North 40’s ice fishing gear sale. In this seminar I�...

If offered the best of both worlds, most anglers would choose to catch a bunch of giant fish and they’d like to find them in big numbers. And that’s exactly what you can do when fishing Mexico’s amazing combination of Lake El Salto and Lake Picachos for largemouth bass that often push to 10 pounds or more. These lakes are located in Sinaloa, just an hour drive from Mazatlan. On this North 40 hosted trip our first stop will be Lake El Salto. El Salto is a legend, sporting a record bass of 18.8 pounds. The numbers of bass it produces over 10 pounds are too numerous to count. Most serious bass anglers consider El Salto to be the best place to catch the biggest bass of your life. Renowned circuit angler Kevin VanDam pulled a five bass stringer from El Salto that weighed just over 50 pounds. Our second stop will be Lake Picachos. Picacho...

The evolution of a fly can come from several angles. Sometimes we create something brand new to fill a niche that lacks a proven pattern. Sometimes we take tried-and-true materials from established patterns and combine them in new ways. Often, we see a fly or find a successful pattern, and we tweak it or change the platform it’s tied on to something we like better. The Flash N’ Grab is a little of each—it’s a bit new, a little bit tried-and-true, and it’s tied on a newish platform.  The New There are lots of flies out there using Flashabou or Kreelex Mylar. What I visualized with the Flash N’ Grab is a fly that has a little more profile and a little more movement than other patterns. By layering the Flashabou in varying lengths over other materials, the profile is balanced and increased movement is achieved.  The Tried and ...

In 2015, North 40 Fly Shop launched a trout spey clave on Montana’s Missouri River. Fortunately, the Mo is a perfect canvas to play the trout spey game, and everyone who’s attended said they’ve had a blast . . . so we’ve continued the annual clave and will do so again in 2018. Our goal is to provide instruction and showcase all the amazing rods, lines and fishing systems available to trout anglers in this increasingly popular approach. In addition to explaining the cast and highlighting the tools, we also want to teach anglers how to effectively use these new fly delivery systems to catch trout. Making a long, beautiful cast is one thing; the goal remains to present a fly to the fish in a way that triggers an eat. At our 2017 event, we filmed a series of spey-tips shorts and we’ve shared those with you over the past month. Thes...

Missouri River The season has fully changed. The water temps will stay below 40 degrees for some months now. The fish have shifted to their winter haunts. Look for medium-depth, walking-speed current. Shelves and inside bends are key features. You will even find them cruising in the almost still waters. Streamers Swing them and retrieve them slow. Montana Mini Intruder, Mini Dungeon, TFP Polar Minnow, BB Damsel Dragon Buggers, GB Buggers, OB Squirrel Leech and RL Thin Mints. Nymphs The nymph lineup is not going to change much for months now. Mini Mo Czech, TFP Tufted Zebra, JuJubee Midge, Zebra Midge, Tailwater Tiny, Tung Teaser, Rainbow Weight Fly, Pink Crush, FB Rainbow Czech, FB Sow, Gut Bomb Sow, Tailwater Sow, Rainbow Czechs, SJ Worms and Eggs. Dries If you want to go dry, the midge is your hatch. Sometimes you can move fish on a sm...

Olympic Peninsula Washington fly fishers and conventional anglers alike are reporting early hatchery steelhead mixing in with the late coho fishery. Bright coho are being taken on twitched or dead-drifted offerings in blue and pink. Steelheaders are starting to prowl the most notorious hatchery drifts after recent high-water dropped in on the coast. More info coming soon. Click here to see past reports from this region, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.

Clark Fork River (ID) Lately, the flows have bounced between 17,000 cubic feet per second and 28,000 cfs once or twice a day. Seems like Kerr Dam at Flathead Lake is increasing flows to ready for winter and spring runoff. This means we can expect “consistent” high flows for at least another week. On the bright side, the Clark Fork has been running clear and fishable. When I hit the river this time of year I am hoping to catch one, maybe two trout. Metabolisms are slow, so go low and slow with your flies. Use a 10-foot fast-sinking sink-tip if you are swinging hot flies like a #6 Slump Buster in olive or a #6 Montana Mini Intruder. If nymphing is your gig, try a #16 red Copper John, a #18 Prince Nymph, or a #18 Zebra Midge. Be sure to use split-shot, and really work the slow-moving runs. Lake Cocolalla The lake is still wide open with...

Coeur d'Alene River Fishing may slow this week. Cooler temps may have an impact on our fish. It will be nice and sunny, but not warm enough to make much difference. From the looks of the forecast, the sun should stick around for a few days so the rivers are still ice-free for the most part. Why not get out for a few hours and exercise the arm? Nymphing will be the way to go. You need to get your bugs down to the bottom, so make sure you’re running enough split-shot. Go for the classics: Pheasant Tails in #12-18, Prince Nymphs #12-18, Pat's Rubber Legs #10-12, Copper John's #12-16. The flows have come down quite a bit, so fish will have moved into the slower water. Concentrate your efforts there. St. Joe River No recent reports, but it will be tougher fishing this week. Still a viable option, but your window of opportunity will be shor...

Clearwater River The Clearwater is flowing at 9,590 cubic feet per second, as of 12.07. The river is fishing, event though flows are strong. Last Thursday, while I was out on the lower river I got a nice take with a little bit of a pull, yet I missed the fish. I was using an intermediate poly-leader with a size five Winters Hope. So, what to use? Whatever your heart follows. Summer-run steelhead, even though our waters are hovering around the low 40's even high 30's, will still travel to your fly in the upper column. The more I ask the folk who have been fishing around the area for the last 20-plus years, the more I hear full floating lines with small flies are the ticket. You can use tips and weighted Intruders, too. Intruders—meaning bigger profiled flies work. The options are endless. Choose the method you have confidence in. Grande...