Page 83 - North 40 Outfitters

There are a three key principles every duck hunter needs to fully grasp before hunting Lake Pend O'reille, and those are scouting, camouflage, and movement. With these three elements properly utilized, bagging limits of ducks and geese can become an ordinary occurrence. Step 1: Scout out where the ducks are There is no point to duck hunting if there aren't any birds in the area you wish to hunt.This is why I have found it important to have scouting as my first step to having a fun hunt. The evening before the big hunt is my favorite time to scout for an abundant population of birds. When scouting, be sure to pay attention where the ducks are feeding, sleeping, and flying. Having the right binoculars can help you when you're out scouting. If the ducks are gathered into a large group in the middle of the lake, try and find a rocky point or...

Coeur d'Alene River Fishing is still great, but with the drop in the temperature later this week, that may change.  We are expecting much cooler weather with a high possibility of snow.  So, go out in the next couple days if you are going to do it.  Start the morning with a nymph rig, smaller bead heads like Pheasant Tails, Princes, Copper Johns.  Streamer fishing will be a viable option as well. Throw small, black Wolly Buggers, Sculpins, but keep them slow on the retrieve or almost a dead drift.  Midday should produce good top water action.  Same bug options as the last couple of weeks: BWO's #16-20's, Mahoganies #14-16's, small X-Caddis #18-20's, small soft hackles #16-20's and October Caddis #6-10's. St. Joe River This water is fishing well, but not for long.  Your window for good hatches and dry fly action will be short in th...

Clearwater River Fishing has been pretty tough on the Clearwater. Reports have been similar to the ones we were getting last week. Slow fishing, lots of casting practice lately. Anglers are finding fish up higher in the system. Most folks who I talk to have been fishing above Cherry Lane. Lots of anglers are starting to throw sink-tips and Intruders. If you are a fair-weather angler be cautious, there will be some rain on Friday and Saturday. Friday may have rain all day, and Saturday is calling for rain in the morning and in the evening around 5 p.m. Up to the weekend the days should be mild. Water temperatures have been in the upper 40s and flows have been around 4,000 cubic feet per second. Don’t be afraid to throw a floating line, even when many anglers are switching to those tips. Grande Ronde River The Grande Ronde has a current ...

Missouri River Fishing Report I hope you got out early this week. Sunday was one of those days we live for. I’m talking googly eyes and huge grins. Streamers were getting crushed, nymphing was ridiculous and bank dwellers were sipping dries. A dark day without the wind in late October is hard to beat. As we look into November, conditions are changing. Wintery weather is here. Water temps are dropping. Snow and ice are here. Fish will stay on the chomp, but metabolisms will soon require less food. November can still be a great month if you pick your days. It does not look like the next week will have any. Trout spey action is picking up. I’ve been throwing the single hand Skagit since mid-September, but I got the two-hander going again this week. Been finding some fish willing to eat on the straight up swing with no stripping. As the ...

Clark Fork River (ID) Lately, flows have been cranking up from 6,000 to 28,000 cubic feet per second around 6 a.m. each day, then crashing to 7,000 cfs around noon. The only predictable “low” flows are during the weekend. Even then, I have seen the river randomly spike, so be aware of your surroundings. Fishing has been good. Water clarity is excellent, and the trout are hungry. We are about to hit a cold snap, so that will cut down the numbers of people fishing the river. The only hatch I have seen recently are a few mahogany duns fluttering around midday. A #14-16 V-Wing Mahogany would match those buggers perfectly. Swinging has been the name of the game for the most part so pack your trout spey, or single-hand it with an Airflo Skagit Scout head. I would make sure to have a couple #6 Stinging Smolt, #6 Polar Minnow, #6 Montana Min...

Closing Time It's that time of the year when a lot of our area lakes close. Here is a quick list of those closing on October 31—Aeneas, Big and Little Beaver, Beth, Big and Little Twin (Winthrop), Blue (Sinlahekin), Blue (near Wannacut Lake), Buzzard, Chopaka, Crawfish, Long, Round, and Wannacut. This means we’ll all have to wait until April to fish these again. Always check the state's fishing regulations to answer any questions you may have on lakes I have not mentioned. Omak Lake From the weather forecast, I would say fall may be leaving us. However, if you can slip out for a couple of hours, Omak Lake is still fishing good. The fish are close to the surface taking a variety of leeches, buggers and minnow patterns. Try a black or purple TFP Balanced Squirrel Leech, a black or olive GB Crystal Rubber Legged Bugger, or a Franke Shin...

Most anglers view walleye as a "warmwater" species that is best targeted during the Inland Northwest’s short summer season, which runs from sometime in May through mid-October. There’s truth in that mentality: The most productive walleye fishing typically occurs when water temperatures are close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But diehard walleye anglers fish through winter because, as they might say, “Winter is when the ‘big girls’ are caught.” Walleye are distributed throughout eastern Washington’s Columbia River system, ranging from the Canadian border to Portland, Oregon. There are big walleye to be found throughout the system and, in fact, some anglers expect the next world-record walleye to be caught on the Columbia, somewhere between Chief Joseph Dam and John Day Dam. Additionally, walleye can be found in a number of easte...

A Beast May Be Lurking, But Probably Not Fifty-one miles of the Columbia River lays trapped between Grand Coulee Dam and Chief Joseph Dam. This impoundment is known as Rufus Woods Lake. Named after the former editor and owner of the Wenatchee Daily World newspaper and a major proponent for the Grand Coulee Dam project, Rufus Woods was formed in the 1950s when Chief Joseph Dam was completed. Rufus Woods is home to the state record rainbow trout, which weighs in at almost 30 pounds. This trout was a triploid, meaning it was sterile. All it did was eat and grow. Today, you can expect to catch triploids from one-pound to five-pounds regularly with a few exceeding the double-digit mark spattered throughout. But the days of the giants is mostly over. What Fish Live In Rufus Woods Lake? Over 30,000 one-to two-pound triploid rainbows are releas...

—North 40 Lewiston Clearwater River The reports coming in are all over the board. Some anglers have been catching fish on tips and leech patterns, while others have been catching them on dry lines and traditional patterns. At the shop, we've been catching a big ol’ goose egg... our hands have been pretty dry for the last couple of weeks. Tough fishing all around. Rain came and raised the river, but it's been dropping since the 24th. I would say that the fishing should pick up over the weekend. Hundreds of fish are still coming over the dam. The opportunity is there. Grande Ronde River The river spiked on the 22nd and has been coming down but is stabilizing out around 1300 cubic feet per second. Talking to some anglers, reports are slow fishing for the last week. With the spike in water, more fish are probably moving into the system a...

—North 40 Ponderay Clark Fork River (ID) Flows fluctuate between 6,000 and 28,000 cubic feet per second, daily. The water level for Lake Pend O'reille is dropping, so we won't see "predictable" flows for awhile. Now is the time to swing. The #6 olive Egg Sucking Leech, the #4 Bald Eagle or other variants have been producing beautiful cutthroat. The bite won't last all day, so make sure to be on the water when the flows are low. My favorite line to use for trout spey is Scout by Airflo. On a year when the steelhead counts are low, swinging a single-hand skagit head in a trout stream really calms the nerves. Not into the swing thing? Nymphs will work just as well. Screw on a 3/4 inch Air-Loc indicator, pinch on a .4 gram split shot, and tie on your favorite double nymph rig. A few hot flies to use are #12 red Copper John, #14 olive Guide...

—North 40 Coeur d’ Alene Coeur d'Alene River Fishing is still great. Early morning fishing is slow, so have a late breakfast and roll to the river about midday. The weather's been unbeatable and looks to continue. Mid-50's to low-60's in the forecast, so even bright days will have great fishing. On the menu for these fish: blue-winged olives #16-20's, mahoganies #14-16's, x-caddis #16-18's, stimulators #6-10's, soft hackles #14-16's. Nymphing will be alright, same as streamer fishing, but the dry fishing will be awesome. October caddis are still around and fish will be on them late in the day into the dark. Fishing will be strong this next week with the warmer weather, so get out and get after it. St. Joe River Fishing solid. Your window for top water action will be shorter the further up the canyon you go. Same bug game as the Coeur...

—North 40 Omak Rufus Woods Reservoir It is that time of the year when Rufus Woods really starts to take off. The trout in this water are hungry and on the prowl. I am getting reports of nice triploid rainbows and some hard-fighting red-band rainbows. Mornings through the middle part of the day offer the most opportunity. Water temperatures are holding around 58 degrees. Working the soft waters with a balanced leech will produce. A #8 black TFP Balanced Squirrel Leech and #6 black BTB Balanced Leech are a good choice as well. If throwing streamers is your game, try a #6 sculpin, Coffey's Sparkle Minnow or a #4 Sculpzilla along the seam water between soft water and the current. Be mindful of the weather this time of year. It can change without warning. Always wear your PFD when in any type of a boat. Frenchman Wasteway Part of the Columb...