Page 84 - North 40 Outfitters

Sometimes it feels like the wind is a living, breathing, sentient being that hates fly fishers. This past month, the wind has been merciless. When there is a break from the wind and anglers can control their drifts and casts, then fishing is really good. BWO’s are out and if you can find a sheltered piece of water in the afternoon, you’ll likely find plenty of rising fish. Some days, the BWO is the chosen pattern, and other days it’s the caddis. Be prepared for both, though caddis flies won’t be around much longer. If neither are working (or if you just want to be contrary to the hatch), fish an ant. Just saying. On my last outing, I fished a streamer for several hours and reception was decent. My friend Kevin was happy to row. He was waiting for the hatch, so we could post up on a flat and fish dries. As fate would have it, the ...

Whether fishing open or hard water, few tactics are more effective at catching mackinaw than jigging. Mackinaw, also called lake trout, are found across the Northwest and have been introduced to high mountain lakes as well. Living in depths up to 150 feet, many anglers struggle to connect with these fish using traditional trolling techniques. However, if you jig for them, these fish can be targeted with simple, inexpensive equipment. What's the Rod/Reel Combo For Catching Mackinaw? If you bass fish, you probably have the perfect mackinaw jigging rod in your rod locker. Six to seven-foot medium or medium-heavy power bass rods are perfect for targeting mackinaw. Both spinning and baitcasting reels will work, but if you have a choice, baitcasters with a higher gear-ratio will bring your fish up more quickly. Ice fisherman should search th...

In my last installment of Single Hand Skagit Tactics, we talked about what you needed to get up to go skagit. This article's about results. Recently, I was fishing silver salmon on Alaska’s Kenai River, where I found some big, late-run fish by casting four-inch long, weighted flies, all fished off 10-foot long leaders. When fishing in this style, one of my favorite flies is a bunny leech. But, even with an eight-weight casting this fly is cumbersome. And that also was the case for my friend, Terry, who fish with me on this trip. He had to make multiple false casts to generate line speed and get out enough line to cast . . . and he was wearing himself out by doing so. I could have watched him collapse, but instead I pulled out a single-hand Skagit rig, a nine-foot seven-weight with a 270-grain Airflo Scout head. I attached to the head a...

By Amy Grisak There’s snow in the mountains and frost on the ground at home, so it may be difficult to think about spring during the middle of fall, but, by doing so you’ll ensure a bright, colorful garden in April and May. And, by planting spring bulbs during fall you’ll grab a few more enjoyable moments in the garden before the snow puts everything to bed for five months. Fortunately, spring bulbs are some of the easiest flowers to grow, and very satisfying to see after a long winter. Their riot of color is a welcomed change after the monochromatic season, and a number of varieties are known as much for their fragrance as for their intense beauty. Bonus: These spring plants are practically fuss-free. In fact, pests are rarely an issue, a light frost doesn’t bother them, and spring rains take care of watering. This is why taking...

Fiocchi has a 200-year history in ammunition manufacturing and during that time they’ve stacked up numerous honors, including Olympic shooting medals in 2004 and 2008. And now North 40 benefits from that lineage by offering our exclusive Fiocchi Upland “34” shotshell, which is 100 percent American-made in Ozark, Missouri, and currently available on our shelves across Montana, Idaho and Washington. Fiocchi has manufactured ammunition in Ozark since 1986, and in Europe since 1876. The Upland "34" box and shell is exclusive to our North 40 stores. And it’s unique; it’s a 1 1/5 oz. load (34 grams), which is the number-one preferred shotshell for pheasant hunting in Europe. During our interview with Carlo Fiocchi, he said he was surprised that the 34-gram payload hasn’t been available on the American market. “It’s a better loa...

—North 40 Omak McGinnis Lake Fishing at McGinnis has been hot through mid-October. With water temps still hovering around 57 F, the action is expected to continue over the next few weeks. Water boatmen and minnow patterns are taking hungry fish at this year-round brook trout lake on the Colville Indian Reservation. Leech patterns are working, too. My go-to leech at McGinnis has been the UV2 Mohair Leech in olive, blood or black, and in sizes 6-10. Great water boatmen patterns to sling and twitch back are Tim’s Water boatman in black/pearl, size 14, and the Morris Water boatman #14. Bring your camera as the brook trout are adorned in flashy spawning colors this time of year—just gorgeous fish. Most will be in the 16”-18” range. However, McGinnis is reputed to hold some outright lunkers, too. Omak Lake Omak Lake is seeing a few f...

—North 40 Ponderay Clark Fork River (ID) Flows continue to be extremely erratic, but that is nothing new. Releases from Cabinet Gorge Dam rise and fall from 6,000 cubic feet per second to 30,000 cfs once or twice a day. Water clarity is excellent, and should remain excellent until we get a very heavy rain/snow. If you can hit the river when the flows are down, there can be great cutthroat fishing from a jet boat. This is the time of year when I prefer to swing, but nymphing is often wrongfully overlooked. As far as dries, there isn't a whole lot of opportunity. There are some October caddis and midges in the air, but nothing to lose sleep over. Some streamers to swing/strip are the #6 Bald Eagle, #6 olive Woolly Bugger, #6 Polar Minnow, or copper Sparkle Minnow. A few good flies to nymph are #8 Pat's Rubberlegs, #14 Copper Johns, #16 P...

Clearwater River The water temperature is at 51 degrees so the fish should be grabby. I haven't come across a player for quite some time now. There have been a fair amount of fish still coming over the dam. I've had a few folks say they're still getting them. I would say fish are throughout the entire system right now, so each piece of fishy water could produce. Traffic on the river is fairly normal, so waking up for first light is always worth it. Dry lines and tiny flies should work for ya. Grande Ronde River (WA) Fishing has slowed down on the Ronde. I recently fished it, and in two days, I caught two. We spent all day on the water, from first to last light, with not many fish to show for it. As I was leaving, a good amount of traffic was showing up to fish, so expect to see the crowds when you head out there. Sparsely tied #5 flies w...

—North 40 Coeur d’ Alene Coeur d'Alene River Get it while it's good guys. I fished yesterday afternoon and it was exceptional. I found fish in very shallow water eating small blue winged olives (BWO's) in a size #18 or #20. There were some smaller Cinnamon Caddis out as well that the fish were giving attention. So a size #16 X-Caddis or a regular Elk Hair Caddis in the same size would be great as well. I really only fished for a short period from about 1:00 to 4:00 and there were plenty of fish up and would have expected them to keep feeding until dark. I did fish a large orange stimulator #6 starting out, with hopes of a good explosive October Caddis eat, and no such luck, but I only gave it about 15 minutes. I'd expect that it would have changed later towards dark as this is usually when the majority of the Octobers come out and t...

The word from the river is that the weeds are declining and the BWO’s are increasing. They have been out this past week in numbers that make the trout pay attention. Pseudos can bring plenty of fish to the top, but their larger cousin, the BWO, is a bit easier to see and present. Missouri River dry-fly fans are happy about the way things are shaping up. Now that the weeds are thinning a bit, the streamer fishing is fun again and the trout spey game is back on. While a few bits of weeds continue to flow, and a smattering of leaves are rolling along, the density of flotsam shouldn’t keep you from making some fishable presentations. North 40’s Johnny Ewald was out playing with his two-hander recently. Despite a wicked wind, he managed to swing up a few on a TFP Balanced Leech. Others have been bouncing around between the canyon and Gr...

By Luke Mckee Subtlety and adaptability are two key factors in any successful fishing career. Attention to detail is an excuse I use when bringing home a new rod, reel or line—or possibly all three—and my wife says, “Don’t you already have a 6-weight? And how many type 3 lines do you really need?” We know the answers to those questions: “You can’t have enough 6-weights.” And “More type 3’s than I have right now.” However, this blog isn’t about getting you to buy the latest and greatest new gadget… it’s about how to develop your subtlety with the gear and flies you already have so you can catch more fish. So, without further ado, let’s get into learning about the “countdown method” and how using it can help you next time you're on the water. Sink Time and Where The Fish Hold I’ve guided anglers for year...

Is it the fly or the depth that makes or breaks you? By Brian Kozminski It’s fall and the river is reported to be high and blown out. Is there any reason to go out? Actually, a report like that gives me incentive. It’s a chance to hit the river in solitude and throw beefy streamers to hungry, pre-spawn brown trout that are about to get the feed-bag on. But which streamers give me the best chances to hit the 20-Plus Club? I recently asked a few friends and fellow guides and their answers varied. Some of the suggestions included the Boogie Man, the Hog Snare, the Circus Peanut, Schultz’s Swinging D 2.0, Chocklett’s Game Changer, Schmidt’s Meal Ticket, Galloup’s Sex Dungeon, and the Great Lakes Deceiver. So, do you have to carry multiple fly boxes, filled with dozens of options in multiple colors, to score? Kelly Galloup and Bob...