Page 86 - North 40 Outfitters

By Steph Avena Why on earth would you change your tapered leader every go-out? The reason is simple: The one that got away. I learned this painful lesson while trout-bumming around northeast Oregon, just after viewing the eclipse last week. Scanning the map for a trout stream near the path of totality, I settled on the Wallowa River (more on this great stream in a future blog). Arriving after the eclipse, I found a pullout and snuck through a bush tunnel onto a prime looking run. At the head, I noticed a few boulders breaking up the flow as the riffle deepened. I was rushing a bit, still hoping to find a campsite before darkness. I pulled the dry line from my reel and I saw it had a decent looking leader attached. How long had it been on there? Maybe a month? So, up the guides it went and I strung up not thinking anything of it. Adding a...

—North 40 Coeur d’ Alene Coeur d’ Alene River (ID) Fishing has been solid.  The overcast and rain we got had lots of fish looking up.  BWOs and mahoganies are still the go-to bugs.  Still plenty of October caddis around as well.  The mornings have been pretty slow due to colder nights so nymphing and streamer fishing will be the go-to rigs early until about noon. As the temperature warms we will start seeing fish up.  Fish late into the day as it only gets better as the sun rises higher. There are plenty of salmon in the system from the lake now, so this will get the cutties looking for flesh and eggs too.  Trout beads under an indicator with a dead-drifted flesh fly behind the salmon will get you some nice fish. Think Alaska rigs!  Looking forward, it will be getting colder at night so the mid day fishing will be best. If y...

—North 40 Lewiston Clearwater River, (ID) Roughly 28,000 fish have made it over the dam since July 1. Considering this year’s predictions for steelhead, this week has had a fair amount of fish come over. About 10,000 fish swam over in the last three days. With water temperatures cooling down throughout each system, there is no telling where these fish are going. I have had a few reports of fish being caught on the Clearwater, yet it seems more people are coming in and talking about being skunked than they are catching fish. Still, the guy who sticks it out and fishes low water flies with confidence will find a fish. Do not stray away from the skater. Brett’s Klamath Skater, or any October caddis skater pattern would work. Been hearing that the October caddis are here, I’ve also seen a few. No mass flocks of them yet. Grande Ronde...

—North 40 Great Falls The North 40 crew found some time to hit the river on Tuesday—on the first real snow day of the year—and the change in the weather had the fish up and eating. If you fish the river this weekend and on into next week expect a steady train of Pseudos riding the surface. You’ll see a few midges as you dump the boat in early, and you’ll see some snouts popping out to eat those bugs, but the real Pseudo event won’t kick in until after noon. That means you can sleep in and run a shortish float in the afternoon, or dump the boat in at 8 a.m., run a long float, and work streamers until the hatch kicks in later. Speaking of streamers, the bite was on the other day and we landed a couple nice browns, including one that may have gone 20 inches, on a several patterns. But back to the Pseudos—by 3 PM these things ...

—North 40 Fly Shop Ponderay Clark Fork River (ID) Fishing Report Fishing has been mainly good, but still a little spotty. Flows are low for the most part, but can drastically rise at any moment. I have heard of a couple boats grinding up their props, or running ashore this week, so be careful out there. This river is no joke. There should be a few October caddis fluttering around, as well as light cahills, and midges. Mid-day through the evening has been the best time to hit the river. This is great for those fair-weather fisherman who like to sleep in, drink an extra cup of coffee, and make a lumberjack breakfast. When you’re on the water try a #10 October Caddis adult, a #12 Light Cahill, a #16 PMD Comparadun, a #20 Hanging Midge, a #14 purple Grumpy Frumpy, a #10 black Moodah Poodah, or a #12 orange RL Stimulator. Personally, this...

There are lots of options. Where and how you fish dictate the best lines for you. By Dillon Given Stepping into a fly shop that carries a large selection of weight forward (WF) fly lines is convenient, yet overwhelming if you don’t know what you want. A shop employee may be nice, have a great smile, and point you into the direction of a suitable fly line that he thinks is best for you. But that doesn’t mean you will leave with the best option. As a consumer, it is prudent to research fly lines before purchasing. That way you are telling us what you want, not the other way around. Here is a list of WF5 floating fly lines we carry in North 40 fly shops, with specifications and opinions on each, based on our personal experience fishing these lines. Airflo Velocity Overall Length: 82ft Head Length: 38ft Available Weights: 4-9 Color: Opt...

By Dillon Given One of the best aspects to fly fishing is catching a fish on a fly you’ve created on your own, some sort of collection of fur and feathers that somehow tricks a trout into a take. Fly tying may look a little difficult at a glance, but it’s really not. In fact, it’s one of the funnest things you can do, especially when the weather outside is brutal and you’re bored. And, this is an activity that kids embrace. If you are interested in fly tying, you’ve come to the right place: our 100 percent free fly tying classes begin October 7 and continue through February 2018. Classes take place every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon in our Ponderay fly shop. Don’t worry if you’ve never tied flies. This is an opportunity for all ages and skill levels to participate. We will provide an experienced table for those who are ade...

Nighttime temperatures are approaching freezing sending water temperatures crashing. As water temperatures cool into the 50's crayfish activity will subside and smallies will transition to alternative prey. In our local lakes and rivers this usually means small fish—think sculpins, sticklebacks, kokanee, and perch. However, don't rule out large aquatic insects, especially in river systems. Smallmouth inhabiting lakes generally move deeper as water temps cool, but we always seem to get a few really warm days even in October. On those warm days they move shallow to target sunfish warming themselves. However, you should primarily focus your energy on deeper water in excess of 15 feet deep. In rivers, fish can be found holding behind structure in current or in slackwater areas adjacent to moving water. Fall is when crankbaits really start ...

Few things can inspire, relax, rejuvenate and humble more than the classic American campsite. In the wild, one's true nature, in all its flaws, is brought to the surface and enveloped in the infinite stillness of the woods. We open ourselves and share our pains, face our fears, and shed the troubles of modern life in a silent exchange between the winds, the trees and, for a lucky few, the big open sky. Here is our wild game processing tools and accessories catalog if you need game gear. Who Uses Wild Game Seasonings? I find myself settled in and relaxing at a campsite in Beaver Creek Park just outside Havre, Montana cooking some Wild Game sausage and enjoying a delightful cup of Twisp, Washington's Blue Star coffee. Prior to living in Montana, I lived in a homestead style house nestled deep in the woods of Okanogan County. My family and ...

By Fred Telleen In Part 1, I provided some details about why an angler should consider a single hand Skagit set up. In Part 2, I am going to put things together. The great thing about this system, is you don’t need anything special in terms of additional rods or reels. If you have a spare spool for your fly reel, you can set up a single hand Skagit system. Instead of a conventional fly line, you will fill your reel with a running line and connect your Skagit head to it. To the Skagit head, you will connect a poly leader or sinking tip. Running Line For single hand Skagit casting, most anglers prefer mono running lines. Mono running lines are slick and shoot farther than coated lines. This is especially notable when fishing with a single hand set up. Mono lines are also less likely to tangle and peel off the water with less tension, inc...

By Greg Thomas I get it. When you walk out the door on these late summer mornings, the last thing you’re thinking about is a 750-fill down jacket with a full, insulated hood. But, the truth is, fall is almost here and in short time you’ll want to keep as warm as possible on the water. Think steelhead, in the rain, and sometimes in the sleet and snow. Think mornings in the 30’s and frost on the ground right when you crawl out of the tent or out of the back of your truck. Even this morning, there seems to be a change in the air. As I write this I’m sitting on my front porch in a light jacket. And the news reported West Yellowstone at 30 degrees. That means frost on the ground. Like it or not, the nights and mornings are going to be cool and by October you know the snow will fly. While we don't stock this jacket, we've got these opt...

—North 40 Lewiston A little more than 10,000 steelhead have made it past Lower Granite Dam since July 1, but more than 6,000 did so last week alone. Fishing hasn’t been the hottest, by any stretch, but I’m hearing that fish are being caught and I’ve had a few hookups this season, too. Don’t expect numbers when you head out—even when times are good steelhead are steelhead and can be tough to find. A customer said that he has caught fish as far upstream as Peck, so the fish are spreading out a bit and some should reach, if they haven’t already, Orofino soon. Seeing that the Clearwater has a low prediction of B-runs, most fish are going to be the smaller A-runners. Those fish hold in the classic runs of the lower river, but stray upriver, too—so, if a run looks fishy, fish it. The river is running low, so sparsely tied flies...