Page 88 - North 40 Outfitters

Tiny in stature, these little bugs get big eats on the Missouri. By Fred Telleen Pseudocloeon At least that was their name. Insects are constantly being reclassified as we learn more about them. I believe they are now in the Baetis family. Pseudo is still the name they are regionally recognized as, so I’m going to keep using it until someone gives me a better one. For an angler, exact identification of an insect is not as critical as matching the bugs they are finding on the water while fishing, or at least the bugs (or the stage of those bugs) that the fish are feeding on. If we understand how these bugs live, hatch, mate and die, we can develop fly patterns to imitate them and strategies for fooling fish into eating them when we encounter them. Most anglers are familiar with BWO’s or Blue Winged Olive mayflies. Pseudo...

Since we were first introduced to Livetarget at its inception in 2007, a couple of things have stood out about the company.  First, they are one of the most innovative product companies in the business.  Secondly, they strive very hard to realistically “match the hatch” as our North 40 Fly Shop crew would say. This year’s new product releases compliment both of those qualities and we are very excited to be carrying them in the upcoming season.  Many things stood out, including their 2017 I-CAST Best in Show Hollow Body Mullet, which I would have died to have a few times standing on the beaches of Baja. However, in our geography we narrowed it down to 3 key baits that our largemouth and smallmouth bass community is going to be pumped about.  We sat down with Ted Moody, our Livetarget representative to go over these new editions. ...

Labor Day has come and gone. School is back in session. Camo is selling fast. Is anybody fishing? Someone is always fishing. When it’s not me, I often want to be that someone, especially as we move into the fall. With school in session and hunting seasons drawing sportsman from the river, it’s a great time to enjoy a river day. Right now, we are in transition. Recently we've been carrying on with hot summer days and it did not seem like it would ever change. What a difference a day makes. Wednesday, it was 80 something and I was on the water wearing flip flops and a Simms Stone Cold shirt. Thursday morning, I was ensconced in GORE-TEX for the first time since May. It was 43 degrees with pouring down rain and I was loving it. With good gear, there are no bad days. Regardless of the daily high temps, the warming effects of the sun are ...

Be Heard: WDFW open to questions and comments at its annual north central region meeting. By Keith Roe The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold its annual north central region meeting on September 19th. The meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at Howard’s River Central Building, 233 Lakeshore Drive. WDFW has been holding this meeting for over 10 years, which allows the public to voice their concerns and/or ideas on our regional fishing and hunting activities. This serves as an informal opportunity to talk with your fish and wildlife biologists and enforcement officers about these issues, whether they relate to post-wildfire habitat recovery, this summer's new wild chinook salmon fishery, or other concerns area residents might have. One question I’ve been asked a lately, is whether we will have a steelhead season thi...

By Dylan McGregor I recently went to the Grande Ronde to target some bass. The fish were very active and eager to fatten their bellies. My technique that I found the most effect was a swing style technique with a sparkle minnow. I had fish eat it on a slow strip at the end of the swing. I also had some fish eat it on the hang down. You can still find active fish coming up and eating poppers on top. Fishing poppers in the early morning and later in the evenings provides a better chance due to the water being cooler. If you aren’t getting fish to come up to the popper the later you’re getting into the day, I’d switch it up and throw on a streamer. I like using floating line because around this time of year because the water is at a lower flow stage. Less chance of a hang up and having to wade out to release the snag. The water was w...

With the next generation of fly fishers back in school, and the weekend warriors behind a desk, it seemed like the perfect time to revisit the CDA river. Flows were very low. How low? Slightly under 200 cfs. It feels like every week I find myself saying, "The Coeur d'Alene drainage cannot get any lower." Yet somehow, the flows continue to drop. I was pleasantly surprised to feel how cool the water felt as I wet-waded the lower section of the CDA. The weather was sunny, blue skies, temperatures in the 80s with an occasional breeze. In terms of hatches, there wasn't much to talk about, but hoppers were scattered on the shoreline. Beetles and ants clung to the overhanging trees. Around 11:30 AM, I did manage to find a small hatch of large, rust colored mayflies that appeared in the shady riffles. The handful I found were roughly a size 10...

September and October are the times to strip leeches for big trout. By Keith Roe September and the first half of October are my favorite times of the year to fish. I’ve spent many fall mornings casting for steelhead, listening and seeing the world come to life. It feeds my soul. I’ve also found that soul-food fodder when I'm fishing one of my favorite lakes during fall—the sounds of waterfowl moving south, seeing a muskrat swim by, or hearing, high overhead, the sounds of sandhill cranes flying past. But what inspires me the most are those big, aggressive fish that are on the hunt this time of the year. When fishing lakes during fall, I use leech patterns more often than any other time of the year. Balanced leeches are one of my go-to patterns—you can suspend them under an indicator and that slow, jigging action provides great re...

Get your fall smallmouth fix with a switch rod. By Tyler Hicks When you step into a North 40 fly shop, it feels like a home away from home. Warm wooden walls are adorned with a multitude of feathers and fur, perhaps a large photograph of an angler standing alone in the river mid-backcast, and the fresh aroma of hot coffee invites you to stop and stay a while. However, lurking outside, usually in close proximity, under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights you will find a less evolved beast.. . . . gear fisherman. That's me; I find beauty in a line counter reel, obsess over tape patterns on kokanee dodgers, and prefer the smell of a cup of fresh worms over coffee, most mornings. My boss calls us "chum flingers,” to which I counter, “At least I'm no fluff chucker!” But the truth is I appreciate all forms of fishing and have long been...

By Kaylee Neu Shades, sunnies, spekkies, solar shields . . . sunglasses. Everyone owns a pair. And all of us have our favorites. In fact, for most of us they're a tool we never leave the house without, especially if we’re headed to the Joe, or another area stream, to shoot laser-beam casts to the opposite bank. But do we know much about our little eye-protection friends? Let's dive into it, shall we? I’m a fan of Costa sunglasses and I’m not the only one—we sell a lot of Costa’s here at North 40 Coeur d’ Alene. All are built by hand in Daytona Beach, Florida and are specifically designed for waters sports, including fishing, which means the lenses are polarized. Polarization is the term used for reducing glare, from light reflecting off of water or other surfaces. Essentially, your polarized lenses kill the glare, which allow...

By Dylan McGregor Fall is near, so what does that mean for fishing? Here’s your answer: Active fish fattening themselves for winter. And, on many of our regional streams, the best way they accomplish just that is to focus on October caddis pupae and adults. Here's our selection of caddis patterns. It makes sense because October caddis are the last large, protein packed item that these fish can target this year. And when they do, they can go into feeding frenzies. That’s why you have to be prepared to match these caddis in September and October, no matter which river or stream you choose to fish. Clark Fork, Kelly Creek, St. Joe, Rock Creek, Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Lochsa, Middle Fork . . . you’ll likely see these bugs in the air and on the water, and even if you don’t the fish will have an eye open for them. So, what are my three ...

As autumn approaches it’s time to revel in the apple crop. But after eating fresh apples that taste like no others, or making a few delicious apple pies, you may ask, what else is there to do with this fruit? Fortunately, apples are one of the most versatile fruits to store and use, so they offer many options. Storing Fresh Apples Just like many other fruits and vegetables, some apple varieties store better than others. Cortland, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and McIntosh (often the late-harvest varieties) all store well throughout fall and into the winter months, under the right conditions. But don’t hesitate to try to keep other varieties. If you have a bushel of apples from your tree, regardless of the variety, and you like to eat them fresh, here are a few steps to keep them crisp and delicious. —Apples like high humidity and low temperatur...

Most of us consider Lunker Grub’s and Little Cleo’s as the classic baits from an umbrella of brands owned by Acme Tackle. Recently, however, company representative Peter Longobardi stopped into our North 40 Outfitters’ headquarters in Great Falls, Montana and showed us three new products that the walleye fishing community is very excited about, baits that could supplant the Grub and Cleo as this company’s go-to offerings. Here’s what we learned. From hair jigs to spin jigs, we've got you covered. You can order online here. Kalin’s Google Eye Jigs The Google Eye Jigs are equipped with what Kalin’s is calling a shockwave rattle system, which is a rattle that’s built into the head, right where the eyes of the bait are. These jigs have a hardened steel Katana hook and come in three sizes (1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 oz.). Note: These im...