Page 93 - North 40 Outfitters

The flows through Cabinet Gorge Reservoir have been low and slow. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--it just makes maneuvering a boat through stump-covered flats a little more challenging than I’d like it to be. I didn't get an exact on the water temperature, but I would guess it’s running between the high 60s and low 70s. Yesterday the wind, which usually blows out of the west and pushes upriver, came out of the east, which gave me time to do nothing but fish. Need any new gear for summer fishing? Check this out. Right now the water clarity is great and there is nothing better, in my opinion, than watching your eight-inch long fly disappear into the trap jaw of a "water wolf." I was on the water and fishing by 7:30 a.m. and stuck it out until roughly 2:30p.m. The fishing wasn't hot... or even good for that matter. I would classify...

  When Savage Gear announced a new 3D soft bait, cast in the image of a goby, I was immediately intrigued. While gobies are non-existent in my local lakes and rivers, sculpin--a non-related but very similar looking species--are abundant. I can't count the number of times I've fished smallmouth bass and had one cough up its last sculpin meal in my boat. For that reason, I was eager to get my hands on them and get out on the water. See our introduction to this Savage Goby fishing lure here. Savage Gear Goby 3D Lure Out of the package, I was struck by the intricate details of the tube with its highly flexible pectoral and dorsal fins, all of which add action along with the traditional tube skirt. Like many of my favorite plastics these tube jigs are highly salted and scented to help mask human scent and make fish hold on to them longer...

How do you target trout, even when the sun is up and scorching? Ah yes, the dog days of summer are here.  August has officially arrived. That means hot sun, cold beer, sunburns and, depending on where you cast a line, more technical fishing. Tough Fly Fishing in August? That's Normal. At least you’re not alone. The beginning of August may provide tough fishing no matter where you target, and that is true in north Idaho, too. Fortunately, north Idaho was blessed with a great winter and, subsequently, a good snow pack. So, most of our rivers are holding good water. The tributary streams, however, are pretty low. That’s normal for this time of year, but all of our streams are in better shape, by far, than they’ve been in the past few years. Still, with temperatures expected to be in the upper 80's and mid-90’s for a few weeks, our ...

As I slowly turned my boat the inside rod exploded into life, with the deep throbs and drag-screaming runs that tells an angler one thing: Chinook salmon on the line. A few minutes later I boated a beautiful 18-pound hatchery king that would soon migrate to my freezer. It is no coincidence that the bite came on the turn as, over the years, I've bagged many salmon "on the drop.” Unlike the boats now fishing all around me, I was not running downriggers. Check out our terminal tackle, fishing line, and our selection of fishing rods. I cut my teeth on lower Columbia River salmon fisheries where strong currents, snags, and variable depths largely precluded the use of downriggers. The standard method in this reach of the river is a sliding cannonball rig placed 18-24 inches forward of your flasher, on a bumper of heavy monofilament. This do...

One of my favorite aspects of saltwater fishing is the unexpected. This may arrive in the form of weather and water conditions (read, lightning strikes, big waves, and scary) or in surprise catches. For instance, on the first day I ever fly fished for tarpon I saw several fish swimming by and decided to throw my Cockroach fly at them, just to see if they would notice. Once the fly landed I gave it a twitch and the last fish in the group peeled off and inhaled it. And what kind of fish was that, you ask? Nothing less than a permit! This came about a half hour after I’d landed a tarpon while cruising out of a cut on the Atlantic side of Marathon, Florida. Needless to say, the luck ran out and it took me eons to catch another tarpon and, to this day, I haven’t had another permit on the line. Catching Different Species on Saltwater Fly Fi...

What's not to like about picking up Methow-area cuttbows on dries? Get in on the action before the season closes August 15. The Chewuch, Twisp and a goldmine of other recently opened Okanogan-area streams are in prime shape and the westslope cutthroats, bull trout, brookies and rainbows that populate these beautiful waters are hitting hard on dries and nymphs. But you better get in on the action quick because most of these Methow River tributaries close early on August 15. And remember, it’s all catch-and-release. Need to gear up ahead of the fall swing? The early closure is in place to protect our anadromous runs, meaning the steelhead and salmon coming up the Columbia that end up in the Methow. During August, I have been startled more than once by spawning salmon as I roamed from bank to bank. Please be alert for redds when wading �...

Plant now for a garden that keeps giving through the holidays. Even with the summer vegetable harvest coming on fast and furious, it’s time to prepare for your fall garden and extend your season for as long as possible. Growing for Fall Harvests is "Easier" Veteran gardeners know that fall is an easy time to grow vegetables. Insects are on the downward slide, weeds are far less of an issue, and the extreme heat has passed. There might even be additional rain to assist in watering. But timing is everything. With limited days before severe cold hits, and with decreasing sunlight, seeds and plants need to be planted with enough time to mature. The window to plant can slip away in the exuberance of a summer harvest, which is why this is the perfect time to pencil out your fall gardening plan and put it on the calendar. Looking for the too...

What's a Soft Hackle when it comes to Tying Flies? The term “soft-hackle” refers to a category of flies that has an extensive history in fly fishing. And, most importantly, these flies are incredibly productive in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, which means you are missing out if you don’t carry a heavy supply of these patterns whenever and wherever your fish. These patterns are so effective, in fact, that Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, only fished a soft-hackle (the Pheasant Tail and Partridge), and no other flies, for a full year. He took bonefish, Atlantic salmon, British Columbia steelhead, and trout on it, in different sizes and colors of course. Gaylen Mercer on Why you should Fish Soft Hackle Patterns Another proponent of soft-hackles is the landscape and sporting artist Gaylen Mercer. Mercer cre...

Some of my greatest childhood fly fishing memories took place on Montana’s Madison River, in a short, fast-water stretch between Three Dollar Bridge and Quake Lake. Last week, I revisited my old stomping grounds and created new memories. Based on the fishing, it might be a good time for you to do the same thing. That’s because, right now, water clarity is excellent on the Madison. Even though I fished more rainy days than sunny ones, the rain didn't influence water clarity at all, and I found a few fish. Air temperatures were in the 80s, and wet wading was the way to go, which is always the case here—you can’t fish from a boat on this stretch although you can use a boat or raft to access the water and float through to lower sections. If you're in the market for a new fly rod... look no further. The primary hatch was brown caddisf...

The Missouri River below Holter Dam is running approximately 4,200 cubic feet a second each day. Water temps have been creeping up to the 64 degree ranges in the mornings and pushing to 68 degrees for a peak below the dam. We are looking good in terms of staying below the Hoot Owl temperature threshold, but water temperature is still a factor to consider. The key for your success, and the survival of your catch, is to fish early, when water temperature is lowest.  Land and release your fish as quickly as possible. If you are fishing the lower river, be aware that the water temps will be higher than those found near the dam, making mortality a bigger issue. A tip to help with successful catch-and-release is to use a net larger than your fish. A larger net makes it easy to get a quick scoop and the bag can hold the fish in the water, allo...

Mid-summer is upon us and some days and weeks are flat-out hot. When temperatures push into the 90's, it's time to rethink your fly-fishing game plan. The Case for Going Early Instead of sleeping in on your day off from work, get up early and go fishing. Then, come home mid-day and take a nap if you need it. That way, you'll still get your extra sleep and you will also feed your soul with the goodness of a morning in the great outdoors. By the afternoon, it will be too hot for prime fishing anyway, and not very comfortable for angling, so you can sleep soundly knowing you’re not missing a thing. By the way, early mornings are awesome. The hour or so before sunrise is my favorite time to be outside. The air is cool, the birds are calling, wildlife sightings abound, the fish are active, and it just feels like a great time to be alive and...