Fishing

Tips For Rigging A Walleye Jigging Rod Read more

My freezers are overflowing with the summer's bounty of salmon, kokanee, and trout. Vacuum sealed and packed away, the fillets will provide delicious meals through the long, cold winter that is just around the corner. With the leaves falling off the trees and nights getting cold, it's time to continue a long-held fall tradition of firing up the smoker. I love smoked fish. Nothing beats fresh smoked salmon and I usually end up with a stomachache from overindulgence after the first batch of the year leaves the smoker. The rest I vacuum pack, as it provides a great snack during winter fishing trips or mixed with cream cheese, herbs, and Tobasco and served with crackers at social gatherings. Remember, the person bringing the smoked fish to any party is usually popular. The process of smoking fish isn't all that difficult. The one thing it do... Read more

We’ll just state the obvious. Fishing for walleye is just plain fun. Thrilling and fast-paced, catching walleye means an angler has to be quick-thinking when it comes to fishing this predator. That’s why we asked walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, to share his extensive walleye knowledge with us. A walleye master, Dale, has fished walleye from Arkansas to Canada and Michigan to Montana, and he doesn’t disappoint. When you get a fish on, you have to reel the board in, put the board down, and reel in your crankbait and your fish. In this link, walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, explains his setup for trolling with planer boards and a technique that he uses to make sure lures are tuned.    Video Transcription How to Troll with Planer Boards Hey folks, this is Dale Gilbert. We're gonna talk about getting set up here and do ... Read more

We’ll just state the obvious. Fishing for walleye is just plain fun. Thrilling and fast-paced, catching walleye means an angler has to be quick-thinking when it comes to fishing this predator. That’s why we asked walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, to share his extensive walleye knowledge with us. A walleye master, Dale, has fished walleye from Arkansas to Canada and Michigan to Montana, and he doesn’t disappoint. Trolling with crankbaits is a good time. In this link, walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, explains his setup and a technique that he uses to make sure lures are tuned.  Video Transcription How to Troll with Crankbaits Hey, folks, this is Dale Gilbert here, fishing over here on Noxon Reservoir in Montana, and it's April. Going to do a little trolling for crank baits. Yesterday, I had a pretty good time doing this w... Read more

We’ll just state the obvious. Fishing for walleye is just plain fun. Thrilling and fast-paced, catching walleye means an angler has to be quick-thinking when it comes to fishing this predator. That’s why we asked walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, to share his extensive walleye knowledge with us. A walleye master, Dale, has fished walleye from Arkansas to Canada and Michigan to Montana, and he doesn’t disappoint. Jigging for walleye begins with the right gear. In this link, walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, explains the rods and jigs he uses and how to tie palomar knots to catch walleye.    Video Transcription How to Jig for Walleye Hey folks. This is Dale Gilbert. We're going to talk a little bit about getting set up to do a little jigging for Walleyes, and we’re over here at Noxon Reservoir today. It's a beautiful day... Read more

We’ll just state the obvious. Fishing for walleye is just plain fun. Thrilling and fast-paced, catching walleye means an angler has to be quick-thinking when it comes to fishing this predator. That’s why we asked walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, to share his extensive walleye knowledge with us. A walleye master, Dale, has fished walleye from Arkansas to Canada and Michigan to Montana, and he doesn’t disappoint. Walleye don’t like a lot of current. So, where to find walleye, depends. Walleye migrate and move a lot. In this link, walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, explains how to look for the bubbles and how to find walleye in the seam.   Video Transcription Where to Find Walleye Walleyes migrate. They move a lot, so it kind of depends. And what we're dealing with here right now is that we're basically fishing a river syst... Read more

Starting March 1st walleye anglers on Lake Pend Oreille, the Clark Fork River, and the Pend Oreille River can earn up to $1,000 per walleye when turned into an Idaho Department of Fish and Game, IDFG, fish-head freezer location. Walleye Lottery IDFG has tagged 50 walleye throughout the system and when these walleye are received by IDFG, a $1,000 check could be on its way to you!  Simply cut the head of the walleye off, put it in the fish-head freezer with your contact information, and you could win. What's innovative for catching walleye? Check out our ICAST review. Walleye were illegally introduced into Noxon Reservoir in 1992 and since then have become prolific throughout the Clark Fork River, above Cabinet Gorge Dam.  Recently, walleye have taken hold in Lake Pend Oreille, the Pend Oreille River, and the lower Clark Fork River.  T... Read more

The Ice is Still Here and Getting Thicker Read more

Many folks have the misconception that “flies” are only for the angler wading waist deep in the water waving a stick back and forth. Flies have been utilized in different manners over the years, they’re often used as components in many forms of tackle craft. For example, the infamous Rooster Tail in-line spinners use palmered hackles around a treble. Similarly, Mepps traditionally uses squirrel tail in the trailing treble. Though these are often very basic adaptations to conventional tackle, the techniques used to tie these materials to a hook still follows the same principles as many of the more intricate fly patterns used with a fly rod and reel. Out of all the “non-fly-fishing flies”, trolling flies are (in my opinion) some of the most fun to tie and create. Let your imagination lead you when finding your perfect color combin... Read more

Simms has 13 new gloves for 2018/2019.  Here are a few of our top picks to help keep your paws warm and working this winter and spring. Simms Warming Hut Glove This glove is serious and is the new glove I am most excited about.  The Simms Warming Hut Glove features Primaloft insulation which is more than capable of warming your hands on the coldest days.  There is also a warming pocket to add hand warmers in case your hands are nearly frostbitten after toughing it out on the river.  These are my go-to gloves for operating a jet boat during steelhead season.  Their water-resistant shell does a good enough job at keeping your hands dry and warm on those snowy, blustery days.  These gloves have a thin fleece lining for comfort and are a size larger than normal to allow maximum mobility.  The built-in wrist leashes make them easy to fi... Read more

We can all picture it.  The perfect fall day on our favorite steelhead river.  Autumn colors reflect off clear green waters, the oars of the drift boat are making their soft rhythmic splashes, and the tips of the rods in the holders are dancing.  Eventually, you use up your attention span; and it’s always then that you get that drag ripping, head shaking, cartwheeling tight line grab that you’ve been waiting for.  When steelhead, from Idaho’s Clearwater River, hit plugs, they hit them hard!  Quiet moments and sharing stories with your friends are often broken by utter chaos and panic.  Fish ranging from 28 to 40 inches will stop the heart of most fishermen when they go airborne. Back trolling is an effective steelhead technique from Idaho’s summer catch and release season to the coldest months of winter.  It can be effecti... Read more

When the first arctic air rolls across the region, many bass anglers hang it up for the year. For myself, mid to late fall is synonymous with big smallmouth bass and little competition out on the water. No other season consistently produces smallmouth over 20 inches in length and fish over five-plus pounds. These are not days characterized by large numbers of fish but rather by days of few fish of exceptional size. What is the Best Time to Fish Smallmouth Bass? Deciding when to target these fish is as important as where you target them. The best time to be on the water is when it's awful to be out on the water. Low-pressure systems, rain, wind, and cold fronts all trigger these fish to feed. Warm sunny periods, “Indian Summers,” might be nice days to be out on the water but are far less productive. Looking for a great place to fish ... Read more