We had a blast ice-fishing on Lake Frances in Valier, Montana, during the 2018 Ice Derby last Saturday. We’ve got lots of video and pictures to sift through. Look for another blog later this week with more details and some technical info. For now, check out some of our visual highlights from the derby, which drew 368 competitors. Derby Results Pike 1st Chris Verbus 11.14# $1,380 2nd Garret Moritz 11.0 # $828 3rd Ryan Fenner 10.82# $552 Kids Pike Riley Bock 8.96# $50   Perch 1st Pat Wheeler 1.38# $1,380 2nd Josh Waldner 1.32# $828 3rd Jason Brenden 1.22# $552 Kids Perch Colby South .94# $50 Read more

Ice fishing at Lake Frances can be productive for pike (shown here) and yellow perch. Photo courtesy Valier Area Development Corp. A fearless crew from North 40 will venture onto the ice this Saturday, January 13, for the Valier Area Development Corp’s 2018 Ice Fishing Derby at Lake Frances It looks like a cold front is coming in this week and the projected highs for Saturday are in the single digits. We expect good ice conditions. The derby runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a $15 per person registration fee. Registration on Saturday begins at 6 a.m. at the Fireman’s Pavilion and the One Stop Cenex in Valier. Pike and perch are the targets with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place cash payouts for the biggest fish. Last year the pike and perch winners each netted $1,035.  Setting Up for Ice-Fishing Success With single digit temperatures, we will op... Read more

If I were stuck on a desert island and my life depended on one lure I would want a Kastmaster spoon in my survival kit. Few lures approach the Kastmaster's ability to target a wide array of species. And this spoon’s versatility is unmatched—it can be cast and retrieved, jigged or trolled. Fished in any fashion, the Kastmaster is simple, timeless, and deadly effective.  Sussing Fish Out The Kastmaster is the perfect searching lure. For their size, these spoons pack considerable weight. Their slim profile combined with mass makes for long casts that easily cut through wind. This allows you to quickly cover a lot of water without moving. Because of that weight you can also quickly sink the lure to a desired depth and vary retrieval speeds, which allows you to cover the entire water column. Doing so, you’ll likely... Read more

You may find it difficult to get outside on these short and often cold winter days. But you can add a little incentive to that equation if you consider the possibility of ice fishing and a mid-winter fresh fish fry. Fortunately, ice fishing is a relatively inexpensive sport to get into, it’s easy to master, and most of us in the Evergreen State live close to good ice-fishing options, whether that’s pulling yellow perch, trout, whitefish, walleye or kokanee salmon out of the “hard-water.” In recent years cold winter weather has provided an abundance of opportunity, which makes it a great time to join us at North 40’s free ice-fishing seminar, where you can learn all the tricks to taking fish from the hard-water. And, you can take advantage of great deals on the last day of North 40’s ice fishing gear sale. In this seminar I�... Read more

Because there were so many fish underneath the boat, the fish-finder couldn’t differentiate between that mass and actual bottom, some 60 feet below. This didn’t arrive as a major surprise—when whitefish arrive on their spawning grounds, they arrive en masse. In fact, in many Inland Northwest lakes, whitefish are the dominant fish when measured in simple biomass. If you want in on the action, you can target these fish on many lakes spread through Washington, Idaho and Montana starting in December and extending to March. The major exception to this rule is Montana’s Flathead Lake where a thriving summer fishery takes place. Through their native Great Lakes range, whitefish are revered for their delicate, clean white meat. But, in the West, this tasty fish is often regarded as trash. That reputation, however, is undeserved because t... Read more

Most anglers view walleye as a "warmwater" species that is best targeted during the Inland Northwest’s short summer season, which runs from sometime in May through mid-October. There’s truth in that mentality: The most productive walleye fishing typically occurs when water temperatures are close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But diehard walleye anglers fish through winter because, as they might say, “Winter is when the ‘big girls’ are caught.” Walleye are distributed throughout eastern Washington’s Columbia River system, ranging from the Canadian border to Portland, Oregon. There are big walleye to be found throughout the system and, in fact, some anglers expect the next world-record walleye to be caught on the Columbia, somewhere between Chief Joseph Dam and John Day Dam. Additionally, walleye can be found in a number of easte... Read more

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... Read more

ICAST. It’s the fishing industry’s largest international trade show. With North 40 Fly Shop’s video team, I was there this year trying to shoot as many product videos of the latest and greatest fishing products as I could find. Three new baits took the featured spaces on the front of Northland Tackle’s bright yellow booth, and one of these baits piqued my curiosity. I was lucky enough to find Keith Eshbaugh, who happened to be the inventor and manufacturer of the new Northland Butterfly Blades. As a long-time Mack’s Smile Blade evangelist, my skepticism was palpable, but I was willing to give Keith and chance to tell me what was up with these new lures. Northland Butterfly Blades Tackle The first thing I learned is that the new Butterfly Blades are not meant to replace your Mack’s Smile Blades (although I’m sure Northland ... Read more

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 ... Read more

By Sam Wike Just over a week ago I was sinking my teeth into a bacon cheeseburger at the Bar S in Great Falls, Montana with Paul Considine, North 40’s fishing buyer, and our longtime friend and walleye fishing guru Dale Gilbert. As you would guess, we were talking about fishing. And why wouldn’t we; Gilbert is a veteran of the Professional Walleye Tour (PWT) and now, in his retirement, he guides and teaches walleye tactics across Montana. He is, for sure, one of the most knowledgeable and effective walleye fishermen we know. At the Bar S we discussed educational videos and some of the new baits that Considine and I are bringing into our stores in 2018. Gilbert was interested in the video discussion—because he may be the featured attraction in those—but he really perked when the conversation turned to those new... Read more

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. ... Read more

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... Read more