The close-in swing works well on trout and steelhead, as evidenced by this "last light" catch on a coastal British Columbia stream. As a guide, I’ve said it hundreds of times—start short and don’t wade past your ankles until you work the close water first. Why you might ask? Well, there are times when the best holding water is in close. I like to say the fish often hide in plain sight, right near the shoreline. Invariably, anglers want to wade right in, often standing in water where they should be running a fly. I mean, you’ve got these expensive waders and you’ve learned how to cast 90 feet. It’s go time. Wade deep and throw long. Swing for the fences, right? I’ll say it again. Start short. This is a general rule that applies to all angling. Don’t pass up fish that may be resting close to shore just because you want to c...

Missouri River Winter hit hard last week. The snow came rolling in and the temps bottomed out below zero. Fishing options were limited for several days. It has been warming up slowly, but it looks like prospects for above freezing weather are good for the coming week. The smaller streams got ice locked, so the Missouri River is the place to be. The water temp is still above 40 degrees up toward the dam. BWO’s have still been hatching. You won’t have long to fish the dry if you wait much longer. The nymph bite remains strong. Nothing has changed there. Streamer fishing is not bad either, but fish are starting to move toward deeper water. On any given day, it might take a little time to figure out where the more aggressive fish are lurking. It’s trout spey season. Now that the water temps are chilling, fish are more eager to eat the ...

Coeur d'Alene River Well guys, it's official, winter is upon us. The temps have dropped substantially in the last week. This will have the fish moving into their normal winter holds: slower moving water and pools. The dry fly fishing will be hard to find. Nymphing and slowly moving streamers will be your game. Tandem nymph rigs close to the bottom will be reliable, think small Pheasant Tails, Princes and San Juan Worms. If the weather warms up into the mid 40's or 50's, this may shift things to the top water. But remember, any top water action will be short lived as the water temp is what matters. My advice? Get those fly tying vises dusted off and come stock up on materials for the winter, or come see us on Saturdays. We are hosting fly tying classes at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday with free doughnuts and coffee. St. Joe River Will be tou...

Clark Fork River (ID) It definitely feels like winter is upon us here in northern Idaho. The time for frozen guides and numb fingers has arrived. Currently we have under a foot of snow stacked on the ground, so dress warm and be careful wading out there. Although we just received our first “real” snow for the year, weather conditions aren’t looking too bad leading up to the weekend. By that I mean above freezing temperatures. This might just be a great weekend to get on the water. The CF is crystal clear, and water temperatures are very cold. Flows are rising and dropping from 6,000 to 26,000 cubic feet per second once or twice a day. There hasn’t been much in terms of hatches, so I would concentrate on nymphing and swinging. A couple nymphs to try include #12 red Copper John, #18 Crust Nymph BWO, #18 olive Military Mayfly, #18 Z...

Rufus Woods Lake With winter creeping in there is still some action to be had if you can catch a break from the wind. Water temperatures are holding around 58 degrees. Most of the fish are being caught are in the 18 to 20-inch range, with a few five and six pounders reported. For streamers, black seems to be the color of choice right now. I would suggest a black and red Circus Peanut, black Peanut Envy or a black Complex Twisted Bugger. Some anglers are using a balanced leech under an indicator with success. It seems it doesn’t matter where on the lake you fish, they’re being caught everywhere. With the amount of wind we’ve been having, it’s been making it difficult to fish the lake. I tried fishing at the north end of the lake but even with the wind at my back it was difficult. I would hold off for a little while before giving i...

Picking the right trout spey rod is a personal choice and what may be perfect for one angler might not fit another. Before choosing a setup, there are many variables to consider with the bottom line is being this: You want to smile every time you touch it. I have a fishing problem and I must admit I’ve got more than one trout spey rod. More than five, actually… but who’s counting? Today, I’ll focus on the one I’d grab if I was heading out the door today. If I had this rod in my hands right now, I’d be smiling. Trout Spey Rod Currently, the Loop Opti NXT 5110—meaning an 11-foot 5-weight—is the rod I’ve got loaded and ready to go. This stick is classified as a switch rod and is light enough to cast with a simple overhead motion. There are times, especially with wind in my face, when I will go that route, but the NXT also ...

On Monday, November 13 the Clearwater Fly Casters will host this year’s International Fly Fishing Festival in Moscow, Idaho, at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center. Doors to “IF4” open at 6 p.m. and films begin at 7. Nine films are on the docket and beer and soft drinks are available onsite. If fly-fishing films and festivity during the cold season isn’t enough, maybe a silent auction and meeting April Vokey and Jeff Currier would tip the scale for you to attend. Todd Moen, who creates some of the greatest visuals in fly fishing, will air his latest film; other films cover all sorts of fishing, ranging from trout in British Columbia to golden dorado in Bolivia. Each time I go to IF4, it drives me to become a better fisherman. The first film festival I went to solidified my love for the sport, and the more I go to these, the more...

There are a three key principles every duck hunter needs to fully grasp before hunting Lake Pend O'reille, and those are scouting, camouflage, and movement. With these three elements properly utilized, bagging limits of ducks and geese can become an ordinary occurrence. Step 1: Scout out where the ducks are There is no point to duck hunting if there aren't any birds in the area you wish to hunt.This is why I have found it important to have scouting as my first step to having a fun hunt. The evening before the big hunt is my favorite time to scout for an abundant population of birds. When scouting, be sure to pay attention where the ducks are feeding, sleeping, and flying. Having the right binoculars can help you when you're out scouting. If the ducks are gathered into a large group in the middle of the lake, try and find a rocky point or...

Coeur d'Alene River Fishing is still great, but with the drop in the temperature later this week, that may change.  We are expecting much cooler weather with a high possibility of snow.  So, go out in the next couple days if you are going to do it.  Start the morning with a nymph rig, smaller bead heads like Pheasant Tails, Princes, Copper Johns.  Streamer fishing will be a viable option as well. Throw small, black Wolly Buggers, Sculpins, but keep them slow on the retrieve or almost a dead drift.  Midday should produce good top water action.  Same bug options as the last couple of weeks: BWO's #16-20's, Mahoganies #14-16's, small X-Caddis #18-20's, small soft hackles #16-20's and October Caddis #6-10's. St. Joe River This water is fishing well, but not for long.  Your window for good hatches and dry fly action will be short in th...