By Tyler Hicks Summer just can't seem to release its grip on north-central Washington’s Okanogan country. We've had some tantalizing tastes of fall, but each time the heat comes back with a vengeance. With highs climbing into the upper 90's for the foreseeable future, options for trout fishing are limited. So, with a little free time, I decided to try something I had not done in a long time—fly fishing for panfish. After getting off work I dropped my kayak into Washburn Island Pond, a weedy and warm backwater impoundment off the Columbia River. I brought along my 3-weight glass rod setup, and a small box of metallic, brightly colored nymphs, as well as an assortment of micro-poppers. Those flies and more panfish food are online here.  It was a balmy 96 degrees when I launched, but as the sun dipped behind a dense layer of smoke the ...

By Tyler Hicks Summer just can't seem to release its grip on north-central Washington’s Okanogan country. We've had some tantalizing tastes of fall, but each time the heat comes back with a vengeance. With highs climbing into the upper 90's for the foreseeable future, options for trout fishing are limited. So, with a little free time, I decided to try something I had not done in a long time—fly fishing for panfish. After getting off work I dropped my kayak into Washburn Island Pond, a weedy and warm backwater impoundment off the Columbia River. I brought along my 3-weight glass rod setup, and a small box of metallic, brightly colored nymphs, as well as an assortment of micro-poppers. Those flies and more panfish food are online here.  It was a balmy 96 degrees when I launched, but as the sun dipped behind a dense layer of smoke the ...

Concerts and big largemouths in one fell swoop? Sign me up . . . no matter how dazed I might be. By Steph Avena So you’re headed to the Gorge at George and achin’ to fish, but don’t wanna’ miss a moment of a summer concert? Then, I’d recommend you hit Stan Coffin Lake for some catch-and-release action on largemouth bass. As a crow flies, this ancient lake is so close to the concert venue that the fish can practically hum along with the band. However, don’t plan on getting there in five minutes, as long as the ‘south gate’ to Quincy Lakes, which is located in the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area, remains closed due to vandalism. Never fear, I clocked the northern route, through the north entrance, last weekend and it was only 15 minutes from the concert campground entrance. The best craft to ply these waters for lunker largem...

With only a few hours to spare before dark, I decided to run the boat over to the Clark Fork River for a little cast and strip. Flows were 30,000 cfs, and water clarity was excellent. There was a little bit of debris floating down the river due to the sudden increase in flows. Nothing too large, just intermittent branches. There wasn't a hatch until 7p.m. Once 7 rolled around, caddis took to the water and the trout slowly began to rise. However, my mind was set on pounding Woolly Buggers and other small streamers into the banks to see what I could pull up. Needless to say, the Clark Fork did not disappoint. I finished the day with one brown trout, one cutthroat, one rainbow, one smallmouth, and one pikeminnow. Check out our streamer patterns online here. Now that I am typing this, I realize I hit a Clark Fork grand slam. The brown trout...

I can’t believe August is over, but I’m not sad to be looking into September. Right now, it is still hot and smoky out there. One of these days, we will wake up to a cold front, with some rain, and the air will clear. Like most Montanans, I’m looking forward to that day. The zone from the dam to Wolf Creek Bridge is arguably the best bet right now if you're looking for a weed-free drift. Mornings continue to provide the best fishing action of the day. Yesterday we were on the water early enough to beat the rush and right off the bat, the fish were eating steadily. They were split between a #16 Tan UV Czech and my favorite #20 Tufted Zebra. You can take your pick of our nymphs by clicking here. It was not long before more boats launched, and after the fish got floated and rowed over a few times, they got wary and fussy. Just like me...

Talk about a beautiful summer day to be on the Joe. Temperatures were in the 80s, water temp was cool, clarity was excellent, not a cloud in the sky, and a soft breeze to keep me cool. Flows were just above 400 cfs, so the lower Joe was basically a long lake. However, there is plenty of fishable pocket water above Avery, and a few miles below. To say the St. Joe is fishing well is a major understatement. In the 5 hours I spent on the river (including driving from run to run), I must have landed around 40 cutthroat. Every hole that looked like it should have a couple trout in it, did. The size of trout ranged from 8-16 inches with most of them being 12-14 inches. The fish were willing to eat any color I threw at them.... as long as the color was purple. All day I fished a #8 Purple PMX parachute followed by a #14 Purple Rocky Mountain Min...

Lake Cocolalla has been tough, but very rewarding. I spent a few hours fishing the lake yesterday morning from 7-10 AM with hopes of finding a few big trout. Loaded with fast sinking and intermediate line, no trout was out of range. The trout appeared to be very scattered and not under much pressure to eat initially. The little inconsistent surface activity further proved that the trout were feeding casually, wherever and whenever they please. However, the fish I did find were actively eating subsurface. That they are hungry is both good and bad. Good, in that the trout were feeding, bad that they were spread throughout the entire lake. This made finding a decent concentration of trout difficult. I was able to find one beautifully chunky 3 1/2 lb brown trout in 10 feet of water. I also found a school of slab Crappie suspended in 28 feet o...

By Dylan McGregor Idaho steelhead are in peril. Over the past 10 years an average of 151,687 steelhead have passed Lower Granite Dam (about 30 miles downstream from Lewiston) and headed upstream and into Idaho, Washington and Oregon waters; last year just 87,000 passed Lower Granite; this year biologists expect 60,000 or fewer steelhead to get past the dam, with only a handful of those being the coveted wild fish. These are the current rules and regulations for steelhead fishing this year. This makes me think: If our wild fish are in danger of going extinct, should I even wade into the water to catch one? If I do, how will that impact these fish? I know most people think Idahoans are all about potatoes. What they may not realize is that some families have steelhead traditions and a connection to the waters they swim in that are just as d...

The season is winding down, but you may get one more round of “gulpers.” By Greg Thomas As summer winds down you may still find a few Callibaetis mayflies on the water, whether fishing lakes and reservoirs that are famous for that bug—Chopaka Lake, Hebgen Reservoir, Ennis Lake, Quake Lake—or some other obscure water. So, you need to be prepared for this hatch whether it actually comes off or not. Play your cards wrong and you might be rowing through a wad of risers with nothing to offer. This hatch begins as early as July on many waters and extends into September on most. Action can begin early in the day when Callibaetis nymphs rise through the water column and try to take flight. While sitting on the surface, waiting for their wings to dry, many are taken under by the subtle rises from trout. Even big fish may leave a tiny dimp...