So, we are off and running to a great spring and looking forward to a great summer with all the water we have. The Coeur d' Alene River has been fantastic and the St. Joe coming into shape as well. The CDA is primo right now, and flows are more conducive to wading but still very float-able. The upper stretches are starting to get a bit skinny in spots, but still doable in a raft or drift boat. I fished last week in a couple of runs mid-river. They had a pretty broad range of sizes of fish in them. I fished the same runs yesterday, and it seemed that either the weather had them off, or most of them had moved, as I only caught 2-4 fish per run. Last week those numbers were much higher. So, as the flows drop, the fish seem to be moving to some of the faster and/or deeper runs. The St. Joe is fishing great, however, it’s not perfect for wa...

Yesterday I was able to sneak out to the beautiful Coeur d'Alene River drainage, while my truck was being inspected. I have been hearing reports of Green Drakes, Brown Drakes, Gray Drakes, with rare straggling Golden Stones. That is to diverse of a menu for me not hit the river. We've got the fly fishing accessories you need to get out this summer online here. Conditions were great! Water clarity was excellent, the weather was overcast, there wasn't a wind except for the occasional breeze, and temperatures were in the 60s. I was right where I wanted to be. We arrived at Bumble Bee campground around 12 pm, and were on the river shortly after. It took us a while to find a few willing trout. We must have hit 4 or 5 beautiful deep holes before we had any decent action. The trout we did find were clinging to fallen logs, and overhanging brus...

Today, it happened again.  I saw that glassy look of anxiety in the eyes of a prospective customer.  I soon discovered why. "I’m new to Montana.  I grew up fishing saltwater in Louisiana.  I’m interested in fly fishing, but what is all this stuff?  How do I even begin?" Well, you’ve come to the right place.  Introducing anglers to fly fishing is what I love to do. Fly fishing can be easy and fun and it’s not just for trout. Perch, bass and pike are also popular targets. Of course in Montana, rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and brook trout are always on the list. What flies will you need to get started fly fishing? If you currently reside in Montana, you are required by law to at least try fly fishing. Maybe not, but you seriously should. Especially if you like to fish in general. Great Falls Fly Shop June 17 @ 1...

Visited some North Okanogan Lakes the other day in some cooking heat and under blue skies. I fished with two experienced Bass guys on a Skeeter boat and got to see how the other half (Gear Guys) live. Reluctantly, they permitted a flycaster to mix in some shots to the heavy cover they were patrolling-but, once they saw that I could stay out of their way and still hook an occasional largemouth, I got the thumbs up. If you're interested in exploring more stillwaters, then you'll want to read this.  I am happy to report that Palmer Lake, Whitestone and other Tonasket area lakes are booting out some piggy largemouth and bronze-backed smallies. Another lake in the area is Spectacle Lake. Leaving Omak at 4:30 AM to hit the top water bite didn’t pay at the first lake we tried. Other than a few panfish bumping my popper, no bass were looking ...

It’s really nice out there. Really fishy too. There are also bugs. The kind that make trout rise to the surface. The kind that you can imitate with dry flies. It’s really the best time. Check out our selection of dry flies. I’ll admit, I never got any fish on Baetis or March Browns this year. Between variable weather and water conditions, the timing never worked out. It was a major let down after a long winter. I was Jonesing for some top water action. When I finally got some fish up on PMD’s and Caddis last week, it felt great. As my friend Kevin would say, that’s how fly fishing is supposed to be. We've got floatant and other accessories if you need them as well.  PMD’s have been coming off for over a week now on the lower river. The hatch should soon make its way up to Craig. You’ll need some good emerger/cripple/spinner...

Since the day I moved to northern Idaho, I have developed a special place in my heart for bass, specifically Smallmouth. The way they attack the fly, and dig to the lake's bottom is second to none. Some of my first Lake Pend Oreille outings consisted of fishing Trestle Creek Recreational area from shore with a chartreuse roostertail and an olive clouser. This class is FREE and open to the public and will be hosted at the Sandpoint North 40 Fly Shop on June 10th & July 8th at 5 PM. Whether I was throwing lures or flies, the bass were always willing to bite. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I realized our lake is home to giant bass...and that I was only catching babies. Since then, I have been experimenting with different fly rods, fly lines, leaders, flies, places, and overall technique on how to catch those elusive large Smal...

The lake level is rising, and the fishing has been great! Smallmouth have just about finished spawning and are hunting for some quick protein. The Smallies I have been finding are eating crawdads, perch, and juvenile kokanee. Stripping flies along sharp drop-offs in 5-10 feet of water has been the ticket. Check out Dillon's special bass fly: Dill's Pickle.  My go-to flies have been Chartreuse Bushwacker, #4 Hot Flash Minnow, and an Olive Creek Crawler Crawdad. I haven't had much luck in terms of topwater action just yet. However, I know that will change any day (if it hasn't already). Now lets talk Pike. The Pike fishing has been hit and miss. Mornings have been slower than the hot afternoons. This is great for the lazy fisherman because you get to sleep in, and have a great relaxed breakfast. In my opinion, the best fishing has been f...

Spring is in the air and soon we'll be surrounded by the wonderful buzz of our most valuable, favorite pollinators; the honey bees!  Whether you're just starting out or you're a veteran beekeeper, you'll recognize that knowledge is essential for our toolkit in having successful dealings with our bees.  And let's face it, sometimes us beekeepers can be rather, umm, opinionated; so, there's no shortage of suggestions on how to accomplish a certain task in the bee world. After all, it's not surprising to find that this hobby/business can be as complicated as we want to make it with details, facets, factors, circumstances and a whole host of concerns to keep in mind; the more information we have the better in general. We've got a wide range of beekeeping supplies online here. But in the end, it's more important that we just jump in and do ...