North 40 Fly Shop employee, Jerry Petrina, hit the Kootenai River and was able to find a few trout willing to cooperate. The weather was cloudy with scattered snow showers, and temperatures in the 30's. The original plan was to fish below Libby dam in hopes of a big trout. However, the discharge from the dam was nothing but chocolate milk. So fishing right below the dam was completely out of the picture. The mouth of the Moyie River was plan B. Luckily, Twin Rivers Road wasn't icy, so driving down the steep mountain was easy. The Moyie River was a little off-color with the recent rain, but the trout didn't seem to mind. The best fishing came within the last our of light even though there wasn't a bug on the water or in the sky. Need to stock up on flies? Check out our fly selection here All fish caught were on the swing, and were hot on...

By Tracie Moats One of the most popular craft projects on the Internet right now is string art. And, to be honest, I can easily see why. It's modern, simple and, most importantly, affordable. What's not to love? So, I decided to take a shot at it myself, adding a little bit of North 40 flair into the mix. Materials Needed for DIY Nail & String Art Design String Wire Nails (this project took 2 packs) Hammer Wood Board (I used old barn wood) Paper Template (download mine here) Tape Scissors Need some of these supplies? Check out our craft supplies here Step One: Securely tape your template to your wood board. Begin pounding nails around your template. I have about a .25" space between my nails, but that is totally up to you. You can use more or less spacing depending on the complexity of your template. Try pounding all your nails t...

Lots of folks were out on the water this past week. Early reports were good, but then a funny thing happened. The fishing slowed down quite a bit. I’ve got a theory. In the winter, the water is low, clear and largely weed free. The fish get used to hanging out in slow flows and slack waters where they are largely unmolested for weeks at a time. Suddenly, the weather changes. Wading anglers are abruptly standing in their living rooms. Boats are gliding over their heads again. They get a little uncomfortable. They begin to duck and cover. I was out last Friday. Fishing on the swing was pretty steady with a grab every couple steps. Then in an hour's time, ten boats floated over the run I was swinging. One angler dropped anchor right in the middle of my casting zone and sat there for 10 minutes re-rigging, while I waited patiently for him ...

Last week, Luke and I had the pleasure of going down to the Dry Side Fly Fishers Club meeting in Moses Lake. We were invited down to do a presentation on fishing Omak Lake. We had a good turn out and really enjoyed ourselves. Let’s face it, anytime we can talk about fly fishing to a like-minded group of people is always a good thing. Why should I join a fly club? That brings up a question I have seen posted on a few different fly fishing forums online. And that question is, why should I join a fly club? I was surprised to see a lot of the responses to this question, in what I could only surmise, as a negative response. A couple of the more common answers seem to be, "I don’t have time to make monthly meetings" and "I have a couple of fishing buddies I can get reports from." These, and a few others pertaining to personality conflic...

Coming off the best January of fishing I have ever had, hopes and expectations were high as we headed into February. We were finally getting a break from the snow and the temperatures were crawling up into the mid 40's on the sunny days. I had 4 straight days off, trips lined up everyday and a streamer box full of new treats. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out a lot, but that is what I love about fly fishing. Every time you think you have it all figured out, the fish always find a way to make you question everything you've ever thought you knew about the sport. For four consecutive days, I beat up every stretch of open water I could find between here and Canada. I fished the Kootenai River from Libby to Troy and all over the Clark Fork River. Never even had so much as a tug on my line or a curious follow. I threw every streamer in...

Yellowstone is known for its beautiful scenery, and quality fly fishing. If you are new to fly fishing, finding a place to fly fish in the park can be very overwhelming. Here is a list of my favorite streams in Yellowstone National park for beginner fly fisherman. Fly Fishing Firehole River Shortly after the park opens, you want to head to the Firehole River. From mid to late May, the Firehole River has a Salmonfly hatch that few fly fisherman key in on. 20 fish days aren't uncommon with the big bug on top, and a trusty #14 prince nymph bouncing off the bottom. Shortly after the dust settles from the horde of Salmonflies, a special caddis makes an appearance, and in great numbers. The White Miller Caddis takes the stage, and the trout know it! For about a solid month, a #14 white elk hair caddis is all you will need to fish the Firehole....

This is without a doubt my #1 Smallmouth fly. I find myself stripping this fly 90% of the summer when chasing Pend Oreille’s bronze backs. I’ll tie this fly in every color of the rainbow, chartreuse being my favorite. Since the fly is tied on a worm hook, it is virtually weedless. I have accidentally thrown this fly on dozens of dock, and still haven’t hung up. When tied correctly, this fly is completely indestructible (step aside Pat’s Rubberlegs). The trick is to apply Loon UV Clear Fly Finish (Thick) around the head and eyes. Next time you are chasing local Smallies, throw on a Hud’s Bushwacker and watch the surface boil. Material List: HOOK: VMC XL Wide Gap Worm Hook 1/0 THREAD: White Ultra Thread 140 Steve Farrar’s Flash Blend White Steve Farrar’s Flash Blend Electric Yellow Flashabou Silver Krystal Flash UV Pearl Kr...

The name might look and sound a little funny, but this fly is definitely something you’ll want in your fly box. I needed a streamer fly that would fill a niche in my fly box. I needed something that was somewhat buoyant. So using the Booby Fly idea seemed a good fit. This pattern will give the action needed at any depth based on the type of line I used. Using the booby foam, I would get that head up hang that injured minnows will sometimes do. The Red sided shiner is one of our most common minnow in the area lakes. So a fly that would come close to matching them and be able to be used as a general minnow pattern is what this streamer can do. Just another fly to have on hand when the fish are wanting something a little different. Material List: HOOK: Dai-Riki #270 Size #8 or #6 THREAD: White Ultra Thread 140 BODY: Pearl Krinkle Mirr...

N40 Coops 2.0 Video Premiere is going LIVE and you could win. Can't make it to your local North 40 Outfitters to attend the N40 Coops 2.0 Video Premiere? No worries. We will be streaming N40 Coops 2.0 Video Premiere Live on our North 40 Outfitters Facebook page. Watch the Premiere Live and you'll have a chance to win a coop Live. It's true. In addition to giving a coop away at each store, during the Premiere, we will also be giving away one coop online Live. Submit a question online Live, during Mr. Cluck's Live Q & A, and you will be automatically entered into our Live coop giveaway. Here's what you need to know- To watch N40 Coops 2.0 Video Premiere Live and to submit questions online Live CLICK HERE at North 40 Outfitters Facebook page March 9, 2017 6 p.m. Pacific Time. Attending the event in person? We'll give you a 50% off Nu...