Last Friday, you could feel the buzz starting.  The tempo and the energy in the fly shop began to increase after a long winter’s nap.  So far, the energy is carrying forth into this week.  Suddenly fly cups are being filled again, fresh fly lines are being spooled, premium sunglasses are in demand and new fly rods are getting a second look.  What has changed?  It’s all about the mercury. Looking for a  fly rod? Check out the selection on our new North 40 Fly Shop. While some anglers are fishing now, many are just beginning to feel the pull.  Football is over and the longer days, sunny skies and warmer temps make folks think about spending time on the water again.  Despite 18" or more of ice in places, one guy was in filling up on balanced leeches and nymphs for ice out.  After two months of ice fishing, he wants the ice to ...

By Jack Gauld The new season has just kicked off over here in New Zealand and it’s shaping up to be an absolute ripper! With the combination of a very mild winter and rather low rainfall, the trout have kept some serious condition. All reports from the South Island have been of happily feeding fish, in both the backcountry and the lowland rivers. I’ve been busy doing plenty of exploration missions to both new water, and to my good old favorite rivers and streams on the North Island. Recently, I’ve been blown away by the average size of the fish that I’ve landed. I’ve found that most fish are one to two pounds heavier than this time last season. Now, what does this mean? Well, if there’s one thing NZ trout hate more than being pricked in the face, it’s losing their condition. Almost every fish I’ve seen so far has been fee...

The Rainbow RS (Riffle Special) Tail Hook #4 Gamakatsu B10S or Daiichi 2461 Tail: Marabou, Olive Body: Senyo’s Ice Dub and Shaggy Dub, Olive and Pink Collar: Marabou, Olive over White Junction: Senyo’s Intruder Wire with 4mm beads Front Hook #2 Gamakatsu B10S or Daiichi 2461 Hook Collar: Marabou, Olive over White Body: Senyo’s Ice Dub and Shaggy Dub, Olive and Pink Head: Senyo’s Laser Dub Olive over White Eyes: Fish Skull Living Eyes, Ice Laser Dub  ; Ice Dub  Intruder Wire  Hooks  Marabou  Polar Chenille  Schlappen  Fish Skull  Rubber Legs  Eyes  The 10&2  Tail Hook #4 Gamakatsu B10S or Daiichi 2461 Tail: Marabou, Olive over Yellow Body: UV Polar Chenille, Olive Collar: Marabou, Olive Junction: Senyo’s Intruder Wire with 4mm beads Front Hook #2 Gamakatsu B10S or Daiichi 2461 Hook Skirt: Schlappen, Olive Body: ...

Flows have been at a steady 4,000 cfs over the past few days, opening up miles and miles of wade-able water. Water clarity is excellent. The few times I have hit the river, there has not been another fisherman in sight. I firmly believe I had miles of river to myself. Fishing is fair, but you'll have to work for it. 1-3 fish days is the re-occurring outcome for the most anxious fly fisherman that can't wait for spring any longer. Have you seen the new North 40 Fly Shop site? Explore it here. Nymphing a #18 Tufted Chartreuse Zebra Midge and #22 disco Midge is the go-to combination for you nymphers out there.  For the swingers, try a #4 Olive Slump Buster, #6 Montana Mini Intruder, or a #6 Olive Balanced Leech. Olive seems to be the color of choice for these sluggish rainbows. The hatch continues to be tiny midges. Although I haven't be...

The swing was king this weekend on the Spokane River with some nice fish coming to hand on streamers. Subtly colored patterns with just a bit of flash like Sculpzillas were producing more fish than flashy flies, but that can change by the hour. Regardless of what flies your swinging, be sure they're attached to a short mono leader with a fast sinking tip. Cold water temperatures have the fish pretty lethargic right now, so the slower and deeper you can get your flies the better off you'll be. Need to stock up on your favorite flies? Check out our fly selection here BWOs also made an appearance this weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't find any risers while I was out, but it was sure nice to see those little signs of spring floating down river. We only have a little over a month left to get out and fish the most productive stretches of the ...

By: Bryan Tollbom The week leading up to my first ever steelhead trip was almost more than I could handle. The excitement was building inside me everyday, coupled with a creeping nervousness that I would simply not have the right gear and knowledge to make my first trip a success. I picked my co-workers brains incessantly throughout the week to the point they probably should have just told me to kick rocks. I picked up an Echo Classic 12'6" 6wt spey rod for the trip and borrowed a reel and OPST Skagit setup from Dillon to get me through the weekend. I also borrowed the shops demo reel that had a smaller OPST Skagit setup for my single hand 10' 6wt rod since I had been dying to test that setup out. At 3:30 am Thursday morning, my lifelong friend Ben and I loaded up his Tahoe with everything we could possibly think of and hit the road. Al...

Montana Extreme The temp and the weather is doing its standard extreme yo-yoing around with the temperate highs happening on my working, fly shop days and the sub-freezing highs accompanying the days I can get out and fish.  Typical.  That said, I toughed it out with Kevin the other day because if we don’t go fishing, we will just waste time not going fishing. Late last week, you had to fish above Craig to avoid slush and floating ice.  You also had to cross some ice to get to open water in many places.  Ice and snow with a dose of wind don’t make for ideal conditions for open water fly fishing.  Exposed skin gets pretty unhappy.  Fly lines get sticky with frozen slurry.  Every ten minutes or so, I had to stop and clear all the guides from the stripper to the tip top. What could possibly justify fishing in these conditions?  ...

My friend Kevin and I try to get out on the river every week in the winter after duck season, weather permitting. We did not expect much in the way of competition out there on a weekday in late January, but we still got up relatively early for a winter outing.  While driving the 50 miles (65 for Kevin) to the river, we discussed our options.  We came up with plan A and plan B locations based on the weather and our objectives.  Of course if someone was already at one of our planned spots, we’d need to go with plan C.  Drive around until we found an open spot with decent water. Learning to Fish Together When we got to the river, it was 29 degrees and extremely windy.  Plan A was right in the wind zone, so we went with plan B.  Seeing no fresh tracks from the parking area, we headed on to our chosen spot where despite the wind, we c...

February may be the shortest month of the year, according to the calendar, but for fly fishermen in the Northwest, it can seem like an eternity. Last year, we were catching fish in our float tubes and getting sunburns during the latter part of the month. This year, however, winter still has a tight grip on us, and it doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. All of my favorite lakes have a solid layer of ice covering them. River fishing has been hit or miss. I'm watching the snow fall as I type this. I guess this just means you'll have more time to tie flies in preparation for those days when bugs fill the sky and trout rise until the sun goes down. The Fly Fishing Film Tour rolled through town this week, bringing a much needed spark to everyone who attended. Signs of spring are in the shop too, with new gear coming in daily and class...