...Enough Okanogan Steelhead to Shake a Stick at Town Water The Okanogan River Steelhead opener was a sunsplashed success. Lotsa steelhead reported at the mouth, and a few swam through town, too. Photos I’ve seen show our hatchery fish dominating the numbers right now. However, from my personal experience on this gorgeous day (0 for 2), I could neither confirm nor deny any facts. I fished the water around town with a two handed rod and a waking steelhead muddler. No takers on the surface bug, although the water was in the low 50s.  Once I switched to a blue/black tube fly swung along the bottom, I started getting grabs. Staying out of the Slime I’m guessing the historic low water and high temps were responsible for all the aquatic veg. on the bottom. Normally, that is long gone by the time the Okie is open for steelhead, but not ...

"Local"... the term seems to be batted around a lot these days. At North 40 Outfitters, one of the things we pride ourselves on is the connection we have with the communities we serve. Each store is a solution center for the needs of the people in the area. Our employees are passionate about knowing the answers to all the "local" questions, and along those lines we have put together an exclusive list of things to do in Great Falls, Montana. Check it out and find out what it is about this area that makes it special to everybody. Check out our location before you go out! Lost Lake- North of the Highwoods. This lake is a remnant from the ice age and is associated with the Shonkin Sag. The cliff walls at Lost Lake tell that story. Ulm Pishkun- The name comes from a Blackfeet word that translates to "deep blood kettle." This historic buffalo...

  This was the first time since the Methow River re-opened back in 2002, that I was able to fish the opener. 5:30 am on the 15th found me gearing up in the dark. With a slight chill in the air, I made the half-mile hike up river to a couple runs that always produce well for me. Based on the lack of other vehicles in the parking area, I knew I had the first crack at them. Once at the run, it was still dark enough that I had time to enjoy a quick cup of coffee. The sun inched a little more and it was time to walk into the top end of the run. I had tied on a Black with Blue trimmed Kilowa-Bou. I stripped out the line and made my first cast, half way through the swing I felt the tug, dropped the loop and it was fish on. A nice hen broke the surface and put on a show for me. Steelhead season on the Methow River had officially started...

We are finally getting some cloudy days, and the water temperatures are cooling (down to about 56 degrees).  We swung streamers, and although the fishing isn’t lights out yet, we did catch some big fish on the swing.  The weeds have subsided quite a bit making streamer fishing and nymphing a fun experience again. If you are swinging streamers, we caught fish on Ish’s Cool Herc, and some other olive sculpin swing patterns.  This time of year brown trout like flash so don’t be scared of it.  If you are using a Skagit head on your double hand rod 5 feet of T-11 is plenty for almost everywhere on the river right now with the current flows.  So the MOW tip from Rio that is 5 feet of floating and 5 feet of T-11 was plenty. If you are dry fly fishing there were lots of fish eating on top.  However, most of the action was on the smal...

"The perfect hunting bow." Those four words are powerful enough that they can spark heated debate amongst even the closest of hunting partners. It isn't because one of them is necessarily right and the other obviously wrong, but rather that we have more options available to us today than ever before. Check out the archery catalog we have online here. I've been a loyal Hoyt shooter since 2008 and in that time have owned several different models, most recently an AlphamMax32 that, until a few weeks ago, I thought was the epitome of the "perfect hunting bow." My perfect bow needs to be a combination of three things; quiet, accurate, and above all, forgiving. Enter Mathews' new NO CAM HTR. No bow that I have shot in recent years has so effortlessly checked all the marks off my "perfect" list. With an IBO speed listed at 330 FPS (wit...

As the grasses go brown and the leaves turn and fall, so too are the waters and the fish changing.  Mature brown trout will color up as they approach their seasonal spawn.  Char (brooks and bulls) will be sporting their most vivid dress.  There are even a few rainbows in the Missouri that are fall spawners.  They will darken and color as well. What does this mean to the angler?  Beyond enjoying beautiful fall days on the water, fly selection changes with the season.  It is hard to go wrong fishing streamer flies that match the colors of fall.  Yellows and browns are always a good place to start.  A little orange or red in the mix can add to the attraction.  Fish fired up with hormones will frequently attack flies that look like miniature versions of their rivals.  You can take advantage of their tendency to pick on the little g...

It's show time for the Methow and the rest of the Upper Columbia Region. Finally got the official word yesterday. The steelhead season for the Upper Columbia region will open on October 15th. Here is the official notice from WDFW. You’ll need to take a look at it know what all the official rules to the season are. The one down side to the notice is that the Wenatchee River will not be opening at this time. From what I have been told the Wenatchee River has not meet the escapement numbers needed for it to open. The department will continue re-evaluating the numbers, and if they improve, might open it at a later date. A few points to be known about our season up here. This fishery is to reduce the hatchery marked fish in the system. That is why there is a mandatory retention of the marked hatchery steelhead.  In years past, I know from...

So the forecast is calling for wind. That’s not unusual in our region. It’s also going to be pushing or exceeding 80 degrees. That’s downright summery. So it’s warm, but windy. What do you do? If I was not manning the fly shop, I’d go fishing. I mean we are about out of summer days. Here a few suggestions. Look for smaller channels on big rivers. Use River bends, trees and bluffs to your advantage. Anything that takes the brunt of the wind or channels it to a direction you can work with. Pick a place where you have the wind behind you. Cast high and you will feel like a hero. Pick a place where you can cast across the wind. It’s easy to cast cross wind. You will need to adjust your aim for some downwind drift on longer casts though. Cast over your downwind shoulder. This is really important and will keep you from wearing your...

These energetic and highly vocal birds are a welcome and frequent sight at bird feeders. The North 40 region is home to four species of chickadee, and unless you live far from any trees, at least one of these four species should be flitting in the woods around your home. The Black-capped Chickadee Photo by Furntree - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7053199" This is the most common and widespread chickadee and can be found throughout Washington, Idaho, and Montana. They can be found in coniferous and deciduous woodlands along waterways. They thrive in urban areas as well. They can be separated from other chickadees by their solid black cap and throat, with a distinct white cheek patch running forward to the bill. Additionally, they have diffuse white wing edges that form a pale wing patch, when folde...