Hot summer weather is here and stream flows are falling.  So far, water temperatures remain favorable, but if you fish in the evening, land fish quickly and keep them in the water. Terrestrials will soon be in play as the heat dries out the grasses and they don’t have so much cover to hide in.  To get you ready, we’ve got the Morrish Hopper on sale as our fly of the week.  Stock up now. Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - The Missouri River is still above 6K and that’s great news with the hot weather.  More water means cooler water and the fish remain happy and feeding.  As we move toward August, transitions are happening.  For the dry fly gang, pmds are still out, but they will be fading as the tiny tricos take center stage. Morning sessions with the pmd spinner and female trico duns are where it’s at cu...

Things have turned around since last week with the area lakes. Hot weather has brought an upturn in lake temperatures. Only one lake is still reporting cooler waters than the rest.  So, I would say for now it's time to hit the rivers and break out the hoppers. Current Conditions Bonaparte Lake - Water temperatures are still holding below 65 degrees for now. With projected night time temperatures in the mid to the low 50s and daytime temperatures in the mid-80s, we should be okay here for a while. If smallmouth bass is your game, you'll want to hit the water at first light and fish for the first five hours of the morning for the topwater action. Fish in and around the shallow vegetation close to the shoreline. You may need to go through a few different poppers in color and design to find the one that will give you the most action. Once ...

Hey, guys fishing has been solid on our trout rivers as of late.  The Lochsa, Northfork and Selway are all in great summer shape and hatches are popping.  The weather has turned warm so start thinking summer mode.  Beat the heat by getting on the water early and taking a break middle of the day.  Take advantage of the late fishing too. The caddis and pale evening dun hatches in the late afternoon are solid and consistent. The Grande Ronde and Snake are fishing great. I had a gentleman come in last week and said he was catching some real dandies on the Ronde and in good quantity. The clearwater steelhead are coming. Numbers over the dam are increasing over the dam, water temperature is cool and ready. Lochsa, Selway, NF Clearwater River Flows are steady with consistent fishing. Dries are great in the early morning when temps are coole...

We just had some intense thunderstorms that brought a brief cool down and moisture to the region. Higher elevations and oxygenated waters will have healthy trout and some summertime opportunities. Down low, waters are warming and flows are low. Focus your efforts to bass and pike on the big lake. Plus, warm water fly fishing is a great way to give the trout a break during the dog days of summer, and Sandpoint is the perfect location to do just that. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - Boat traffic is increasing and will continue through the upcoming hot days. The early morning and evening bass fishing has been good. Check out the evening and nighttime Hex hatch. Smallmouth will chase Hex nymphs to the surface and then feed on them at night. For pike, Denton Slough is the best bet. Focus on weed lines and deeper slots. Chartreuse and...

We are expecting a big warm-up here this weekend and early next week. Expect hoppers to arrive in force throughout this week. Lake fishing will remain consistent for bass, pike, and walleye. Trout fishing on lakes will be almost all subsurface and down deep, so pack some sink tips. Local streams and rivers will be warming, so focus your efforts in the early morning and late evening to hit the hatches. Higher elevation lakes are in play, so hiking up to one is a great way to beat the intense heat and wet a line in a timberline lake. North Idaho is a playground, so pick your poison. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - Boat traffic is increasing and will continue through the hot days upcoming. Early morning and evening bass fishing has been good. Check out the evening and nighttime hex hatch. Smallmouth will chase hex nymphs to the sur...

There are so many good options out there right now, it’s hard to pick.  Great dry fly fishing on the Missouri, the creeks, and even the lakes.  Coldwater species and warm water species options abound.  I had a day recently where I caught a goldeye, a pike, a carp, a smallmouth, a brown trout, and a rainbow on the same creek within two hours.  My 4-weight got one heck of a workout! Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - The Missouri River is above 6K again and staying in the low 60s.  Pmds are still hatching along with a host of other small and larger mayflies, including brown drakes.  Great numbers of caddis are out, and they provide prime topwater action at various times during the day.  Some evenings the egg layers bring lots of fish to the top. The current flows and water temperatures are ideal for fishing.  L...

The way the weather has been it’s a wonder why we are not getting a little more action at the lakes. I know during a normal year we would be at that time when the waters might be a little too warm to fish the lakes for trout. This year, so far, it seems we are getting the water temperatures that are giving us a little more time to hit some of our area lakes. Depending on the lake, the average water temperature is right around 60 degrees until mid-day. Current Conditions Chopaka Lake - Water temperatures are still holding good. A warm sunning day may bump the temperatures up close to 65 degrees, so checking the water temperature and then again while you're on the water would be a good idea too. The shallower waters on the south end of the lake have been less productive than the northern waters. The only exception to this would be cast...