I’ve been lucky enough to float the Smith River in Montana quite a few times, and even still, it’s fun to plan the 50 (58.9) mile drift down the limestone waterslide. However, there aren’t too many, if any, resources out there that actually show and explain each of the campgrounds you can choose from for your journey. So this is my attempt to break them down for you one by one.  If you do decide to float the Smith at 100 CFS (not recommended) then you will probably have the same amount of time that Jake and I had to literally write and photograph each of the campgrounds as you grind down your kayak on the salmonfly and caddis casings lining the river bed. Until someone ignores my advice and does it anyways, this is what I got. First, let's start with the list of campgrounds/sites and where to fish. Upper & Lower Spring Creek on...

When it comes to knots, a fly fisher can get away with these three. By Dillon Given

Another successful North Idaho Fly Fishing Expo is in the books! This year’s event featured a slough of the Northwest's best tiers, a large showing of area vendors, and presentations from some of the sport’s most knowledgeable people. Our sincerest thank you to all who make this event possible. See you next year! For more information, visit Niffe.org Support your local fly fishing club. http://www.kellycreekflycasters.com/

The Missouri River Fly Fishers of Great Falls and the Pat Barnes Chapter of Trout Unlimited from Helena are teaming up for a Missouri River Clean Up on Saturday May 20th.  The plan is to meet in the Trout Shop parking lot at 10:00 am. Participants will disperse from there by boat or on foot to recover stuff that should not be in the river or on the banks. If you have questions or would like to RSVP your participation, please contact Paul Considine at riverreporter@gmail.com Plan to return to the parking lot between 3 and 3:30 pm. Brian Neilsen of Fin Fetchers Outfitters is going to provide a flatbead trailer to pick up all the trash bags, tires or whatever other items are removed from the river.

Invincible Ice Keepers by Yeti Quench your Thirst and Keep Satisfaction Coming Customers of North40 Fly Shop have raved about Yeti coolers since we began 'importing' them from Texas to the PNW. These guys just know how to keep your beverages (and anything else) cool pretty much in perpetuity -- or 'forever' for us farmers. The latest invincible Yeti products to hit North40 Fly Shop shelves are a line of Tumblers, Mugs, and Can Coozies. These stainless, gleaming goodies are uber-designed with hard corps (or just accident-prone) folks in mind. In fact, Yeti has reclassified them as "Ramblers" -- which fits fine when you consider how you'll probably tote these handy canisters around for life. Coming in at a pretty penny, they gotta be pretty handy, eh? Well, like the famous coolers, these double-walled babies are worth it. Incorporating pop-...

Lake Pend Oreille is without a doubt a world class fishery with plenty of different fishing opportunities to offer. Whether you aim to chase state record smallmouth, once-in-a-lifetime rainbows, energetic westslope cutthroat, or 4-foot pike, it has you covered in spades. The trick is to recognize the right time of year and the weather conditions. One fishing opportunity that continues to get me fired up year after year is the carpenter ant hatch in May. Thousands of, size 10, ants take flight and litter the calm lake’s surface on the first few hot spring evenings that reach 70 to 80 degrees. Trout, bass, whitefish, and pike minnow rise to the surface by the hundreds to partake in this annual event of fine dining. When the hatch is hot and heavy, the lake’s surface looks like it is being hailed upon as hungry fish suck down juicy ants....