If you're a new gardener, you need a water bath canning strategy, period. "Wait... Why does my new garden need a canning strategy?" Here's why: Because chances are you can't eat 12 pounds of strawberries, 20 pounds of tomatoes or 17 pounds of cucumbers all before they go bad... if you can (pun intended) then you don't need to eat all of your produce in one go. If you can eat all of your produce at once, disregard this entire post. For the rest of us mere mortals looking to preserve the longevity of our garden bounty, there is a new thing just invented and perfected by Pinterest--it's called "canning." No, canning wasn't REALLY invented by Pinterest, but you can find some amazing recipes there. Below we are going to give you some insight into the various things you need to begin water bath canning. What is Water Bath Canning? What is "wa...

What a great summer in North Idaho.  Cooler temperatures, frequent rainstorms, cold water what more could you want?  Oh, lots of big fish eating dries like nobody's business?  Yeah, that's happening too. Historically we would be seeing some higher temperatures by now.  Mid-70s and low 80s are perfect if you ask me.  Fishing has been solid on all of our local streams and lakes too.  Summer mode is upon us and we should be expecting hotter weather in the middle of July towards the first of August.  Prepare for thinking about fishing earlier and later in the days as this happens.  As always, the weekends are crowded with folks enjoying our waters.  Mid-week should be better and again early and late will prove better action.  Beating the crowds this time of year is all about being the early and late bird.  The middle of the day a...

Stillwater fishing for trout is in that slow down period. Even though some of the lakes are still on the cool side right now, most anglers are hitting the rivers, and a few are chasing after bass. The weather has been relatively cool for this time of the year, that’s a big plus for us here. Current Conditions Chopaka Lake - Water temperatures are edging close to that point where it is not healthy for the trout's survival if they are caught and released. The north end is staying cooler than the more popular mid to south end. You’ll need to go down to the 20-foot level to find them most of the time. Mornings will be your best time before the day time temperatures warm up too much. Small leeches are working best followed by a couple of different colored chironomid patterns. Bonaparte Lake - Nice cool waters are helping to keep ...

No matter where you go, there’s plenty to do and fishing has been good all around. Increased recreational pressure on local lakes means it’s time to take a hike and hit some water that has barely been touched. Current Conditions Lake Pend Oreille - Hexagenias – Big. Yellow. Tasty. Trout, bass, and walleye will eat hexes at night and in the late evening chasing their emerging nymphs to the surface. A foam hex and a Mohican mayfly in sizes 6 to 10 will have you covered on top. For hex nymphs, a Baer’s hex or even a tan zirdle will do the trick for trout, bass, and walleye that are keying in on this important hatch. Locate a nice muddy flat and wait for the magic to happen. There will still be some fish on dock and rip-rap structure throughout the summer. Back sloughs and bays will have pike and largemouth in them. Froggin’ with...

We have been getting pounded almost daily by thunderstorms lately.  There have been some great dry fly sessions before and after the storms for those brave souls willing to be out there.  Caddis get really active after the rain quits.  This coming week, we are heating up and drying out.  Expect some great opportunities. Current Conditions Missouri River below Holter Dam - The Missouri River is above 5K again.  We really like the current flows, but it would be nice if they could keep the river consistent for a while.  Pmds and caddis are hatching daily along with yellow sally’s, callibaetis, and a few other mayflies.  Fishing before sunrise or after sunset can yield great results.  During the day, pmd spinner falls, hatching pmds and hatching caddis can bring some fish to the top.  They are spooky right now, so make your appr...

During the summer, the river is alive with lots of feeding fish and lots of food choices. Anglers are often confounded by what flies to fish.  The fish are always eating.  What they are eating and how to present our flies, is the endless question.  Caddis, pmds, yellow sallies and callibaetis mayflies are out in June and well into July.  Trico’s come out as the pmds begin to fade. As August rolls around, terrestrials including hoppers, ants, and beetles come into play.  Caddis keep rolling out along with a few other smaller batch mayflies.  Later in the summer, the tiny pseudo (baetis) mayflies can come out in huge numbers.  Midges, scuds, sow bugs, and annelid worms are mainstays for grazing trout. Sculpin, crayfish, various minnows, juvenile trout, suckers, and whitefish are options for predatory hunters. You Need to Become a ...

There are so many fly fishing packs out on the market now.  I see quite a few people struggle with the decision of what to buy -seasoned anglers and new folks alike.  From vests with a pocket for everything under the sun to waterproof waist packs and sling pack options, it can be confusing to downright annoying to try and figure out which is the best fly fishing pack for yourself.  Honestly, I think there isn't one perfect pack for everything.  I believe choosing a pack should depend on where you live and how you fish.  For example, if you travel and fish different species and different parts of the world, you will quickly figure out that you will need a few pack options.  Saltwater, steelheading, and trout fishing all have different needs and demands on what and how to organize. Getting out of town? 8 ...

The perfect burger starts before the fire, not on it. These are four things you need to know if you want to graduate from decent burger chef to Transcendental burger chef with the cast iron. Step 1 for Burgers on Cast Iron: Meat Preparation I'm guilty, you are. Don't try to deny it. You stuff all kinds of stuff into your burgers blue cheese, bread crumbs, eggs- you basically make individual meatloaf and put it on a bun. Stop that. Instead, let the meat be the main course build your patties with good quality hamburger meat (Jason recommends 85/15 burger) and don't handle them so much. Adding ingredients to the meat changes the way it cooks (and these extra additions are typically used to help retain moisture, which will no longer be a problem cooking on cast iron). Pro-tip: Watch the video below to learn the "plate trick" and make perfect...