It’s inevitable.  Temperatures warm, snow melts, rains fall, and rivers rise.  Who does not love spring?  It seems ironic to me that when the fair-weather fishers show up after the first warm days of the year, they are surprised that the waters are running high.  They could have been fishing for weeks in pre-runoff conditions, but they wait for those first warm days. Flushing flows help clean fish habitat. Learn how to plan for runoff. So, what’s an angler to do when the weather draws them forth, but the waters seem to be raging? Like always, they need to determine where the fish are located, what they are eating, and decide how to approach them. It's high water nymphing time. High Water Nymphing - Where are the Fish? Fish will always search out the most comfortable water and feeding locations.&n...

Western Green Drake Mayfly - The Start of Summer The western green drake mayfly hatch is synonymous with North Idaho.  Especially the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.  This hatch is, to me, the start of summer.  When these bugs come off, it is impressive how the trout respond to them.  They are a rather large mayfly and very hard for the trout to dismiss.  The western green drake mayfly is not quite as big as the renowned Michigan mayfly, or properly Hexagenia Limbata, but close.  They are a beautiful fly in shades of dark green and light yellow with mottled gray and black wings that stand tall. These aquatic bugs will start to hatch in May and continue throughout the first part of July here in North Idaho.  Typically, you will see them in bigger quantities in the middle of the day to late evening, and typically, cloudy ...

Murdich Minnow By far my favorite smallmouth bass pattern, Murdich’s Minnow can also be utilized for trout fishing, as well as in the saltwater scene. This pattern moves in the water just like a wounded baitfish, kicking back and forth in the water with each strip of the line. Tied on a universal platform, mixing up your colors is a must, and you can find yourself imitating many different forage species. Material List: Hook: Gamakatsu S11-4L2H #2 (4x Long, 2x Heavy) Thread: Veevus Power Thread 140, White Tail: Spirit River UV2 White Bucktail Flash: MFC UV Pearl Kreelex Flash Kicker/Veil: EP Streamer Brush, White Body: Spirit River Estaz, UV White Eyes: Flymen's Fish-Skull Living Eyes Earth 7.0mm Color: Prisimatic Permanent Craft Marker Video Transcription Intro to the Murdich Minnow I'm Taylor Hess with North 40 Fly Shop in Ponde...

Oh, the ups and down of fly fishing. A lot of the fly anglers that travel into the area, stop here at the shop on their way to their favorite water. I am greeted by smiles and stories of past trips. Stories of unbelievable catches and trout begging, “catch me catch me.” Then comes the next couple of days of either the look of joy or that look that says, “what happened.” One thing I always say, “good or bad you got to go fishing.” Always measure the degree of your trip not by the fish you catch but, by the peace you gain in your heart by being out doing what you enjoy. Green Lakes (WA) If you can get past all the recent 10 to 12-inch rainbows that were stocked a few weeks ago, you might find some nice 17 to 18-inch carryovers. Then again, I had a couple of guys that came in yesterday and told me they had a blast catching the s...

Runoff is Coming Snowpack readings this past week reflected 113-127 percent of normal for the Sun, Missouri, and Smith River drainages.  We have not experienced any really warm weather yet, so expect waters to be rising as we begin warming into the coming week. Ponds and Reservoirs If you don’t have a boat, now is the best time of the year for shoreside success.  Water temperatures have been cool and spawning cycles are running a couple of weeks behind normal.  Fish are still cruising near shorelines. You’ll want to arm yourself with several colors of balanced leeches, some red chironomids, and a couple of jigged hare’s ear and pheasant tails. Creeks and Smaller Rivers The creeks and smaller river have been hit and miss depending on weather and runoff. That being said, a couple of creeks have been producing really well lately. ...

Coeur d'Alene River Well folks, if you didn't get out on the river this weekend, you may have missed your window.  This morning at Cataldo it measured 3,760 cfs and it was on the rise big time.  The forecast for this week is sunny and in the mid-70s to low 80s.  Now, I'm not complaining about the weather but this is going to spell big runoff for all of the rivers around.  We had good fishing over the weekend with multiple reports of good dry fly action on the lower river and good streamer fishing on the upper. With the rise in the flows, I think it will be mostly a streamer and nymph game.  I'm sure you could find a soft pocket with some riser in it. There is no shortage of food for the fish, you just need to find slow enough water to catch them in.  There are salmon flies, golden stones, skwalas, March browns, pale morning duns, G...

Clark Fork River (ID) The Clark Fork is remaining high, and there isn’t much going on in these flows. Access can be difficult, but if you have access to a boat, you may find some cutties feeding on the surface in the few riffles that remain. The flying ants are out, so get stocked up on a handful! The water releases have been fluctuating between 25,000 and 40,000 all week, and we expect this to continue -most likely within the week, they will increase with more runoff. Upriver into Cabinet Gorge or Noxon Reservoirs will offer some good opportunities for pike, so that is a good alternative. Lake Pend Oreille Pike have been on the spawn and have moved into the sloughs and bays. A few of these fish are giving good follows and eats on the fly. Largemouth are starting to transition up into the back bays and sloughs, and you can find some ho...

Trout Rivers The Lochsa, Selway, and North Fork of the Clearwater are on the rise! Warm weather is in the forecast and is going to be here for a while, summer is approaching. Blown out condition is what you will find. Lake Fishing Winchester, Soldiers Meadow, and Manns Lake are going to be off-colored with barely any visibility. The feeder creeks are going to be running muddy with this warm weather and the amount of snowpack the area still has. Bass will still be active if you can get it in front of their face. Baitfish patterns will be good, the fish are going to be aggressive due to spawning. See past reports from the Lewiston region here, or click here to view all northwest regional reports.

In late April and into May, Lake Pend Oreille comes to life. The big lake is often overlooked for fly fishing opportunities, especially during peak runoff periods. As the lake level increases, pike, smallmouth and largemouth bass, crappie, and other targetable species fill bays and sloughs. As the water temperature increases, we see a lot of weed growth, creating structure for these fish in shallower water, making it a bit easier to target them with a fly. Flushing flows are good for fish habitat. Read how to plan for runoff. Spring Pike Fishing Spring Pike Fishing on Lake Pend Oreille can be excellent in many areas, offering an exciting getaway for the angler looking for a tight line. Last time I was out, I caught two pike around seven pounds, but Pend Oreille is known for fish up to and exceeding 20 pounds. Most of your larger pike wil...