Omak Lake (WA)  The number one question I keep getting asked, “are the Lahontans at Omak Lake podded up and in the shallows?” Sorry but, no, they are not. With that said, I can tell you that, that doesn’t matter. The fishing has been great and the anglers out at the lake are having no problem getting into several the Lahaontan cutthroats that are there. As I have been reporting before, they are hanging right at the drop-off and most of the fly anglers are having no problem hooking into them. As far as what size they are catching, that seems to vary at times. There has been a number of fish, in the 28” to 30” range, reported to us. It appears that certain age groups are moving together at any given time. You might be fishing a spot and most of the fish you are catching for, a period of time, maybe in that 16 to 18-inch...

Trout Rivers The trout rivers have been leveling out at a higher cfs. When this is happening, they tend to clear up at a rapid pace. This means ample opportunity to produce fish. The methods that you'll want to focus on will be; fishing streamers, nymphs, and looking for a hatch. Mayflies can come out on cloudy days as well as nice fair weather days too. Look for heads! Flies to use consist of; woolly buggers, sparkle minnows, prince nymphs, pheasant tails, hares ears, bwos, March browns, and parachute adams, to name a few. Lake Fishing The lakes are all off colored at the moment. Run off is prevalent, and it takes most lakes a good amount of time to come back from the color. This does not mean that fishing will be poor. Idaho Fish and Game are currently stocking most lakes with trout. They are easy to catch and can be easy to fool. The ...

Ponds and Reservoirs If you don’t have a boat, now is the best time of the year for shoreside success.  The last week of April looks to be really good with prospects extending well into May.  Some fish are on the spawn, some are done, and some are still in the pre-spawn mode.  There are always fish that are willing to eat your flies.  Don’t think that if you don’t see cruising fish, there are no fish to be caught.  Get your flies a little deeper and you might just find lots of willing players. Creeks and Smaller Rivers Most waters have risen in the past week.  Temperatures in the 70s followed by rain will do that.  Now, snow is in the forecast again.  Colder temperatures might provide some brief opportunity before the next melt cycle kicks in. Streamers like the flash n’ grab have been deadly along with rubber leg stonefl...

I first heard of Spey casting in 2013 and was instantly confused and excited at the same time. What confused me was the idea of casting with two hands? I was standing in a riffle on the Boise River when my buddy Kamas told me about it. Puzzled, I knew I had to get my hands on a stick and try it out for myself. What excited me was the idea of dropping fifty to a hundred feet of line with ease. Knowing I couldn’t cast 65 feet of line with my single hander at that time. So, I saved my pennies and ended up buying a Redington Dually 8136-4 kit that came with a Redington Surge reel, Gripshooter running line, and a 600 grain Rio Skagit Max shooting head. With a head full of confidence, I headed to the river to give it a try. Which Spey rod is the best for you? You'll want to check these out. My first time out “casting” was ...

Going on a grand fishing adventure is one of the best feelings in the world. However, getting there is half the battle. Preparing all your gear can be overwhelming, and so can traveling with it all. Here are eight travel hacks and tips to point you in the right direction. 8 Travel Hacks for the Traveling Angler 1. Pack your gear, in your gear! Stuff your nippers, pliers, leader spools, leaders, and reels in your wading boots. This just simply utilizes the space that the boots take up. Plus, you know you’ll never forget your technical accessories when you go to put your boots on. On my last trip, I was able to fit wading socks, three reels, tippet, leaders, pliers, and nippers in both of my wading boots. 2. Use a rain jacket to condense your gear. Most rain jackets are foldable. Lay out the jacket on the floor, zipper up. In the chest a...

I’ve been lucky enough to float the Smith River in Montana quite a few times, and it’s still fun to plan the 58.9 mile drift down the limestone water slide. 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 our attempt to break them down for you one by one. If you do decide to float the Smith at 100 CFS (which is 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. What flies are best for the Smith? Read this before you go. Camp Baker – 0 Mil...

We’ll just state the obvious. Fishing for walleye is just plain fun. Thrilling and fast-paced, catching walleye means an angler has to be quick-thinking when it comes to fishing this predator. That’s why we asked walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, to share his extensive walleye knowledge with us. A walleye master, Dale, has fished walleye from Arkansas to Canada and Michigan to Montana, and he doesn’t disappoint. When you get a fish on, you have to reel the board in, put the board down, and reel in your crankbait and your fish. In this link, walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, explains his setup for trolling with planer boards and a technique that he uses to make sure lures are tuned.    Video Transcription How to Troll with Planer Boards Hey folks, this is Dale Gilbert. We're gonna talk about getti...

Bullet Head Skwala As we encroach on spring, many western anglers start dreaming about the skwala hatch. If you are new to fly fishing in the west, you may have heard this name whispered amongst the guys milling around the fly shop. It is kind of a big deal to us stonefly junkies. It’s our first “major” big bug hatch of the year. This rendition I came up with has borrowed parts of other great big dry patterns. I like the egg sack with the natural look of the goose biot tail, and I use an olive evasote foam for the main body. Wrapped with a brown Whiting hackle, this fly is going have no trouble floating. The elk hair and dun poly under wing give a realistic look to the wing. It is hard to beat a stonefly with rubber legs and an elk hair bullet head. All of these components make a killer looking skwala. Material List: Hook: Umpqua U...

Coeur d'Alene River It's on! Water has dropped down to 6,200 cfs.  This is a killer flow for the CdA.  Skwalas are out and doing their stone fly thing.  We should be good this week until our next rain event.  Blue-winged olives will be out as well on the rainy overcast days and March browns should be showing up too.  Water clarity has improved drastically, and many great reports came in from over the weekend.  This is such a great flow right now to float.  There is plenty of daylight now as well, so you can put on early and take your time throughout the day. The dry fly action should start midday as the water warms up.  You’ll want to have a good selection of emergers too. A soft hackle behind your skwala or March brown is always a great set up.  Nymphing and streamer fishing is still killer.  But, hey, if the big bugs are ou...