Lochsa River (ID) The current flow is 631 cfs at Lowell. Hoppers have been productive for anglers who have been spending their time on the Lochsa. We have had a few anglers tell us that caddis are coming off and have been a productive fly for them as well. The mornings and evenings are the best fishing times. North Fork Clearwater River (ID) The current flow is at 1020 cfs at Canyon Ranger Station. Water temperatures are still in the mid to high 60’s. The reports coming in are that fishing has been good for anglers who are willing to put in the work. The fish aren’t veraciously taking the fly but are still willing to eat. Skating hoppers, giving them life, can make the fish come up. And, late in the evening’s caddis should work as well as a parachute. Clearwater River (ID) The flow is 9740 cfs at Spalding. We’ve heard that a coup...

There are several reasons why you should be fishing the Missouri River right now. More Water: While the river is not high, it’s a little higher than it often is at this time of year. It is also good for water temperatures and good for fishing. Low Pressure: The Missouri River has developed a reputation as a fishery overrun by anglers and guides. There is a window each season where that may be true, but it’s not true in August. There is lots of space out there. Lots of Fish Eating Dries: Trico hatches have been epic. There are big pods and lots of bank sippers. There is also enough variety of other bugs around to keep things interesting.  Plus, the terrestrial fishing has been surprisingly good. Nymphs The dam to Craig is generally busy and for good reason.  There are lots of sizable fish congregating around the weed beds there. ...

Clark Fork (ID) Flows are bouncing from 4,000 to 30,000 back to 4,000 cubic feet per second, every day. Water clarity is around eight feet. The fishing has been good in the mornings when flows are at their lowest and in the evenings when the hatches really take off. In the mornings, I like to fish above the bridge where there is some readable current. Then as the flows shoot up, the lower section below the bridge fishes well. Expect to see bugs like caddis, tricos, rusty spinners, and western yellow mayflies on the water. Hoppers, ants, beetles, and wasps are also great bugs to throw too. When the trout aren’t eating the naturals, throw stimulators like a #10 purple chubby chernobyl, a #14 purple rooster, or a #10 black moodah poodah. Nymphing flies through the riffles like a #8 Pat’s rubber legs, a #14 red copper John, and a #16 cru...

Whether you are chasing stripers, smallies, largies, or peacocks, fly fishing with poppers and divers is simply exhilarating. Watching bass crush my topwater fly on Lake Pend Oreille makes my heart skip a beat every time. Although catching bass on poppers is exciting, it can also be challenging. It is important to understand the do’s and don’ts to using poppers and divers. Leader and Tippet Selecting the correct leader for chasing bass is crucial. If you choose a leader too light, the popper will snap off in your backcast, or in a bass’ mouth. If you chose a leader that is too strong and thick, the bass will see the leader and not eat the fly. Length is also something to consider. Too long of a leader won’t turn over the fly while casting and a short leader is close enough to the fly line to spook the fish. Searching for leaders ...

Renzetti brushes give you a wide variety of option to build streamer bodies. The new “Lively Legs” brushes have built in micro rubber legs that make adding legs simple and easy. Watch the video below to learn more. Hi, my name is Caley. I’m here with our distribution in Renzetti at IFTD 2018 with North 40 Outfitters and we are talking about some of our new product that we have in this year. So, we just came out with our lively legs crustacean brush. This is going to be a great product. It comes in a few different sizes that we’re going to bring in: half inch, one inch, one and a half, two, three, and five. So, we’re going to bring in a bunch of different colors and a bunch of different sizes in this guy. It’s going to be great for making your shrimp patterns, crab patterns, just makes it all easier and one. The brush is mad...

Fully waterproof and airtight the new Yeti Panga backpack will keep your gear dry whether you are riding your bike to work wading the flats. Available with an optional Sidekick dry detachable pocket that locks up watertight with Velcro and magnet. Watch the video below to learn more. Did you know Yeti doesn't just make backpacks? Check out their other gear.    Hey guys this is Jake Drees with Yeti at the Yeti booth. We’re here hanging with North 40 Outfitters, ICAST 2018. We’re just showing off our new Panga 28 Backpack. This thing is fully waterproof, airtight, submersible if you could sink it. It’s the new thing we’re pumped about right now. It’s kind of an expansion from where we’ve been. It’s not a cooler, so this thing is not insulated, but it’s got this big long zipper you can pull open and see the full con...

Our North 40 Outfitters team recently attended the Mid-States’ Fall Rendezvous tradeshow. The show, itself, is an opportunity for us to take a good look at products we think genuinely solve everyday problems in the work and play lives of our customers. The show also helps us to spot industry trends in products for the upcoming year ahead. During this year’s fall show, the trend was innovation. We saw apparel and sporting goods products that are not only great products, they also take-it-up-a-notch in features. For example, we saw a warming jacket that had an app. And, we saw a five-gallon bucket game washer that cleans your gamebirds in a matter of minutes. Overall, we saw products that had creative advances and new features that we think you should know about. You’ll want to take a look at these…   Mobile Warming Men’s Fo...

This topic has been debated for many hours behind the wheel, on guided trips, and over cold ones after a long day on the river.  We all have our favorite flies and when we open the fly box, it seems like our fingers almost tractor beam to certain flies.  After many years here in northern Idaho, guiding and spending time on the water, I think the flies I have chosen for the top six in north Idaho will be recognized by most. If you are new to the sport, this will be a great way for you to get pointed in the right direction. You will always find these flies in our fly bins at North 40 because they flat-out-catch-fish.  I’m sure this will cause some raised eyebrows from some hardcore northern Idaho folks, or maybe you’ll agree with me?  Either way, you will always see these in my fly boxes. The Stimulator This fly was designed by Ra...

Made in the USA by Danner these boots are built to be your last pair of wading boots you’ll ever need. Available with aluminum bars on a Vibram sole, felt, or Vibram sole only these boots can be resoled and repaired time and time again minimizing waste that ends up in the landfill. Watch the video below to learn more. Check out the real story about this boot here.  Hi I’m Mark Harbaugh, global sales manager with Patagonia. I’m here at the 2018 IFTD with North 40 Outfitters and today we are introducing or discussing the Danner Boot collection co-branded with Patagonia. This is a product that Patagonia went to Danner and told them what our needs were. We went through several protos and created the best boot on the market. The key thing for us was that the boot could be resoled, so with the stitch down construction that’s totall...