The Fly Projects PMD Cripple is the perfect fly for targeting fish on the Missouri River during PMD hatches.  Fish on the Mo, and other rivers tend to focus and target on cripples since they are easier to eat.  Trout expend less energy eating cripples than they do adults. I started fishing crippled PMD's on the Missouri River and Henry's Fork a long time ago when I realized that big trout will eat a crippled PMD in the bright sun in the middle of the day. We would get continued refusals on PMD duns, and sometimes we would get them to eat a rusty spinner. We even realized that fish would refuse the cripples similar to this one that had a big bright CDC post on them. I used to think, damn, they won’t even eat a CDC cripple? Fish this against a CDC cripple and watch what it looks like on that water next to the real ones and you will qui...

We are rapidly shifting from a window of wondering what is fishable to a window of how do I choose from so many choices? Missouri River, Montana The Mo is finally on the drop and dropping like a stone.  It will soon be a whole new and smaller river to explore again.  As water levels continue to change, fish will be on the move, adjusting to conditions.  Streamer fishing can often be good, as fish roam the new bank lines.  Dry fly fishing should be relevant again.  Nymphing will be strong when you figure out the formula for the day.  That formula may keep changing. Nymphs PMD nymphs, caddis pupa, weight flies, Czech Nymphs, Tung Jig PT’s and hares, sow bugs and zirdles / crayfish are the go-to. Dry Flies You’ll want to us PMD cripple/emerger patterns, PMD spinners, CDC caddis and spent caddis.  Be ready for Trico’s soon. Str...

Methow River (WA) The flow for the Methow River is holding right around 1100cfs. With warmer weather in the next few days, it may bump up a little. I don’t see this slight bump hurting the fishing any. I'm getting some good reports of some good cutts and bows being caught up and down the river. At the flows it is right now, wade fishing shouldn’t be too big of a problem. You might not be able to cross the river in a lot of places yet, but the lower water is going to help you to be able to wade out to most runs to make the casts you need to find some fish. The up-river area around Big Valley might be a little limited on wading, but you should be able to still find some waters that are holding nice cutts. From Winthrop, all the way down to the boundary bridge at mile marker eight has plenty of fish holding runs that you can get into. I...

Coeur d'Alene River Flow 689 cfs and dropping slowly at Cataldo.  Fishing has still been great.  The river is low and coming into normal summer conditions.  Look to start seeing more terrestrials, ie. ants, beetles and grasshoppers.  The warmer temps this week will start these guys up.  Not sure it's a sign but at lunch cleaning our new backyard kiddie pool out, there were dozens of flying ants, the red and black kind.  So maybe this is an isolated thing but most likely not.  The PMD hatches and Caddis are now strong every day.  The PMDs are in the 16-18 variety and a pretty mixed bag of sizes on the Caddis.  In the afternoon the fish will really be upright until dark.  Streamer and nymph fishing are still good options, just start downsizing your streamers and bead head nymphs. St. Joe River Flow 1,440 cfs and dropping.  This ...

We canvassed Mid-States’s winter Rendezvous trade show in Minneapolis, Minnesota and walked away with a bevy of items we’ll put to use in 2018. We’ll also carry these products in our North 40 stores, so if you see something you like, check us out online at https://north40.com/ or stop into one of our 10 retail locations in the Pacific Northwest.   New Farm and Ranch Boots 2018 Noble Outfitters Women’s Muds Boot Mark Mason, one of the leaders in the Noble tribe, drove us to the ladies Muds boot first.  As he told us in the booth, “The Muds boot is one of the only ladies boots that actually was built to specifically fit a women’s foot.” To achieve this fit, Noble used a ladies specific last, which is a mold to build the footwear. The boots are easy-on and easy-off and include an Ortholite footbed and a mesh liner for br...

Clark Fork River (ID) Flows are currently at 36,600 cubic feet per second. The river is unfishable due to runoff. Hopefully, we will start to have fishable conditions in the coming weeks. Lake Pend Oreille Surface temperatures range from 62-68°F. Water clarity is between 4-8 feet depending on where you are on the lake. Pike fishing has been good. Most of the pike are feeding along weed lines in 6-15 feet of water. Flies like Flaming Lamborghini or Jacknife on sinking line will do the trick. However, if you are fishing over thick weeds, a floating line will keep you out of the weeds and catch fish. Don’t rule out topwater either. Several northerns have been caught on large poppers. Bass fishing has also been a great option. Most of the smallies are between 5-20 feet. The bigger smallies seem to be cruising the flats early in the mornin...

Lochsa River (ID) Flow 2960cfs at Lowell and dropping. Now is the time to start fishing large flies on the surface. This is a great time to do some prospecting and throw larger flies against the bank that can draw out some nice fish.  If you’re up for nymphing, fishing a dropper will really keep you busy this time of year.  Stonefly nymphs, worms, and princes all work very well. Hatches to look for are going to be; PMDs, Caddis, Yellow Sallies and there might be some Golden Stones left over. North Fork Clearwater River (ID) Flow 3160cfs at Canyon Ranger Station. Basically, the same as the Lochsa. The cutthroat are going to be hungry and happy. Attractor patterns and big flies will bring fish to hand. Some great flies to have in the repertoire are Humpies in red and yellow, Chubby Chernobyls in red, gold, and purple. Parachute Adams, ...

Pretty intriguing, isn’t it? When fly fishermen think of a species-rich environment, saltwater is always the first to come to mind. Although the coast is home to ferocious, hard fighting water dwellers, we have a unique fishery here in northern Idaho that will prove just as challenging. Here is a list of fish that can be caught on the fly within a 50-mile radius of Sandpoint, Idaho, and where to catch them. Trout Rainbow The panhandle is home to a few blue-ribbon rainbow trout streams, my favorite being the Kootenai River. This river is full of acrobatic rainbows that display an unmistakable deep red slash along their sides that simply cannot be found in stocker trout. These trout range from inches to 10+ pounds depending on what stretch of the river you decide to fish. The best time to fish for these beauties is during the summer. The...

Grillos' Hippie Stomper from Umpqua is a guaranteed killer on the water. Works as an attractor fly or with a hopper-dropper setup. The Hippie Stomper's name is sort of a homage to the tier's friend and guiding mentor, Chris Mortimer. "Mort spent over 20 years guiding in the Gunnison Gorge and has hands-down more experience in the Gunnison Gorge and Black Canyon than anyone." And that type of trout trickery works well here in the Northwest. Believe that. The Hippie Stomper is a go-to fly for me for cutthroat trout on any stream.  The super buggy profile and long legs drives hungry fish nuts as it drifts by.  This fly can be skittered across the surface or fished in a dead drift.  I really like the purple one and so does my wife. To purchase your Hippie Stomper Fly, click here.