Coeur d'Alene River The river is flowing at 2,970 cfs and dropping for now. However, it’s raining and the Northwest forecast isn’t looking pretty. In the immediate future we are supposed to get a fair amount of rain and snow up high. I picture the river rising in a big way. If you get a chance to get out, nymphing will be the way to go. Beadhead nymphs and San Juan worms might get looks. Streamers will work as well, but get them down deep and use a slow retrieve—the fish are pretty lethargic and not super willing to chase their meals in the cold water. Good luck and hopefully we will get a break in the rain soon. St. Joe River 1,870 cfs and dropping. Like I mentioned in the Coeur d'Alene report things are going to change big time All of the local rivers will be on the climb in the next 2-4 days with a good size front moving in. Whe...

The Clearwater – The Clearwater is running at 10,400 cubic feet per second as of 01/24/2018. The river is more than likely going to stay up high and not fishable. Rain is predicted for four out of the next five days. I would not fish the Clearwater because these can be dangerous wading conditions. Grande Ronde River (WA) Blown out, sitting at 3190 cfs. Snake River (WA) The Snake is still sitting very high at 33,400 cfs. Flows have fluctuated over the last month or so. I have seen on social media that guys are still catching fish here and there. Focusing your efforts on the Snake could bring fish to hand. Utilizing a Skagit system would more than likely up your chances. Finding the softer water with lots of structure is your best bet. Fishing with a floating system and an intermediate Polyleader can also work year-round on the Snake. St...

When casting the Bad Ass Glass Quickshot fly rod, all I could think about was butter. Casting one is like dipping a big chunk of king crab into rich, lemony butter and sucking that thing down. That whole process is awesome, but you really just want to stuff that crab in your mouth. With the Bad Ass Glass, that smooth, buttery feeling only lasts for a moment, because the 8-foot length develops plenty of line speed, too. You can lift, backcast and fire in quick succession, stuffing the fly right where you want to.  Good Looking The Bad Ass Glass Quickshot series features the same design and cosmetics as its big brother, the 9-foot BAG rods, and comes in sizes from 6-10-weight. The translucent sky-blue color and matching fiberglass rod tube make a distinct package.  Efficient and Easy I fished the 8-weight BAG from a driftboa...

What's new with Echo Fly Rods? One thing that came out of I-Cast this last year was a new spin on an old classic, fiberglass fly rods. Watch the video below and see what Tim Rajeff has to say about the new Bad Ass Glass series of rods from Echo. We also have an in-depth review of this rod from the great Falls Fly Shop right here. Hi, I'm Tim Rajeff. I'm the owner and the rod designer for Echo Fly Rods. We're here at ICAST so it's kind of cool, you get to see all of next year's products all under one roof. What are these blue things in my hand? These are Bad Ass Glass Fly Rods. These glass rods kind of bring a little bit of the higher performance level that you're used to with your carbon fiber, and high modulus graphite rods into what you can do with a fiberglass fly rod. What did you say? Why would somebody want a fiberglass fly rod? I...

Shaw Grigsby introduces the "best new bass bait" on the floor at I-Cast... and it's not the biggest bait that he's excited about--it's the smallest edition to the Rage Swimmer line of lures from Strike King. This bass lure comes in three sizes, but the one Shaw seemed most excited about was the smallest size which imitates schooling bait fish that bass find irresistible. Watch the video below and check it out. Hi, I'm Shaw Grigsby... 2017 I-Cast new products. Man, you just got to love ... I'm like a kid at Christmas when I come here because you got all kinds of new stuff. You're going, "Oh man, I can't wait to fish that." Hey, right here Rage Swimmer, one of the best baits I've used all year long and for a little bit longer than that. Unbelievable big bass swim bait, just reel it. You can rig it a number of different ways. I've caught b...

This past weekend, I assembled a crew from North 40 Outfitters to support the Valier Area Development Corporation’s 2018 Ice Fishing Derby on Lake Frances. The VADC is an devoted to making Valier a better place to live and visit. When living and visiting revolves around a fishing destination, I’m all about it. Sydnee Thomason, from our fishing department, joined me. Thomason is a local Montana ice-fishing veteran and spends time on the ice every week during the hard-water season. We also had two guys from our corporate office, and we were joined by Robert Hambley, an ice guru from Shelby. A Fly Fisherman Tries Ice Fishing My ice-fishing experiences are limited and scattered over decades. A few holes in Wisconsin, a few holes in Alaska, and until recently none in Montana. I’m one of those crazy people who dons Gore-Tex waders and st...

For 2018, Mathews introduced the Triax bow, with the tagline, “Stealth is Lethal.” We had to try this one while attending the ATA Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. This bow features a 28-inch axle-to-axle length, a six-inch brace height, and has an IBO rating of 343 feet per second. It weighs in at 4.4 pounds. The short axle-to-axle length makes the bow great for packing in, hiking through brush, and hunting from a tree-stand or ground blind. The Triax also features Mathews’ Crosscentric Cam, which helps this bow achieve its unbelievably smooth draw and shot. In fact, we found it to be very smooth when compared to other bows. The Triax came out as one of our top picks from the 2018 ATA Show. The price of this bow is around $1,099.   Hey guys. I'm Mark Hayes from Matthew's Archery and I'm here in Indianapolis for the 2018 ATA Sho...

This is one of the products we selected as most impressive at the 2018 ATA Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. Victory Archery says the Xtorsion series arrows are the strongest to date, even stronger than the VAP Elite series. The Xtorsion series arrows have 304 stainless-steel fibers woven with high-modulus carbon fiber. Compared to aluminum, stainless-steel fibers have a higher yield strength, better durability, and a high modulus of elasticity. The exterior features 90-degree woven carbon fiber which increases strength and also reduces torsional deflection. These arrows work on everything, including dangerous game. Think Africa and Alaska brown bear.   Hey, this is Adam with Victory Archery here at the 2018 ATA Show in Indianapolis, Indiana. I wanted to introduce you guys to the new shafts from Victory this year. The first one's Exto...

Simi Seal Fur Dubbing is one of the most unique materials in the fly-tying arena, and we feel that every stillwater angler should be using Simi in their lake patterns. So, when you’re sitting down behind the fly-tying vice, you should have Simi Seal dubbing close at-hand or you might wonder why your flies aren’t catching the next time you hit open water. Simi Seal dubbing versus real seal fur dubbing Simi Seal is a replacement material for real seal fur. Real seal fur was outlawed due to the Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1972. Due to its bugs and translucent appearance, tiers lamented the loss of real seal fur as an option. The good news is that Simi Seal is just as effective to work with and it helps to catch fish. Most who remember what real seal fur was like attest that the synthetic material is at least as good, if not better,...