Blog

 Fishing this week has been excellent but if you've been out there you already know.  If you haven't been out there, here are some photo's... Nice rainbow caught on a size 18 Para Wulff. Streamer-eating brown. Brown on a Green Machine. Terry Hooked up! Dan with a nice Missouri Rainbow. Dead calm water at the Dearborn ramp. Perfect fishing conditions around Cascade. Read more

Matt Gutzmann of Big R Fly Shop in Great Falls had a fly stick in his arm while he was fishing during his lunch break. This afforded us the perfect opportunity to try out the fishing line technique to remove the buried hook. Read more

 I’ve been spending a lot of time on the lower portion of the Missouri lately.  If you aren’t too familiar with the Might Mo’, she’s pretty well known as a blue ribbon fishery, but only a very small portion is known as the crown jewel.  The rest of the Mo’ is pretty slow moving and susceptible to agricultural use.  I don’t know what the native fisheries were like prior to all the dams, but what I do know is that things change... Read more

   The latest fly fishing fishing report for Omak Lake and other lakes residing on the Colville Reservation....   Omak Lake Oversized Cutthroat have started their annual march along the shorelines of Omak Lake and flyrodders have been landing some real dandies. Most fish are in the 18" to 22" class , with Greg landing a 9 lber recently on a natural size 8 zonker. Winds have been challenging the last week or two but try and stand up to that pesky wind if you can.... Read more

  The reports are pouring in from our buddies and guests with the lake season opening over the weekend. The lakes are full and the fishing is excellent!   Big Blue in the Sinlahekin Valley The Bows are plentiful and hungry, a little thin but with the water temps still cold at 40º F, they will make a quick turn around. There are some nice plump Browns along the shorelines, they seemed to be fatter and stockier. Aeneas Lake Strong, hearty, and hungry Bows, Browns and Tigers... Read more

The annual LPOIC (Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club) spring derby is underway.  Today is the first day of fishing on Lake Pend Oreille and we have had a record number of entries this year due to increased prize money from the club.  First Place Adult Rainbow Division will bring home $2,500 and First Place Adult Makinaw Division will bring home $1,500.   Fishing this year should be very good with the new regulations in place.  Now only one fish over 20" is to be retained... Read more

This year Big R Fly Shop, along with Panhandle Trout Unlimited and The Water Festival, hosted a film tour weekend.  We featured The Fly Fishing Film Tour on Friday night and the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (say that 4 times fast) on Saturday night.  Preparing for the event weeks before, we decided also to do a demo day with a 40’x100’ casting pond in the Big R parking lot.   Tensions were building with hopes of sold out crowds, good weather, and a... Read more

 Here's a quick update on how we are looking for our water systems.   Basically, we could all use a little more water.  We still have a decent snow pack in the mountains for spring runoff, but even with that we are on the drier side of the spectrum.  The farther south you go the worse it gets.  Utah, Colorado, the Sierra Nevadas... they are hurting for water after a powder lacking winter.   A high pressure system moving into to the Western US this week... Read more

Big R of Omak will be hosting a FREE Kids Fishing Clinic on April 20th from 11am to 2pm open to the first 150 kids ages 4 to 10 years old, limit one fish per child while they last.   Free flly tying and fly casting lessons will als be provided by Big R Fly Shop of Omak.  50¢ hot dogs and bottled water will be availabe with all proceeds benefting Okanogan Chapter of FFA.   Fish provided by Washington Fish & Wildlife.  Special thanks to Oxarc Supply for... Read more

Spring runoff is a time of year that most dedicated fly fishers despise. The water is muddy, full of debris, and overflowing the banks. The weather is cold and the wading is sketchy at best... But don't let the runoff get you down... here are a few tips to help you find success during runoff.... 5. Figure out the time of day that your stretch of water has the best visibility. Often times in the spring the cold nights are enough to slow down the melt and provide a 5 to 6 hour period of... Read more