North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine December 2015 | Page 24

Where in the world is Omak, Washington?
BY SAM WIKE

We often tell people about our shop in Omak, and generally we get that question:
Where’s that? Well, it’s 2 hours and 43 minutes of driving to the northwest
of Spokane. Omak is on the southern end of the Okanogan valley before the
Okanogan river enters the Columbia. Less than 30 miles to the west lies the
Methow valley and river drainage. 90 miles to the south is the town of Wenatchee
and there lies the Wenatchee river. So Omak is in the middle of Washington on
the front of the Cascades and in central Washington’s inland steelhead country.
If you haven’t spent much time in Omak, you would have a hard time understanding
it. It’s a small town, with small town charm, and a famous horse race, and some
really amazing people live there. As a fisherman I would have to say that it is
still “off the grid” as far as fishing destinations go. However, it now might be one
of my favorite places to make a “work” trip to. If it’s not fishing for steelhead
and salmon in the above mentioned rivers, it’s stalking really large Lahontan
Cutthroats on the shores of Omak Lake. Have you heard of Chopaka? Rufus
Woods? Etc? Etc? Etc?
The other thing I know and love about Omak, if you do go there or any of the
surrounding towns nearby, is that you will love the people that live in the
Okanogan and Methow valleys. They have been so happy to show us how to fish
there, take us out to dinners in the evening, and as long as you are respectful of
the land owners and culture of the area I believe all of you would have the same
great experience.
Stop in and talk to our staff at the North 40 Fly Shop in Omak as they love to fish,
love to share what they know, and they are from the area and represent it well.