North 40 Fly Shop eMagazine October 2017 | Page 71

the end of August always is good, but the wa-
ter temperature can get warm, so mornings and
evenings fish best.
September through October, for sure, is my
favorite time of all, not just on the Clark Fork
but anywhere in north Idaho and western Mon-
tana. This timeframe provides truly awesome
fishing and the weather is unbeatable. Trees
are changing, mornings are brisk, and hatches
are consistent. We will see lots of PMDs, BWOs,
mahoganies, small flying ants, hoppers, and the
beginning of the big October caddis. The Octo-
bers, mahoganies and BWOs will be your core
late hatches to concentrate on. Still, you’ll find
some smaller caddis through September and
October as well.
er missed a beat. I consider them be extreme-
ly good folks who know the area very well and
care for your vehicle. Shuttles run $20-to $35,
depending on which float you do. To contact
Cantrell call [phone]. w
THE FISH
There is a great diversity of fish in the Clark
Fork. Cutthroat, rainbows, browns, cuttbows,
bull trout, whitefish, pike, pikeminnow, suckers,
and smallmouth bass. I have had many days on
the Clark Fork when we catch four or five spe-
cies, which is pretty cool to see. But, when you
get down to it, the Clark Fork is a rainbow trout
fishery offering bigger and stronger fish than we
find on many other area waters. It makes sense;
these fish battle big flows and are well fed and
they fight like mad. When the water temp is
just right these fish will kick your butt—they are
lightning in a bottle. I’ve had numerous fish put
me into my backing on the Clark Fork. The av-
erage trout runs 12 to 14 inches, but there are
lots of 16 and 17-inch fish and plenty that grow
larger than that—even a 20-incher isn’t uncom-
mon.So bumping up in tippet size and using a
strong six-weight, instead of your standard four
or five-weight, is a great idea.
SHUTTLES
For years, I have used Joe Cantrell for shuttles
on the Clark Fork. Joe and his family own a
lodge and restaurant in St. Regis and have nev-
Foam means fish on the Clark
Fork. When you see it, fish it
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