To me, one of the most interesting challenges of fly fishing on multi-day hikes is coming up with a system that allows you to carry all of the essentials without lugging a 15 lb. vest up the trail. Although my system is constantly evolving, here’s one that I found works well. Total weight (including rod): 7.3 oz.
2. Gossamer Gear Hip belt pocket. This can be worn on my belt, hip belt, or I can tie paracord around the loops on each end and wear it around my neck.
3. Stream Works Micro Forceps. These also have scissors built in, eliminating the need to carry nippers.
7. Micro dropper bottle containing floatant. I don’t need to carry the full-size bottle.
All in all, this is a very compact system and I haven’t felt the need to add anything yet. Keep in mind, this is for small stream trout fishing only. So what does your system look like? I started a thread in the forum for you to share.
I’m one of those people who likes to fish my way up to my campsite. I’m usually not wading so leaving my pack on while I hit pocket water along the way is my typical MO. Yet, I want quick access to my flies, floatant, nippers, and tippet. Here’s a great little pouch you can affix to the shoulder strap of your pack that will keep all of the essentials readily accessible: The UnSlack Pack.
While not specifically designed for fly fishing, it will keep the essentials at hand for minimal weight. But I’m working on a design with a manufacturer that is specifically designed for backpacking fly fishers that will allow you to keep all of your flyfishing gear in one place, attach it to the shoulder strap of your pack, or, wear it around your neck if your want to leave your pack or camp behind. It will be more functional, yet ultralight. What do you think?
For many of us, backpacking deep into the wilderness means fishing small streams with a lot of pocket water. I ran across this quick video demonstrating the high-sticking technique with some tips on how to avoid drag in these tricky little pockets.
A long time ago, multi-piece fly rods were considered junk. The technology to prevent multiple ferrules from compromising the action of the rod simply hadn’t been perfected yet. Fast-forward to the present and we are lucky enough to have a multitude of pack rods that cast just as well as 2-piece rods. Lucky for us, most modern backpacks have the perfect place to store them too. Just slip your case in the side pocket, secure it with a compression strap and you’re off.
My only problem with that is that the cases that come with most fly rods are unnecessarily heavy and are designed more for carrying through the airport than miles into the backcountry. For a while, I started leaving the case behind and just putting a couple of rubber bands around the rod sections before slipping it into the side pocket. That was more than a little precarious and a few snags on branches gave me a good scare on more than one occasion.
When I was first learning about Tenkara fly rods, one of the things I immediately noticed was how thin and light the cases were compared to conventional fly rod cases. Perfect for backpacking, right? I carried the case for a while, very happy with all the weight I was saving. Then, a thought occurred to me.
Do I even need the case? When closed, all of the segments of the telescoping Tenkara rod are safely stowed inside the butt end of the rod and kept in place with an end cap. Since they’re contained in the thickest, strongest part of the rod, I couldn’t see any likely scenario on the trail that could possibly cause damage. So, this became my preferred method. No case, just stick it in the side pocket as is. Without the case (and no need for a reel) I had reduced my total fly fishing setup by many, many ounces without sacrificing anything. I love it when you find the perfect system for you and get to reduce pack weight as a bonus. How do you pack your fly rod?
For the backpacking fly fisher, choosing flies that are multi-use allows you to save space and carry a lighter, more packable fly box. I can’t think of a better, more versatile pattern than the humble hair-wing dun. It’s easy to tie, can represent a variety of species, and is convertible. Leave the tails on and it’s a mayfly. Clip the tails off and it magically transforms into a caddis. Need an emerger? Clip the wing down short and add floatant to it so that the only the abdomen rides in the surface film. Here’s a simple recipe that I carry with me in a few sizes to imitate a number of mayfly and caddis species. You can tie them in multiple colors but I find that neutral tones such as greys and browns work just fine.
Hook: TMC 100 BL (barbless) #14 – #20Thread: 8/0 (color to match)Tails: Microfibetts, split (color to match)Abdomen: Goose Biot (color to match)Thorax: Dry fly hackle (color to match, clipped on bottom to form a “V”)Wing: Natural Deer Hair (tied Elk Hair Caddis style)
