Fishing Gear for Backpacking

[BryanG]

I've been wanting to incorporate fishing gear into my camping/backpacking outfit for awhile now. But I am a beginner to trout fishing (mostly saltwater experience) and not sure where to start. Ideally, I would like to have something that I can take backpacking as well as use when camping in the mountains. Don't really want to spend money on two different set-ups. So my question is what would y'all recommend for a beginner?

fishing with a fly and bubble? (cheap option but not sure how effective)

buying a fly rod and learning how to cast? (would like to learn to fly fish someday)

try out a Tenkara rod set up?

Any advice is much appreciated!


Bryan

 

[Parma]

When I take fishing gear backpacking I go cheap and light...I take a simple rod that comes apart in half and put it on the side of my pack in the water bottle pocket and it slightly pokes up above my pack. For a reel I found the smallest/lightest reel in the store, $10-$15 like this one: http://www.scheels.com/shop/scheels...ereg-Synergyreg-Steel-Reel-D-8950-1285795-EGG
And I bring the Jake's lure that looks like a gold domino with red dots. This is obviously a setup for lake fishing.
It's a very basic setup, but works great for me.

 

[HomerJ]

I have a 4 piece St. Croix 4wt. fly rod that I just love. It works great on streams and rivers, but being only 8' long it's very hard to cast that far out into a lake, but that usually is not too big of a problem for most of the places I go. I made a fly rod tube case for it out of a plastic fluorescent tube light protector (found at Home Depot and similar stores). Although not very strong, it is super light, and it protects my eyelets and rod as long as I'm careful not to crush it. I strap it to the side of my pack with the bottom in the mesh pocket with my water bottle. My fly box is a really lightweight foam box.

 

[Bob]

I use spinning gear, Cabellas collapsible rod Shinamo Ultralight. I carry flies and a bubble but hands down, catch more fish (Yes Goldens) with a Jakes Money clip....... bout all I carry now into the Winds. I do bring a few Mepps, Zrays, Panthers and flies and a bubble along 'incase'. Last two trips all that got wet was the Jakes

 

[Nick]

@Bob and @Parma have it down. If you want the most bang for your buck (and the most fish), go with the cheap light stuff. Collapsible, break down, whatever. The Jake's 'money clip' is golden. Bubbles and flies are also great. Not to bag on @HomerJ's methods though. If you're into fly fishing that's a great way to go. I've packed around a 4 piece, 6 weight, 9-foot Sage fly rod to many places, I just don't have the dedication to it anymore though. That size and weight can cast pretty far into lakes when needed. I have a similar lightweight case where I took a flimsy 9 foot rod case and cut in half. WAY lighter than the case that came with the Sage. I also have a Tenkara rod that has been a lot of fun. The whole kit with flies, rod, line and all is less than 5 oz. Great in streams and when the fish are near shore. That's my favorite setup, to be honest, but mostly because it's the lightest and I'm not as interested in fishing as I used to be.

 

[balzaccom]

Yep. I take an inexpensive Reddington 7-pc pack fly rod, a reel, and about 50 flies. That and an extra leader and a spool of tippet and I am ready to go. Tenkara stuff is nice, but if you are on a lake, it's tough to get out to the fish sometimes. With this rod I can cast 60 feet+ if i need to, and still use it just like a Tenaka rod for the smaller streams. YMMV

 

[BryanG]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it! The success you have with the cheap, light stuff is music to my ears and wallet haha

 

[b.stark]

Cheap does work. For a fly rod, I've now got a 7'6" Cabelas 4wt that works very well and packs down nice and small. For spinning gear, the jake's money clips are hard to beat. Fly and bubble is also very effective at times. Both of those spinning methods allow some crazy long casts and doesn't require room for a backcast, so that's a huge advantage in a lot of places. I still think fly fishing is more fun, but when I just want to eat the spinning rig wins.

 

[Wyatt Carson]

ultra light spinning gear for me too and the bubble/fly combo works very well and I can get it way further than I can a fly rod cast. If I see fish rising way out in a lake I can get to them with the spinning gear. Panther Martins work very well too and are less snaggy than some of the lures. I caught both browns and rainbows in the Animas River in Durango with Blue Fox Minnow Spins, using both the brown and rainbow patterns. The little Rebel crayfish and hoppers work good too. I have a red/gold spoon that is killer for smallmouth bass.

Spinning gear is very versatile and when one kind of lure does not work you can change to another that does.