Fishing Advice

A basic Tenkara rod would suit your purpose well while adding a weight that you will barely notice.  It is a nice minimalist approach to fishing while hiking and easy to learn.  A lot of companies that sell Tenkara rods offer some nice starter kits that will give you everything you need.

Tenkara would probably work well for the smaller streams, but would make it tough to fish the lakes, where it helps to have more distance.  Last time I was in the Winds I just packed my 5 piece 5-weight and a few boxes of flies.  Caught countless trout out of some of the lakes.  Much heavier than a tenkara setup, but more flexible.  There’s always a tradeoff….

I use a short, light 4 piece spinning rod. I prefer to use spinners, with the ability to throw a dry fly with a clear strike indicator.

Get a rod that handles 6lb test, a small spinning reel, a variety of small spinners, snap swivels, sinkers, dry flies and a clear casting indicator.

Here’s my setup in action this weekend in the AB Wilderness:

Another vote for a light or ultralight spinning rod.  It is the rig that can do everything:  send hardware out, cast flies, fish lakes or the smaller streams.  You do pay a small weight penalty, but it covers all the scenarios.  (I should take my own advice and not haul 2 or 3 different rods….)

I agree with the advice for a small lightweight spin set-up.  The 4 or 5-piece breakdown poles are higher quality but I am have become a bigger fan of the simplicity of telescoping poles.  I wouldn’t spend too much on a pole.  I bought one for $10-$20 on Amazon.  Most people use a 5′-6′ pole with light action (light action is good for the small lures used backpacking).  I like the added throwing distance you get with a 6 1/2′ pole.  Match it with a lightweight reel.  I am a big fan of the Pflueger President reel I bought a few years ago, but haven’t researched what is available now.

delete.. double post

I just checked my gear… all-up, rod, carry tube, reel, and all tackle is 1lb 6.5 oz’s. In the right country you can catch many meals worth of fish, and more than offset the weight of the tackle.

Rod is 6’-6”, 4-10lb test rating. The biggest way to lose weight is to find the right tube to carry the rod… I ditched the heavy, cordura-wrapped PVC tube that is standard for such rods, for a 7.5 oz one I found on eBay. I could work to create an even lighter MYOG tube, but haven’t yet found the motivation.

Winds have great fishing. I usually bring my full fly rod setup, but have recently gone to tenkara for backpacking. I was skeptical for lake fishing, but after pulling in (and releasing) some 16″ Brooke trout in the Uintas last weekend, I am sold. 5.8 oz for the entire kit: rod, leader, tippet, 8-10 flies, aquel, nippers and hemostats. Study up on flies, local reports, etc and apply to tenkara. Pretty foolproof, and a great way to explore! Have fun!

Thanks for the all of the advice! As someone who’s fishing experience amounts to a few afternoons with my dad 25 years ago, I’m going to have to google half of the fishing terms you all used, but at least I have somewhere to start!

Having fished in the Sierras while backpacking, for me it was worth carrying a regular fly rod rather than my Tenkara, but either would work.  I mostly fished the tiny streams and carried the rod in my hand a lot of the time while hiking.  In the Sierras it was easy to catch enough little trout in the tiny streams for a meal pretty much whenever I wanted.  Fishing on the lakes was much more sporadic and couldn’t be counted on at all for a meal when I was there.

I am not knocking the Tenkara.  It is lighter and some may find it more fun.  I enjoyed a regular fly rod more and if fishing daily didn’t mind the extra weight.

The comments about taking an UL spinning rod sound interesting.  I had never considered that approach.  Makes me wonder if I’d have had more luck in the lakes with one.

The comments about taking an UL spinning rod sound interesting. I had never considered that approach. Makes me wonder if I’d have had more luck in the lakes with one.

That has been my experience.

Fly fishing is a beautiful aesthetic experience… spin casting (including using flies) is about getting dinner, and I find it much easier on lakes. I don’t catch and release except smaller fish. I fish highcountry lakes to eat fish! 100% organic, free-range, mercury free fish… there’s just not much that is better.

…I’m going to have to google half of the fishing terms you all used…

I added some links to my post above so you could see the kind of thing I was talking about.  Also if you want as cheap and light as possible, you should look into Pen Fishing.

I carry a Tenkara rod for occasional fishing.  It’s light enough, about 4 ounces for the whole setup, that I can carry it on a trip where I intend to fish very little.  I have had good luck in streams and lakes.