I was inspired by the article https://backpackinglight.com/gear-list-tenkara-fly-fishing-in-the-northern-rockies/ to create a small gear list, for a conventional lightweight fly fishing kit for the mountains of the east. I live in the mid-Atlantic and frequently fish the mountain streams at my home waters but also in neighboring states.
This gear list will be relevant for fishing for mountain trout from Georgia to Maine, as the environmental conditions are relatively similar for the things a fly fisher cares about.
If you aren’t familiar with the mountains in the East, there is almost always tight tree cover, varying gradients, many places that can be challenging to cast and may require something like a bow and arrow cast, or drifting a fly for long distance that is more easily accomplished with an adjustable fly line.
This kit weights about as much as the aforementioned Tenkara kit for the Rockies, but adds the flexibility of a reel and line.
Here’s a look at the gear:
* Douglas Upstream 3wt – 7’3” rod with sock @ 2.9oz
* Galvan Brookie 2/3 reel (20yds backing, Cortland’s 444 Sylk line cut in half) – @ 3.2oz
* Floatant, Leaders, Nippers, and fly puck @ 1.6oz
So you’re looking at 7.7oz for the kit for fishing dries well in these areas. This is one of the lightest fly rods that I’ve found, it is slow-moderate action and great for people that fish dries within 35ft. The rod and sock snuggle in nicely on my Durston Gear Kakwa 40 side pocket. The accessories fit nicely into my hip pocket on this pack.
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