Getting Organized

[Enigma]

The running joke with my hardware/bait tossing fishing buddies is that I need a cube van to haul all of my fishing gear around . . . and they're right. I'm a gear junkie.

 

This doesn't translate well to flyfishing . . . I'm still a gear junkie, but obviously I can't drag it all with me. Countless trips running to and from my car aren't realistic. I can't decided what I actually need, and what I don't. This will come with experience . . . but I'm hoping to learn from the experience of others

 

I'm having a hard time figuring out what works for me in the way of carrying all of this stuff. I have a lanyard, which I like, but it doesn't hold a tremendous amount of stuff. I have a waist pack, which I don't like. It holds a lot of stuff, but is awkward and kind of heavy. I quite like my vest, and it distributes the weight of the things I'm carrying well, but I find it a little restrictive and it gets hot.

 

Add a wading staff, net, water bottle, and camera to everything I'm dragging around and it gets silly. I put a telephone lineman to shame with all of the gear.

 

Any suggestions for paring down some of the stuff I'm dragging along and figuring out the best way to carry what I do bring?

[ÜberFly]

In the summer I use both a vest and hip pack (I leave the pack on the bank most times). Fall/winter I just use the hip pack... I guess I could pare things down a bit, but I pretty much use everything (I could leave the binocs and camera at home, but then how can I spy on the people across or down river from me?! ) For the back country I use a small Fishpond San Juan pack and use just one small fly box (I pretty much have a good handle on what works up there)... I guess if you don't use something consistently (in 2 or 3 outings), leave it at home...

 

P

[headscan]

I went through the same thing last year. First thing I did was organize my fly boxes properly - dry flies by hatches, separate terrestrial box, etc. Only carry the boxes that match the hatches. Then I laid out all my other gear and took out everything I didn't use or rarely used and could live without. Everything that might see some use goes in a backpack. If I'm not going to be covering a lot of distance or going in a boat, I just take the whole backpack. Otherwise, when I get to the river I pull out the fly boxes I think I'll need and put them in shirt pockets, wader pockets, or my waist pack. If I'll only be fishing dries then the floatant and smaller size tippet spools come along and the 10lb Maxima doesn't. The biggest thing is having the willpower not to carry things you won't really need. Haven't worn a vest in years because they're too hot in the summer and I find them too bulky and they get in the way when spey casting.

[ladystrange]

i went through this as well and managed to pare down to this.

 

 

i tossed the vest because of the uhhh, well, chest. too much stuff in the front pockets on top of the girls made casting a bit of a pain and i didnt have anywhere to put the water bottle.

 

 

i swtiched to a fanny pack and tossed the lanyard, messes with the tan line and really, how close do you want the fish to your face (depending on what you hang off of it)

 

in the fanny pack i carry

 

1 pocket knife

nippers

1 roll of tippet

1 package of extra leaders for the rod that i am using given where and what i am fishing

 

a bag of bb's

floatant

strike indicators

needle nose pliers

foreceps

water bottle

granola bar

1 fly box

 

and sometimes the spare spool

 

thats it. it all fits in my fanny pack with room to spare. i dont find that i am hauling around more than i need with too much weight, i have both hands free to climb with out crap falling in front of me. i find that i am not wanting for more.

[Taco]

Ah hell, I'm afraid to leave anything behind so I pull a little fiberglass pup like the little motorcycle trailers but with off road tires. Hook it to my ass 'n go