Hi all,

I am new to this site and backpacking in general. Initially, I was going to post a thread asking for advice on a lightweight fishing rod, but I read the thread regarding your stances on fires and got a little spooked. If a lot of you think fires are unethical, you will surely loathe me for even mentioning the diabolical practice of fishing!

I mean, I realize it is killing another creature, but what if it's for food and not sport?
If one stays within limits and has a license, is fishing really all that bad?

Flame away.

-Corey

There are plenty of hunters and fishermen here. I'm sure many members would have no problems with fishing and there was a thread on lightweight fishing rods not too long ago. (Within the last few months any way). Welcome aboard,and if some folks have issues with fishing, at least as many or more will be be supportive. Generally, folks here are pretty well behaved.

Around here fishing is a religion with some folks. Generally the limits and reg's are such that in a season any one area won't be over-fished. Plus there are lots of seasonal closures and so on... it's pretty tight. And there are spots that are stocked, if you are just looking to putz around with new gear.

Same deal with fires... pretty well understood where they are ok, and where they aren't. It's been so dry here it would be suicidal for the untrained to start fire, and the media is pretty good about getting the word out when there are fire bans.

We have had a number of threads on fishing, hunting and guns. What we do discourage are posts intended just to start arguments-what other forums call trolling. Those will get tossed fairly quickly as will the people who start them if it becomes apparent that is their only reason for posting here.

You've come to the right place, no reason to get spooked.
I'll be fishing and backpacking this weekend! Texas stocks many lakes and streams with rainbows each year and I like to go catch 'em.....they die anyway by summer and the state expects you to take them home.
I'd be interested in light weight tackle too. Fly and/or casting.

The campfire thing comes around a couple times a year. Fires are appropriate some places and not others. Fishing, on the other hand, is always appropriate. Catching, even better! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

If you fish off my dock I will break your pole. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Please respect property rights.

There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

At least you won't be using a powerboat churning up the lake bottom and letting everybody for miles know your too important to do things quietly.

Cool thread.

I just found an eagle claw pack rod. It breaks down into five sections for packing, but I haven't weighed it yet.

Where is the fun if you can't hike a few miles, then relax by the water?

TV

I usually catch and release, but I will take a beauty back to the fire every once in a while.

I don't fish, never have. I wasn't raised to it and never got started.

I think you'll be quite disappointed in your notion that anyone who objects to fires will automatically object to fishing. I'm fine with fisher-folk, provided only that, if they clean their catch, they do so in a proper LNT manner and don't leave guts and fish heads where they don't belong. Catch and release presents no problems of this sort at all.

Come to think of it, my only objections to fires have to do with improper or boneheaded practices, too. Like chopping doewn green trees or scarring alpine meadows with fire rings. So, I guess there are a few similarities bewteen objecting to fires and to fishing after all. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

P.S. Kill as many fish as your license permits and I won't holler or weep crocodile tears over the poor dead fish -- as long as they don't go to waste. Really, it all comes down to respecting the wild and knowing the rules.

This post was in no way intended to instigate an argument. If it came off as that way I apologize. I was just wondering what the general consensus was on fishing among fellow backpackers.

Good to know that fishing and hunting aren't looked down upon.

-Corey

I don't think he was talking about specifically you.

Light weight fishing stuff is a great topic! Campfires or not. Post away! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


There are some interesting treads posted in the past you might search.....one by me on a cheapo Walmart fly rod. I'd like to see the subject brought up more often.

And this weekend, I'm having a big campfire (state park fire pit) and it will, God willing, have fish on it! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Fishing for me is a mixture of heritage and occasional pastime. Before the days of commercial fishing the salmon population was much, much stronger than it is now, and my tribe would take advantage of the salmon run every year to smoke enough fish to last through the winter. Some people still recognize the first salmon ceremony, where they thank the spirit of the fish for allowing itself to be caught. Every year, my family still smokes, freezes, & jars enough salmon to supplement the diet until next season. It's kind of needed in a place where groceries are overly expensive.

What somewhat annoys me is the commercialization of salmon for its meat, and the hordes of out-of-staters who sometimes overfish a creek until there are none left that day to have a chance a spawning, or to be caught by others. Traditionally, people are supposed to show respect by taking only their portion and no more.

I fall into the second category more often than I care to admit.

i have a 6'6" ugly stick lite that joins in the center with a cork grip and a small tackle box with some flies, a few jigs and a few spinners that i hike with when i know i will be able to catch some fish. The setup is not UL but it is a nice pole and it attaches to the back of my pack just fine. for me, buying UL gear has let me fish more and bring things i would not otherwise have with me.

I like backpacking fishing trips. Around my neck of the woods, there are some far off places with monster fish in them simply because they don't get fished that much. I like both fly fishing and spinning rods. A few rods I have tried and liked:

Eagle Claw 5 piece fly/spinning rod
ww griggs 3wt fly rod (2 piece) also the best bang for your buck around $30
Sage FLi or Launch 4 piece fly rod (a little pricey but well worth the investment)
any TFO rods are good for the money
Bass Pro Shops micro-light series 2-piece

or you can find a local outfitter and take some rod building classes and build your own rod fairly easily and cheaper. I personally own a Sage FLi 5wt 4-piece and it is my favorite rod to date. The rod/reel only weighs 10 oz, but the rod tube weighs at least a pound. I haven't built a rod yet, but I would really like too. Just have to convince my wife I need another fishing pole.

Doug

I didn't mean to imply that you were, just a reminder as to how we view the level of discourse we expect to see here. (Although some of the humor you will see here may take some getting used to.) <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

For rods and reels, check Cabela's. Their online catalog has a lot of breakdown and travel rods. Never seen any in person, but the prices are quite reasonable.

Um Food
Yes there is a fine line between "fishing" and "catching" but shore fishing does not make you an idiot unless you're trying to backcast into this brush...
Jim

Doug,

Where are you finding the "big fish" around Kearney? ( I lived in Lexington for 35 years & used to fish the interstate sandpits quite often.)

I quit using a rod tube. I just put the rod in a sock and rubber band it together with my Tarptent tent pole. On extended trips, I'll carry two rods this way.

I have a Cabela's 5 wt. Stowaway that's a reasonably priced rod. The hardware is pretty cheesy but the rod works well. One of my favorite rods is a St Croix Ultra Legend, 4 wt, 4 piece. Another really fun rod is the Cabela's 3 piece, Three forks, around $50. I liked that rod so much I bought a spare. Several of my FF buddies cast the rod and promptly bought one. Little brookies are great fun on this rod. Bluegills would be a blast.

WyoBob

Corey, I think there are probably quite a few of us who fish and hike. I'm a member of two high lakes fishing clubs in Washington State. One of these is the Hi Lakers, and we have two links to California high lakes fishing sites that may be of interest to you. Check out our site and be sure to click on the links section for the California sites. You may want to browse our Hi Laker site a while, too, and pick up some helpful info. Be sure to look at the slide show section for tips on gear and techniques. Link: http://hilakers.org/

Have fun.

Cliff
Seattle

Corey,
The pro-furry animal arguements are a figment of mammal chauvanism, we are mammals and some of us are furry also. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Fish are cold blooded and have scales - NO FUR. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Campfires are a subject dear to everyones heart, fish are not. People care way more about camp fires than about killing a cold blooded animal and eating it. Few people sympathise with fish. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
but some do:

However if you are seeking some reverse feedback... I had some relatives call me a sadist for torturing poor little fishies by making them fight for their lives with a nasty sharp hook in their mouths and the worst part of it was that I ENJOYED <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> feeling them struggle on the end of my line as they fought for their lives. AND to top it all off - instead of eating them I released them - meaning that I didn't even do it because I needed food, catch and release is a terrible thing... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Your right, there aren't many places to fish around Kearney. But since I moved to Idaho Falls Idaho there are more places than I have time <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I have a cabelas 3 forks 2 piece 6#. I have to say I prefer my sage anyday over the 3-forks. I have a few trips planned for this summer/fall where i'll be doing some backpacking fishing trips.

Doug

Cool site! There's a ton of great info there.




Damn mammal chauvanists! They only care about cute and fuzzy creatures, not slimy, gross, tasty fish!

Oh well...

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Fishing is not unethical, neither are campfires. Since I backpack in brown bear and wolf country I also carry a large bore handgun along with my fishing gear. How's that for politically incorrect? The only time I won't build a fire is in the dry season when the U.S. Forest Service prohibits it for obvious reasons.

I don't have much patience for the holier-than-thou types that look at gas-powered stoves, for instance, as being unethical since they use evil petro chemicals. Where do they think nylon comes from? How about gas for their sacred Subarus that transport them to the tralhead?

I think I might have seemed a little Neanderthal on my last post, so in the interest of mutual agreement (we are all backpackers after all), it's been my experience that we all have a very real common enemy: ATVs and snow mobiles. Those infernal machines are so capable these days that their owners just can't resist taking them into places where they are not permitted.

Idaho Falls = better than Keaney.

A fishing buddy bought the 3 forks 6 wt because he liked the 3 wt so much. He didn't like the 6 wt at all.

I've cast a few Sage rods. They're really nice but a bit out of my price range, epecially since I have 6 rods already <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

WyoBob

State your opinions, even in the face of adversity. You may take one on the chin every now again, but you can be proud that you are an individual with your own opinions.

You say this tongue-in-cheek, but in much of Europe the logic is precisely that: C&R is illegal due to it's cruel nature. All fishing (where permitted) is catch & eat.

Strange, eh?
Tom

Hi,
I'm an older backpacker/fisherman, and have changed my opinion on fishing over the years. There is no question in my mind fishing pressure from regular folks can and does hurt the resource. My philosophy now is "Catch only what you are going to eat, then stop. Catch and release is playing with your food."
Good luck, and enjoy the outdoors!

In some instances, LNT might not be best. Ralph Cutter actually argues that the fish remains should be returned to the water in granite bound lakes above treeline where bio contents are sparse because the nutrients in those remains are so needed there.

That may be a reasonable argument, but my first reaction is that if the nvironment is that biologically impoverished, one ought not to deplete its resources at all by fishing it. This is the same argument as would apply to not building fires in high alpine areas, where trees grow too slowly to replace the fuel you burn.

In these cases the trace you should not leave is the unfillable void you would be making by removing the resource.

there are certainly places i won't fish because of what you refer to, but keep in mind that almost all the high sierra lakes with fish were fishless originally - the fish are there because of planting and for catching (even in those that are no longer stocked).

a good example would be a place like Bishop Lake just below Bishop Pass. Hard rock, crystaline water, little biomass. it is filled with brook trout - even with short food supply, they will continue to propagate, but they will be stunted (and the strain of brookies there and in most sierra waters mature sexually faster than normal fish) - you end up with a lake filled with 5" - 9" starving fish. it is possible to catch 50 fish in 75 casts should someone desire it - because they are ravenous.

but in other places i'm thinking of, the fishing pressure is low due to remoteness. large lakes with self sustaining populations and very little mineral feeding from runoff only (no resident inflow streams). taking a fish or two there won't ruin the fishery, but returning the nutrients of the unused remains is practical for the bio content. and of course the lake would naturally have been fishless. i think these are the types of lake cutter was referencing.

i think the key is to be aware of impacts and address each situation uniquely according to the location and its needs/capabilities.

below treeline fish waste should almost always be buried though, and well away from running water.

The Alpine lakes where I hike and fish, in Washington's Cascades, were mostly void of fish prior to stocking efforts first occurring in the early 20th century. The Washington Cascade high lakes are very carefully stocked and managed as a public fishery and there is no problem with taking a fish or two for dinner. This site may be of help to some of you interested in fishing high lakes and stocking/management issues: http://watrailblazers.org/ Also, the site I mentioned earlier in this thread has a very helpful science module: http://hilakers.org/

Cliff

In the situations you describe it sounds like local knowledge is the key to understanding the desirability of fishing a lake or stream. If one is pig-ignorant of such local conditions, then I would suggest that discretion would be the better course, and refraining from tampering with a situation where one does not know the consequences.

You mean "harass and release"? Unless the fish is too small, wrong species or has three heads it is going to be my supper. To spend money, time and effort to catch it and let it go makes as much sence as golfing, ie hit the ball, look for it and when you find it,whack it again.

Fishermen are good friends of the outdoors. They are for the most part, good stewards of the land. They put a lot of time money and effort into keeping the wild, "wild". Having a few fish and fishermen in the wilderness areas, is a small price to pay for their support.

"...fish is too small..."

What I really hate to see is a "shaker" (that's an undersized fish) on the end of my line that is gut hooked. How many of these have I removed the hook, thrown them back, and seen their milky-eyed carcasses floating around a few hours later?

One day on the Delta I personally caught over 50 baby stripers - and my buddies each caught more than I did! There must have been 20 dead ones floating around when we were done; all gut or gill hooked.

As for catch and release - sometimes I think that people need to LOOK at what they're releasing before they throw it back. I've caught some catfish whose mouths were all torn up - they looked pathetically thin because they couldn't feed properly. Once I caught a striper blind in BOTH eyes because of being hooked through them. Why would someone throw a blind fish back in the water?

If God did'nt want us to eat fish, then why did he make them out of meat?

Hahahaha. Just joshin'.

Quote:

If a lot of you think phires are unethical, you will surely loathe me for even mentioning the diabolical practice of phishing!


You got my ire up on this one, Corey! I am phanatically opposed to phishing! Especially in the wilderness. Recently I took my laptop and broadband card with me on a wilderness hike down here in the Everglades and was checking my emails after I had set up camp and put up that electric grizzly fence around the perimeter (for crocs & gators, not bears.) I was surprised to see I’d gotten an email from [color:"red"]Big Skie[/color] since I had not bought a tent from them although I’ll admit I was responsible for an embarrassing number of the 8,659 views of their thread on this forum.

In their email they were asking for my immediate attention to an important matter of billing information before they could ship their product to me. Interesting, considering I hadn’t ordered a tent or windproof pullover or even a promo fleece beanie or beer cozy with their name plastered all over them. I will admit I really liked the specs on their tent, although I’m still leaning toward the Cloudburst 2 by a competitor.

They directed me to their web page where I needed to enter my credit card number, shoe size, SS #, color preference (I chose [color:"#666666"] dark stone[/color] cause of how it sounds) and bank account numbers and passcodes.

I had my wallet out and all my numbers and preferences written down to type in. I know this sounds crazy, doing whatever someone on the Internet tells you to do, but hey, did you see that 20/20 news report about the crank calls to McDonald’s managers where a guy posing as the police has the manager strip search a “suspect” employee in the office? And those idiots did it! Has happened several times across the country. And one can be pretty susceptible, too, sitting around camp in the wilderness wishing for a better tent and hoping a gator don't drag you under to his hidey hole.

But just as I had typed in the last passcode and was about to hit “enter” it caught my eye. There in bold print at the bottom they were telling me that they needed all this info before they would have my tent ready to process for “IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT!” This was not the [color:"red"]BS [/color] I’ve come to know and love. Sure they had an almost identical logo with the little graph above the name showing the stock price or number of tents shipped or whatever, but no way was this the [color:"red"]BS [/color] I’ve become so full of. I suppose calling their website [color:"red"] Big Skie [/color] should have given me a clue. Anyway, I knew immediately that I’d been “phished” out in the wild, been “brand-spoofed” by scammers and it’s not something I’d want anyone else to experience. The paranoia I felt that night in my old tent was worse than being at ridgeline and surrounded by a bunch of howling wolves.

No, I’m totally opposed to PHISHING in all its forms. No telling what would have happened if I had hit “enter” like those hackers wanted. I’d probably have helped finance the next Starbucks in Lagos before I made it down Anhinga Trail back to the Everglades NP Visitors Center.

Just Say No To Phishing! Especially in the wilderness.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I was actually laughing by the time I got to the end. Thanks for the "light" touch!

--Keith

kevonionia,

You must be very, very careful which type of mushrooms you pick and eat on the trail <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Pretty funny.

WyoBob

kevonionia,

That has to be the most time and effort put into a single pun by anyone in the history of mankind.



This must be what TomD was talking about...

Yeah, I've never been accused of brevity. At least I went with that post and not my "fish rights" post, stating my belief that fishing should be allowed only without appurtenances (poles, line, hooks, spears, nets) practiced by people in distant pre-history and demonstrated by "Mullet Hands" in the recent movie "Hoot." BTW, still kidding.

Hey, I've done that - many years ago when I didn't realize that the CA Fish and Game laws prohibited taking fish in manners other than hook and line, we were walking along a lake in the Siearra when I heard this wet "flop, flop" noise. Turns out this cutthroat trout (about 12") had swum up a little 1" deep rivulet that fed into the lake, eating tadpoles that were there, but beached himself when he tried to turn around in the shallow, narrow stream with his stomach all distended. I picked him up and had a brief moment of indecision: hmm, return him to the lake and let him have a long happy life and lots of little cutthroat descendants? or DINNER?

He was very tasty cooked with the wild onions we found growing nearby. But I suppose I should turn myself in for having caught him illegally.

I hunt and fish myself and have no problems with anybody,just as long they follow the rules and have some common sense toward other people. I was car camping last summer along a river(I call it a creek) and my next door car camper,liked to fish and stored the caught fish in a cooler,right alonged the river and between two tied up dogs. Of course the dogs barked and barked cause the owners weren't there and they heard the bear coming. I am very hard of hearing ,heared that bear,scrapped the side of the tent,while looking for the fish and that scared the heck out of me,especially since I was somewhat sleeping . I thought that bear was coming right in the tent with me and all I had was my small pack knife. Of course,I did scare him off,when I yelled at him. The owner,I thought should have put the fish somewhere else in a safer place to avoid a situation like that. It could have been pretty messy for me or his dogs or both.

i tried a few extendable and segment type rods and was not happy with any of them. even though it is slightly heavier than some options i prefer a reasonable short, cheap, two piece rod from wal mart or the like with a regular small spinning reel. i love fishing and i can be happy with a cheap rod in a backpacking situation but gimmicky backpacking rods are not for me. im also not gonna strap a g loomis to my pack and subject it to backcountry hiking.

so i dont have any suggestions but i would just buy a cheap graphite rod that is two piece and a light spinning reel and it should work out fine and strap to the outside of your pack.

matt

is a 4 piece fiberglass cheapo rod by eagle claw (it's yellow and comes in a plastic tube - i think it was $20

good action, sensitive, packable

i think this one on ebay is the same:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Eagle-Claw-Trailmast...1QQcmdZViewItem

while im sure that would do the job jsut fine for my tastes a two piece rod has better action and is worth the extra hassle if you plan on doing very much fishing. if i was going to do a very little bit of fishing i may consider a 4 piece but if im planning on doing much fishing i just prefer the way a 2 piece feels and the action.

guess it kinda depends on how much fishing you will be doing and how important the action is to you (also i have no experience with that specific rod and the action may be great, just speaking generally about 4 piece rods).

one other question is what kind of tackle do you guys bring if you are planning on bass fishing. as im sure is true for everyone it depends on the trip but here are things i always bring.

a few various sized jigs
a small assortment of hooks/weights etc.
senkos (i hand pour my own and make the ones i take hiking a little less soft so i can get more life out of them.)
grubs to use a jig trailers and also to fish on plain jigheads for smallies

these always come along and there are usually a few spinnerbaits and such along as well depending on time of year and conditions expected. anyone else bass fish or are there mostly trout fisherman here?

I'm mostly a fly fisherman so I always bring my 4 piece Loomis 9ft, 5wt. I use a floating and intermediate line and that covers just about everything. I have never felt much, if any difference from this rod and my 2 piece fly rods. I usually fish from my ultralight raft so I have no problems with brush and backcasts or getting to most areas of a lake. I would like to get the Cabelas 7 piece Stowaway rod, which breaks down small enough to fit inside of my pack. I had a little Wright & McGill 7.5 ft Trailmaster spin/fly combo graphite rod, which I used for two seasons before my dog broke it. This was the model with the reversable handle. Contrary to all reviews I had heard, it was a great little rod, although a little short for my tastes. At $39.99 you wouldn't have a heart attack if it broke.

Telescoping rods: some of my aquaintences use those cheapo telescoping spinning rods for high lakes fishing. I always thought it was a silly idea because the rods are cheap, too short, and break easily. I couldn't imagine them having any decent action.
But then I did a kayaking trip on the Colorado River below Hoover Dam this summer, and when I found out these guys fished, I bought one of these cheap rod & reel combos (Shakespear, I think) at a Wal-Mart in Las Vegas. Since I'm not a purist fly fisherman I have no problems fishing with gear. The darn thing cast extremely well and I caught a ton of stripers on this rig, some fish up to 20" and 3 or 4 lbs. The rod did very well. I have since taken it on my high lakes fishing trips and it's really handy to have. I often find myself bushwhacking to small, brushy potholes while on my hike to my real destination lake, and it's very handy to have this little rig already setup with lure ready to go, stuck in the mesh pocket on my pack. If all I want to do it try a few casts and see if there are any fish in the lake I don't have to take my pack off, dig in my pack to retrieve my fly rod, set it up, and possibly set up my raft. It's cheaply made and I'm sure it will break before too long, but I like it.

Cliff
Seattle

Hiking and fishing--I can't imagine a better combination. I love to fish the local rivers for salmon and steelhead in season and have some excellent equipment for this. In a couple of short months when hubby and I take to the high country again after a 20+ year sabbatical, I will be taking fishing equipment with me. I just ordered from Bass Pro Shops a little IM6 graphite spinning pack rod (Micro Lite series) that is only 5'6" but breaks into three pieces and is very light both in action and weight. And combine that with a President ultra light spinning reel that weighs 6.4 oz rated for 4 lb line. What could be more fun that catching dinner from the shores of a pristine mountain lake? Don't have to pack it in and it's fresh. Fish always tastes better when you catch it yourself!

Sienna, right on about high lakes fishing. I would still go into the mountains if there were no fish, but fishing high lakes is a passion I have that that means as almost as much to me as the mountains themselves. Please take a look at the two fishing links I provided earlier in this thread. You can pick up a lot of helpful info there.

I bought a Bass Pro Shops microlight rod for my brother and he loves it. It's the 7.5 ft spin/fly combo and it actually casts very well.

Steelhead & Salmon? are you in the pacific northwest?

Cliff

Pacific Northwest? You bet. We are in BC. Here in the Lower Mainland we have some real good salmon and steelhead rivers.

Oh, by the way, we have a big outdoor show at Tradex in Abbotsford this weekend, starting tomorrow I think. Camping, fishing and hunting. I'm so going!!

Good deal. I'm in Seattle, obviously. I was a steelheader for years, fishing the Skykomish, Stillaguamish & Skagit rivers. but I never made it to B.C. (nirvana) to fish for record steelhead.
These days I usually do a couple of summer trips, and of course I hit the huge pink salmon runs every odd year. They're incredibly fun on a 6wt fly rod.

Sorry for the thread drift.

Cliff

I just recently bought the same model (I think). Came with a spincast reel, a few pieces of tackle, all in an orange tackle box? I am just getting into fishing this year, and didnt want to spend tons of cash on it then decide I didnt care for it. As I plan mainly fishing while out in the woods, I wanted something small as well. This fit all my criteria; simple, cheap, easily packed. As soon as the weather warms up, I'm gonna go out & give her a try!

[/quote]I just recently bought the same model (I think). Came with a spincast reel, a few pieces of tackle, all in an orange tackle box? I[/quote]

No, mine came in a gray plastic box with a clear plastic lid. One thing I didn't mention, which I should have, the graphite Shakespear reel that came with it was an absolute POS. It started falling apart on me on the first day of a week long kayak trip in the lower Colorado Rriver. I was able to cannibalize spare parts and screws from other tackle in the group often enough to keep it working until the end of the trip. In the attached photo I have my old Quantum Microspin reel attached to it. I've caught pink salmon up to 6 lbs on this reel and it has always worked great for me. It's my favorite reel for backpacking and It weighs 6.5 oz.

Cliff

I did a bad bad good thing yesterday. I was at the Sportsman's show and looking at fishing gear--bad. And I got to thinking about my hubby's recent retirement and the fact that no one gave him a retirement gift, mostly I guess because he retired from his own business. So then I got to thinking that my hubby's idea of fishing definitely falls into the fly fishing purview. The sport for him is to use the lightest possible equipment to catch the biggest possible fish. When he was a kid, he fly-fished in the Sierras with his dad a great deal. Then I got to thinking he only has very very old outdated equipment. So the really big idea I got was to buy him a once-in-a-lifetime retirement gift to go with his new leisure lifestyle. So I shopped all the fishing booths and got from Hub Sports both excellent advice for fly equipment for backcountry fishing and a truly excellent deal on some very high end stuff. I got him a 4 wt. 9' 4 pc. Sage rod and a matching new generation Sage reel. Ultralight-good, expensive-bad, good deal-good. Hubby LOVES it. Priceless!!

Wow, it sounds like you really scored at the show. You can't go wrong with a Sage rod. I've fished with a couple over the last 15 years or so and they're great rods. My Loomis 4 piece pack rod is very similar, but in 5wt. Good for your hubby.

I just received my Bass Pro Shops micro-light series 3 pc. 2-8 # spinning rod and tiny Pfleuger 4 # spinning reel. Is this a sweet little set up for packing or what!! The whole works cost $89.

Well, there's that hotbutton I forgot about. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> LOL


Put me in the fisherman column, please. I've been fishing all my life, and flyfishing for native southern app. brook trout - among other species( the brookie is actually a char, btw ) for nearly 15 years. The latest target( well, it's been out there for some years now actually) for anti-fishing groups is children with the motto " fishing hurts". My reply is that yes, indeed it may hurt the fish to hook it, but it's nothing compared to what happens to your chicken nuggets, big mac or Long John Silver's meal.

Sport fishing is about the only reason I go camping and hiking...it's not THE only reason, but it's what got me interested in better ways to get into the outdoors, stay there longer and enjoy being there more. Fishing is a connection to the living world - and esp. fly fishing, because you must imitate( often to a maddening level) the insects on which the fish are feeding. floating that fly down a creek into the mouth of a hungry 6 inch brook trout I enter it's world - it's life and it enters mine as I hold it in my wet hands and gently release it back into the river. Why, you may ask? So that someone else might have the joy of "role-playing" with this beautiful creature. My friends and I rarely eat wild fish, because they are more rare than the stockers, or pond/lake fish....but occasionally I'll pick up some tilapia fillets at home, and once a year - or maybe twice a year we'll cook some fish around the campfire.

Anyone that finds fishing to be morally wrong should be filing their objections with the Kingfisher, the otter, the eagle or the bear. Ditto hunting - you want to argue your moral objections to hunting, you should first stop the coyotes, snakes, bats, monkeys, tigers, bobcats, ant lions, spiders, whales, sharks, etc. etc. etc. from hunting. When the animals you think you have to protect decide hunting is wrong, then it's wrong. Until then, the deer I shoot today is the jerky I munch on next week. Ok, now I'm gettin' hungry.


Besides that - Jesus was known to hang around with a bunch of hooligans that fished with nets; so I figure my fly rod ain't all that bad. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

i don't mind anyone having their opinions and stating them about hunting and fishing, but they sure better not be expecting to give their side and not hear mine. I respect their decisions, but just like I wouldn't push someone who was against it to go hunt a deer or catch a bass, they shouldn't expect me to throw paint on someone's fur coat or throw rocks at fisherman. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

And by the way - I think it is AWESOME that this board is run to allow the opinions of so many different people to coexist. I know one fishing site that locks threads and deletes posts they don't like at the first sign of two differing opinions! No one will ever come to an understanding, or have any respect for the other side if every time something controversial comes up; it's swept under the rug and out the back door. Kudos to you guys and many thanks for the way you run this site. ( and not having to wade through line after line of filth is a wonderful thing too - I don't care what the verbally challenged think. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )

I hear you fishlicker. While fishing isn't the main reason I go backpacking, it's definitely up there in the list of reasons. There are simply too many trout in out of the way places in my neck of the woods to resist it. I agree that this forum is tolerant and diverse, in the true meaning of both words. As long as it's related to backpacking, that's all that matters.

Ahhh, Brookies.

WyoBob

That's a beauty!

"Besides that - Jesus was known to hang around with a bunch of hooligans that fished with nets; so I figure my fly rod ain't all that bad. "

Nets? Here in Texas we call 'em 'seins'.* ("coke" = soda = pop = dr. pepper <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) As a kid, me and my buds use to drag our creek to see what lived there. Gawked at the catch then dumped it out. You'd be labeled a serial killer if you did that today....even though we didn't kill anything.
Way too many city folk trying to call the shots out there.
"Fishing hurts"? Bass must be masochistic since they'll hit the same plastic bait over and over. The people who came up with that slogan probably never held a cane pole in their lives, nor had parents to show them how. Sad. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

*Jesus was a pro. He even knew which side of the boat to throw the 'sein'. I'd say the disciples were a tad over limit that day. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I fish, catch and release 95% of the time I'm out, especially in areas that I know are hard fished, so as to try and leave some breeders there for the future. It's all about being a true sportsman and never abusing the resource, or the surroundings of the resource IMO. Lots still to be taught to the folks who litter everywhere they go, it's my biggest pet peeve, and a great way to ruin a good day fishing. As soon as I start to see the area littered with 'fishing tackle packaging' I do my best to clean it up and move on to someplace less polluted in my mind <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Fishing can be as great an experience as backpacking in the outdoors, if folks have the basics down on resouce protection and conservation. Lots of hunting andf fishing dollars are spent protecting areas that are also used by folks 'just backpacking' through. It's a common ground, and folks need to be supportive of other people's shared use of the diminishing resources we have out there <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Nice Pic! and of course we all know who the greatest fisherman of all time was, and, no it ain't Curt Gowdy <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Same here, release 90% of the time. I am an old-schooled outdoorsman with a long history of both fishing and fire-craft. Both have been, and will continue to be a part of my outdoor experience . . . done with the respect and care they both deserve.

Everything has it's time and place, and knowing the difference is key.

~jk

Sierra gold.

[img][image]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm217/lv2fsh/vacaton06422.jpg[/img][/image]

Released to live on. I couldn't bring myself to eat one of these rare and beautiful fish even fron the lakes where it was allowed. There are plenty of willing brookies in other lakes that are scrumpcious.

[img][image]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm217/lv2fsh/vacaton06137.jpg[/img][/image]

[img][image]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm217/lv2fsh/vacaton06130.jpg[/img][/image]

If there is anything better than fresh caught trout cooked where it's caught then I haven't found it. I will say that I practice C&R 98% of the time and never freeze trout unless it's for my Mom and then only stocked fish from roadside waters.

Thanks for the nice photos lv2fsh! Looks like you have yer self a happy camper there! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Good cook too! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Wow, then I must be the antichrist because I go cat fishing alot during the summer, and use large live bluegill for bait. I throw the big ones back after taking a pic.


Now this is the part where your all supposed to shun me for my evil deeds.


There's that record breaking shovelhead or blue cat waiting for me to catch him!

Oh and in case you do not know, some of the biggest supporters of clean and healthy waters are fishing clubs and organizations.


FISH ON!!!


Tom

Fish On means fish dinner. I think fresh trout are the best almond encrusted. If the fishing is good, I'll keep a couple for dinner. But I also catch and release most of the time. Not to many people around me like <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> freshwater fish. But I do!

Just dust that trout with some instant mashed potatoes that you've seasoned, then cook it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

hey! One man's bait is another man's meal! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Sure we got sushi in Orygun, only we call it bait... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Fishing maybe worse then fire to some people, but what about us campers/hikers who hunt ?? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Salmon fishing in a undisclosed river 2 years ago (didn't really go last fall). I'm about 60 pounds lighter then I was in this picture now. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />



Animals may hide, fish may fight my line, but in the end, they are destined to be dinner. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Dimitri

Fishing aint so bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=003v8w_yrto

sorry,couldn't help myself. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />