Fishing Gear

“Growing up with the Tennessee River at my backdoor I spent a lot of time fishing. However, for the last several year bping has been the majority of my outdoor recreation. It seems as if I can never find time to do both together. Back in the summer I left my rod at the house and passed up the opportunity to pull a few monster 48" Bull Trout (threatened must catch and release) out of a lake we hike a few days to get to. We really could have reduced the amount of food we brought if we had of fried up a few rainbows. Does anyone take time to fish on bp trips? I have yet to find a decent pack rod and reel without paying a pretty price. What are some trails with great spots to fish?”

“That is something I've always wanted to do. Backpack in to a fishing hole, spend the day fishing, backpack to a new spot, fish ect.

Problem is I don't know diddly about fishing.”

“Been thinking about putting together that type of trip in the smokies for a while now.”

“packmule...my prob too..i figure you can get one of those cheap walmart folding rods and a so so reel...and a few choice lures/plastic worms...my prob is i don't know what to use where and for what..i already got the rod and reel..just need to know what lures and how to use them”

“Yeah, I got a telescoping spining outfit at WalMart before my Gregory Bald trip last July.

Didn't use it once! Plus I have had a strong interest in fly fishing for a while. My wife was so kind as to get me a rod and reel setup LAST christmas. I just have to learn to use them.

If I do put together a trip like that I'll be sure to post it here and get some of y'all to come out for it. Promise.

I guess we need to start drowning 'em and see what bites!”

“drowning em?...newbies?..i just couldn't!!!...errr wait...i'm a newbie to TT...ARGHH... I can fish with crickets, live worms, liver, and shiners. I wanna learn Artificial stuff”

“Gonna try for the first time on my Piney River trip coming up,there will be a couple of us gonna try it out. Tkjing a cheapo ultralight-
I got a feeling there might be something in that creek.”

“The best way to learn to fish is from a local. The second best is the right books. My grandpa had the these, and later editions have served me well.


McClane's New Standard Fishing Encyclopedia: And International Angling Guide

and

McClane's Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America
by Albert Jules McClane

”

“My old roomy and I used to just catch whatever we could find living int he vacinity for bait i.e. grasshoppers, nightcrawlers, newts, etc. and lace 'em up on a hook. Worked pretty well for catching brookies. Lately I find myself leaving the rod and reel at home to save weight but I think this spring I'll change my tune and get back into it. Nothing like fresh trout for breakfast, lunch and dinner!”

“HPM, i foresee a freshwater and saltwater fishing trip to cumberland!”

“I had the opportunity to buy one of those expencive folding rods at a closing sports store for 1/2 off last year and used it on an 8 day hike. I caught a whole lot of Trout but, not sure I'll carry fishing gear on any more long hikes. I just wanted to rest when we got to camp, not fish.”

“He Radagast--sign me up for a beach
/ fishin trip.
Sounds like a blast!!”

“That would be sweet Rad.”

“can i go shore diving??..who wants to help me carry my scuba gear too?”

“You can always buy that world famous Ronco "Pocket Fisherman"
Don't laugh I know a guy who uses it all the time.”

“I do quite a bit of B.P. flyfishing, in fact more than I do Distance Hiking anymore.
You cant find a decant B.P. flyrod dirt cheap the Orvis Silver Label is about as cheap as it gets, around 200 - 250. I don't use a pack rod, mine is a 7.5 foot Sage two piece, the case makes a good hiking staff.
I don't like the action of the 5 piece rods, and a short 2 piece is much better.
I have a new F.F. forum on my site and some of the local outfitters come by from time to time. In fact there is quite a bit of F.F. info there, check us out.

Woodland Trails”

“I bought a rod and reel from Campmor for the boyfriend. He leaves the case at home the whole thing with a little bait and stuff weighs less than 8 ounces. The pole comes apart in short pieces. I think it cost around $40. He has been using it for several years now and we have had some nice trout dinners. We have nice trout breakfast and lunch too because we always eat the fishies right after he catches them. He just steams them and we have something like cornbread stuffing and applesauce to go with it. If he gets a big fish he just cuts it into 4" chunks so it will fit in the tiny one quart pot we carry. Making me hungry just writing this.”

“Hmmm...when I was a kid I had a fishing tackle setup that I made from a wooden clothes pin (the peg type, not the kind with the spring hinge). It was pretty basic but if you knew how to use it, it worked just as well as a rod and real. It was great for backpacking. It took a lot of practice to get good at 'reeling' them in, though.”

“a cheap outfit will catch fish just fine, just be sure to use fresh line. Often the cheap sets have heavy line that has been on the spoll "God knows how long" and the line remembers the twist and causes all sorts of havoc. Use the lightest line like 2lb test. You'll be able to cast farther and won't need alot of weight on the line. I've had success with white grubs (1.5 inch) with 1/16oz jig heads. Also try plastic worms with cone-head sinkers. You can use your spinning reel on your fly rod so you can fish both ways and only take one rod.”

“I never BP without my trusty telescoping Walmart rod and I also have a nicer spin reel. If you take a ziplock of nightcrawlers (you gotta poke holes in it)and some spinners(roostertails) you can catch bass,trout,catfish, bluegill,perch and who knows what else. Get a tiny organizer box and put in the smallest bobbers,a pinch of sinkers,several sizes of hooks and four or five spinning type baits (Meppes or Walmart sells a cheaper one that works,or roostertails)and you throw the spinner out and pull it back at different speeds till something hits. If that doesn't work put a hook and sinker and worm on and fish the bottom. Most important is DON'T LET THE FISH SEE YOU! I caught a 21 inch rainbow on this walmart pole, I used 6 lb. test NEW line I had to work it but I got it. It's fun. Wonder if it will work in Peru in the Amazon? I'm going to try it, I'm going Feb.10 . Yea baby-catching fish in the Amazon-I'm blessed!”

“Man y'all, I gots the itchin' to go fishin'.

I don't know what my summer will bring with the baby coming and all but I'm really liking the idea of a fishing trip.”

“So where is a good area to go backpacking and fishing?”

“Sistah: Be sure to tell us about the Amazon trip!”

“Zeus, Not Ohio! Wind River Range in the alpine lakes is where I caught that 21 inch rainbow, I also did very well in the Ozarks in The Buffalo River, I caught a huge smally. God! Winter is killing me!”

“One can backpack and fish in Grand Canyon. They are spawning right now so you can catch them in the big river as they come to the side streams.”

“If you are going to use artificial lures, here are two helpful hints.

Bait Fish always work. Minnows, Shad, etc. Start off with med to small sizes.

Bugs. This one can be a little hard to do if you've never b-packed the area.

Take a look at the bugs near the water and in the area, then get jigs that look close to what you see. COLOR and Size are important. If the area has small bugs, don't use a lure that weighs 5 pounds...

Typically if I fish an area that I've never been to, I take some rubber minnows, some yellow buck tails, rubber worms, a rubber frog, and some spinning crappie jigs. Yellow is always a good color choice (reliable), good but not always the best. You need to know what the fish are feeding on.

Stop by the Lake, pond, stream, creek, and watch what the fish are feeding on. If you don't see them feeding on the surface, it's bait fish they're after.. On the surface... bugs... So fish accordingly”

“Thanks. Know any spots near sc?”

“Oh and as far as a b-packing rod? I use a 2 piece 6 foot rod (Berkley for me) and a real. Keep the real in a ziplock in your pack, and put the rod in a cardboard tube (with top and bottom caps) strapped to your pack. My pack is about 2 1/2 feet tall and the tube is about 6 inches taller than my pack yet isn't higher than my head.

You'll need to take some care when walking through brush and low trees, but you're b-packing and you would anyway.”

“Dude I live in Nebraska... I was in SC about 15 years ago on a bus trip to Florida”

“Well dont have to be IN sc, just somewhere around it.”

“Zeus I hear many of the larger mountain streams around the Smokies are great places. And the tougher they are to get to the better. For those of you visiting the Sipsey, one of its small rivers was recently stocked with trout. The bad news is I do not think the river or stream is accessible by trail. I really don’t know exactly where it is at, this information came from a good friend of mine who mention they caught several last year below a dam but most were too small to keep. Because it is a small area and only a few small dams around someone familiar with the area may know exactly where he was talking about. The creeks and streams around the trail hold plenty of redeye bass, bluegill and even a few smallmouth. Of course, the water temperature is the key with catching any fish. Most of the streams around the Sipsey don’t produce any action until the water temperature rises in late June.”

“what are some of your go to lures and flies for all you backpacking fishermen? I have all the lures and flies I use to catch trout in almost any condition in one small 8"x5" tackle container.

for lures I have a couple 1/6oz Thomas Buoyant Spoons.
a few Krocodile spoons are good for windy days.
for spinners I have some Rooster Tails and Vibrex spinners.
for the big boys I always have a few small rapala's.
for flies I have various colors and sizes of egg sucking leeches, nymphs, and stimulators.
secret killer lure is Jake's Spin-A-Lure, also called a Wyoming Whoopee since they are only available in the Rocky Mtn states. they don't look like much and they have virtually no action, but when they do move they dart erratically in a way that draws strikes.”

“One lightweight rig and perhaps three Panther Martins of varying colors schemes.

For the SE (bass and bream):
Same rig and a pack of Zoom Strawberry U-tails, splitshot and hooks (Carolina rig), a couple Beetle Spins, and maybe a Rapala.

So you fish, melissaboy? HOWEVER do you get that GROSS smell off your hands? Oh, I bet you wear rubber gloves...”

“Trailhound is full of it. Bull trout are endangered and you will be on the fish police’s hot list if you kill one, but they do not get to 48 inches in length. “Bull trout are known to thrive in cold mountain lakes and streams, where they can reach ages of more than 20 years and lengths of 30 to 70 cm, depending on the food available and growing conditions in their environment.” (Copyright © 1998-2001 Government of Alberta) That 28 inches max. Still a big trout. But you tells the truth about fishing?”

“I've had some good luck with 1/8oz, 1/12oz, and 1/4oz Kastmasters, in the blue/chrome or turqoise/chrome colors, in high lakes. I've had some luck sometimes with the gold colored ones, too. It's actually my favorite lure. Humdingers have worked well, too, when trolling from my tube. Just about any Mepps spinner seems to work well for me, and I'm going to be giving their "spin fly" a try this season.

ever tried Daredevils while trolling?
for flies I like the Elk Hair Caddis or Adams for dries. the Elk Hair Caddis seems to hold up better. I also use a Yellow Humpy with good luck.

for wets, I think plain old Hares Ears and Pheasant tail nymphs work fine, and I like Zug Bugs, too. I also carry a few chironomids. One thing I've never without on high lakes are my terrestrials. black and red ant patterns work great and small beetles.”

“I actually agree with militiaboy here. I've had good luck on mountain lakes with mepps and Thomas lures. But I'm using flys more lately. I've tried most of those patterns mentioned above, but have gotten better results lately with beadheads. The trout are more likely feeding below the surface. All things considered, though, it's fun to nail one with a dry fly on a lightweight rod.”

“On last year's llama-rama, I took my 4-piece graphite rod, without the case, some lures suggested by Mel, various and sundry other equipment consistent with the sport, and when all was said and done, it weighed just under 21 ounces.

On the other hand, I put on about 5 times that, eating all the trout with those special breadings and seasonings!

Yee Hahhhh!

Damn, them was good trout, wasn't dey?”