Bill,
Thank Gawd I'm not the only one! Seems like I'm always forgetting or
misplacing something these days.
Yep, I've been packing in full float tube gear. I can't always count
on easy access for shore fishing or wading and I hate constantly
worrying about my backcast. Plus, I can cover more water with a tube,
so the weight seems like a small price for the convenience.
Actually, the pack isn't that heavy - about 25 - 30 pounds. It's
lighter if it's nice weather and I don't have to pack extra layers
and rain gear. I don't bring boots but wear the zip-up
neoprene/rubber soled 'flats' booties instead. They weight about a
third as much. I could probably even leave the waders behind when
it's really warm.
I bought a little MSR water filter and pump which means I don't have
to lug along a lot of water. I start out with a cup or two and just
pump more as needed when I come across a source along the way. It's a
lot safer than drinking unfiltered water. My attorney caught a bad
case of giardia a few years ago and it took him quite a while to
shake it.
A friend packed his tube into a remote lake in BC last year to find
fish rising all around him only to have his tube spring a leak. Guess
what? No patch kit. So I take one of those along as well now.
Kent
>Kent,
>
>I can sympathize with you about forgetting your reel. Shame you
>didn't have a spinning reel along so you could have jury rigged
>something... like a hand carved cedar "bobber" to give you weight to
>get a fly out.
>
>Question for you. You guys didn't pack in float tubes and waders,
>and boots, and waders, did you? Those things are heavy.
>
>I'm looking at getting back to backpacking again this year. So..
>maybe we'll run into each other somewhere.
>
>I have a couple of "interesting" hikes that involve stream fishing.
>No heavy gear to take along for those trips.
>
>One I went on in the early 90's. We drove up to the trailhead over
>by Lake Wenatchee and I had my mountain bike along and intended to
>use it to get to the wilderness border. Turned out the F.S. changed
>the regs that year and I couldn't use a bike to get most of the way
>in. Had to hoof it. Well.. we packed in 3.2 miles and had some fun
>fishing for what I call "brown cutthroat". They're west slope cutts
>and a nice looking brown color. Fished for a couple of hours and
>then hiked back to the truck. Tried getting in truck. Found out I'd
>lost my keys back where I fished. Thought I'd take my bike back and
>found out that it was locked up and that key was on my key ring.
>Hiked back to the fishing spot... found the keys right where I'd set
>my pack down the first time.. and hiked back to the truk. I'd
>planned on a 6 1/2 mile round trip hike... but that second round
>trip sorta grated at me. I try to keep my keys safe after that.
>
>I had a trout up in BC yank my rod over the side. Besides having
>$700 of rod and reel over the side, I found out I was out of
>business as that was the only reel body I had with me. The rest of
>the gear was spare spools. I got my outfit back the next morning
>after the fish finally broke off and the line floated to the
>surface, but it wasn't fun waiting for morning so I could continue
>my search.
>
>I was fishing a damsel nymph on a floating line. Just set the rod
>down for a second so I could pick up something on the bottom of the
>boat. During that moment a fish slammed into the fly and that's how
>I temporarily lost the rod.
>
>Bill
>
> > ----------
> > From: Kent[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> > Reply To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 9:09 AM
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: RE: Backpack Question
> >
> > This backpacking thread is probably as good a time as any to
>unburden my soul about my first pack trip in to a mountain lake last
>year.
> >
> > Former listmember and good friend Jeff Ryder and I were planning
>a hike into Janus Lake, just over Stevens Pass and along the Pacific
>Crest Trail. As Jeff is young and strong while I'm old and slow, I
>spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the hike, trying
>to pare down non-essential weight to keep my pack as light as
>possible.
> >
> > At the last minute, my mountaineering neighbor who had been
>following my packing efforts from across the street, offered me his
>old JanSport frame pack, a vast improvement over the old Kelty I was
>struggling to cram everything into. Grateful for the loan, I
>transferred everything from the old Kelty into the JanSport, lashed
>fins and rod tube to the back and I was ready to set out the next
>morning.
> >
> > The walk in was nearly 4 miles with a net elevation gain of about
>zero, although the rise and fall each way was about 750 feet. After
>the hour and a quarter 'death march,' I gratefully shrugged off the
>30-pound JanSport when we reached the camping area at the southeast
>corner of Janus Lake.
> >
> > As we rigged up and got ready to put in, I discovered I had left
>my reel in my old Kelty in my garage back in Redmond!
> >
> > 'Loser,' was all I could think about as I ransacked my pack in
>futile hopes of finding the missing reel.
> >
> > Leaving me to my dark thoughts, Jeff paddled out to start
>trolling a wooly bugger up the middle of the lake as he made his way
>to the other end. After giving up on trying to string 10 or 15 feet
>of 4x tippet to my rod, I reluctantly paddled after him, struggling
>to co> ntent myself with taking pictures and enjoying his fishing
>experience vicariously. >
> >
> > Fishing was slow until Jeff switched to a #12 Goddard Caddis and
>started working the weedbeds along the the northeast shore. He
>picked up maybe a half dozen cutts in the 12 - 14 inch range as we
>worked our way around the north end with me paddling along behind,
>avoiding his backcast, looking for rises and taking pictures.
> >
> > About 100 yards down the brushy west side, Jeff was working a
>brown humpy close to a fallen log near the bank when he got a really
>big pull that became the fish of the day. After an extended
>struggle, he finally released a fat, 17 inch cutthroat once I
>snapped a quick picture.
> >
> > Feeling satisfied with his efforts so far (and probably a little
>sorry for the loser in the next tube!), Jeff offered me his rod and
>we switched places.
> >
> > My first cast after his big cutt, I hooked its brother within two
>feet of shore and ended up releasing a thick 16 inch cutthroat. The
>next half hour saw me hook a fish after fish as we worked our way
>down along the west bank.
> >
> > We took turns with Jeff's rod several more times before finally
>pulling out mid-afternoon for the hike back. Aside from the two
>brutes we released earlier, most of the rest of the fish that day
>were from 12 to 14 inches. All told, we hooked and released nearly
>50 fish between us. Not bad for two guys using one rod.
> >
> > And yes, I now double and triple check to make sure I've not
>forgotten some other vital piece of gear every time I pack.
> >
> > Kent Lufkin
> >
> >
> > I, too, use a packrod.
> >
> > I have a 4 pc. 6 wt. fiberglass Fenwick. It was my mom's and
>was made in
> > +/- 1967. It is in beautiful shape and I like using it, although I'm
> > thinking of upgrading to a 4-5 pc. graphite rod...but I won't
>take any of my
> > two piece rods into the backcountry. Besides being too long
>for off-trail
> > travel, the rod case is too heavy.
> >
> > Jeff
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Warner, Paul W [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> > Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 8:19 AM
> > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
> > Subject: RE: Backpack Question
> >
> >
> > Kent,
> >
> > I liked your story about backpacking with a 9', 2 piece rod.
>The first big
> > trip I went on out here was going into Joe Lake off of
>Snoqualmie pass. I
> > took in a 10', 2 piece 5wt and ended up using the rod case as a hiking
> > stick. The last mile into the lake I told my friend that
>the shortcut down
> > the ridge didn't look all that bad. understatement. At one
>point of that
> > trip down I was hanging onto bushes with both hands and my feet were
> > scrambling for a foothold. I knew if I let go I'd slide or
>tumble about
> > 100' down to the lake. We had to do things like tie ropes to
>our packs to
> > lower them down inorder to get to the lake. We sure made a
>trip down much
> > harder than it should have been.
> >
> > That was the last trip I took my long rod into. After that
>it was pack rods
> > for me.
> >
> > Bill
> >
> > > ----------
> > > From: Kent[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> > > Reply To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 6:36 PM
> > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > Subject: Re: Backpack Question
> > >
> > > Hi Sean,
> > >
> > > I used to backpack a lot while in college years ago and
>even packed into
> > some remote northern California mountain lakes with my old lightweight
> > spin/fly Fenwick rod. The state of the art back then was a
>nylon Kelty on an
> > aluminum frame to which one could strap all manner of stuff.
> > >
> > > Fast forward 25 years. I was reintroduced to backpacking
>last summer as a
> > means to the end of getting into lakes that were much less
>fished than their
> > drive-to counterparts. In dusting off my old pack, I found
>that its buckles
> > had rusted and that many of its straps and zippers were all
>but unusable. To >
> > top it off, I have no idea what ever became of the waist strap!
> > >
> > > > A mountaine> ering neighbor loaned me his ten-year old
>JanSport frame pack
> > which I used for the first two expeditions. But its
>suspension system and
> > nearly nonexistent back panels must have been designed by sadists, so I
> > started shopping for other, newer alternatives.
> > >
> > > Several manufacturers still make frame packs, but over the
>past several
> > years, more expensive (and profitable) internal frame packs
>have become all
> > the rage. Originally intended for mountain climbers, they have a single
> > large compartment into which all gear is packed and the internal frame
> > allows it to fit closer to your back.
> > >
> > > I comparison shopped at REI, Marmot Mountain, Outdoor
>Emporium and Sports
> > Authority. Internals started at around $175 and ran up to
>over $500. The few
> > frame packs available were more modestly priced at from about
>$90 up to $250
> > or so. After trying on several dozen packs, many with dummy weights to
> > simulate a real load, I ended up buying another frame pack, a
>Kelty West
> > Coast.
> > >
> > > I chose the frame pack for several reasons:
> > >
> > > I tend to sweat profusely when provoked through
>exertion and the
> > frame pack sat further away from my back than the internals,
>offering better
> > ventilation.
> > >
> > > The frame design is definitely easier to attach extra
>stuff like rod
> > tubes or fins to. Just use a couple nylon straps, twine or
>even some duct
> > tape and away you go.
> > >
> > > The Kelty West Coast had an awesome suspension system that was
> > easily adjustable to my particular body shape. It distributed
>the weight
> > well between my shoulders and waist and allows me to easily change the
> > weight balance without taking it off.
> > >
> > > Finally, it was cheaper. I got it at REI for about $160.
> > >
> > > So here's what I'd suggest:
> > >
> > > Try on lots of packs.
> > >
> > > Make sure you dummy load 'em up with 25 or 30 pounds
>to see how they
> > feel with a load. REI and Marmot will let you do this, but
>the chain stores
> > will just give you a blank look.
> > >
> > > Ask for help in adjusting the pack to your own body
>size and shape.
> > Better packs tend to offer a wider range of adjustments.
> > >
> > > Make sure it'll hold all the gear you'll need.
> > >
> > > For day trips, I take a deflated float tube, breathable waders, flats
> > boots (NOT felts, they're too heavy), fins, PFD, extra
>clothes, rain gear,
> > lunch, water bottle/filter, compass, maps, camera, patch kit, first aid
> > stuff, plastic garbage b> ags to put wet tube and waders
>into, plus rod,
> > reel and gear. I seem to always end up taking more than I
>use, but not by
> > much. My pack has been weighing about 30 pounds or so. >
> > >
> > > My first couple trips I took along my 9-foot 3-weight
>two-piece in its
> > tube. I lashed it to the pack but it kept snagging low
>branches so I ended
> > up carrying it instead. I've since bought a five-piece
>4-weight in a short
> > tube that'll fit inside my pack.
> > >
> > > I haven't done an overnighter with tubing gear yet, but I'd
>guess that
> > tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, toiletries, flashlight, stove, pans and
> > cooking/eating gear and food would add another 15 pounds or
>so. If you pack
> > in with a buddy, you can share the weight of the tent, cooking gear and
> > food. That's where having a pack that's big enough to stow or
>attach all
> > that stuff really comes in handy.
> > >
> > > Sorry for the term paper length. Hope this helps,
> > >
> > > Kent
> > >
> > >
> > > Since everyone is talking about hiking into lakes
>recently I figured
> > I
> > > would ask about what packs you use. I saw somewhere
>recently a pack
> > that
> > > had came with rod tubes and a dry storage area but
>have not been
> > able to
> > > find it. I am curious about what you guys use to pack
>in your rods,
> > > float tubes, tent, etc. Basic frame packs or are
>there some specific >
> >
> > > > packs built for flyfishing out t> here.
> > >
> > > Any suggestions are appreciated as usual.
> > >
> > > -sean
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> >
