Fashion or need

[Justice League]

Ok yesterday I finially got to fish for a few hours. When I go fishing I take very few things with me any more. I saw four people so weighted down with everything you could put on a vest. So I went home and made a catalog of everything I had. To my surprise I did not have that much stuff. Well let me explain I have a lot of stuff but it is for different types of fishing ie.. warm water, salt, and trout. Together there is a lot of stuff but sperated into catagories the groups become very small. Has anyone else done this?


Just interested
Jason

[ridgeliner]

No. You always need stuff. New stuff comes out that really looks good. You find old stuff that looks like it will work. You never have enough stuff. At least that is what I tell my wife.

[Panfisha]

My vest is heavy, but I don't even have that much. I have 3 boxes, 2 mediums for my streamers and dries, and a small for trout flies. 2 leaders, a leader straightener on a zip cord, pliers, tippet, indicators, and my license. Which isn't much to put in a small bag.

[Flyrodde]

I have very little and a lot of STUFF, too. The heaviest Item I will carry is a small tripod for my camera to video my cast while fishing. I also carry a rain jacket, gloves, bandana, lip balm spf15, small multi-tool, flashlight, lighter, fire starter, space blanket and a few cliff bars and maybe lunch in my back pack. I carry nippers, tippet, hemos, a dry fly blotter and floatant, leader wallet with various leadcore tips, a small box with indies, split shot and moldable weight in it + fly boxes in my chest pack. My trout flies fit in 2 small boxes, Salmon in a large box, Steelhead in a Large box, Warm water in a small box and Salt in a Large box. These boxes are in my wader/overnight extra clothes bag. I carry some other extra's in my wader bag also to replenish my packs (split shot, tippets, extra nippers, etc.). On my wading belt (I wear this without waders, too) I carry pliars, a knife, binoculars, and my camera. I also have a small pouch I can loop onto my belt if I am just fishing for a few hours or if I don't want to wear a chest pack. All of this stuff fits in or on my overnight bag. This bag is usually ready to go in my truck or in the corner of my room with my rods and reels. No packing, just grab and go. I use whatever pack I need with boxes added when I get to my fishing destination. I never carry it all when fishing, but all of it is always ready to go. When I get back I wash and clean whatever needs it, re organize and repack. It takes only a few minutes, and when I need to leave for a trip quickly I don't have to worry about leaving anything behind. It's taken me a couple years to figure out what I need and when I need it, but it works and I spend a lot more time fishing and a lot less time lugging around stuff I don't use.

[Kerry Stratton]

Depends on what you call stuff. I went fishing this morning for searun cutthroat. I took my 17' sled which required my pickup to pull it to the river. I also took a fishing partner because it easier to launch the boat with some help. Since there were 2 of us I took the dslr and a couple of lens so I could shoot some shots of my friend fishing. 2 rods, 2 reels with a couple of spools each, 3 fly boxes, a knife, pliers, several sizes of leaders and tippets, thermos, breakfast sandwich, lunch, stripping basket, landing net, hook file, nippers, sunglasses, water, life jackets, 2 anchors (I lost one to the bottom once so now I take 2) and the list continues on and on and on and I didn't even really get into the safety gear for the boat.

Oh, and we caught a few fish also.

[Eight Thumbs]

Hi JL,

Glad you finally got a chance to do a little fishing. My vest is definitely far too heavy. I'm afraid that I fall into that category of really weighted down. I'm actually going to take my vest into the post office during off hours and weight and record everything in my vest on that accurate postal scale. Then I can make some informed choices and ditch some of the weight. I suspect that the case of beer in the large, zipper back pocket may contribute significantly to the weight problem. 8T

[Heritage Angler]

I suspect that the case of beer in the large, zipper back pocket may contribute significantly to the weight problem. 8T

Carry Lite beer - problem solved.

[DShock]

One day, at East Lake, in central OR, I witnessed an amazing sight! I struck up a conversation with two flyfishers and one of the guys pulled out his accessory necklace, with (I'm not kidding) every fishing tool, that has ever been invented. I was speechless, and that is almost impossible!
Doug

[DG]

I NEED all my stuff. Honest. I do try to dump the pack out once in a while to filter out all the unneeded stuff, but a lot of it always seems to make it back in. The only heavy stuff is the water and the camera.

On that note, one day last winter I spent a day in the woods with my day pack on, working, wondering why it felt so heavy. Got home, dumped it out, and discovered that in addition to all the gear I actually needed, I had left two boxes of 12ga shotgun shells in it the last time I had gone duck hunting. I told myself it was exercise...

[Bamboozle]

I carry fishing only what I need and USE but keep LOTS of extra stuff in the car.

I'd rather walk out and restock than schlep around tons of gear I'll never use.

Been there, done that!