Back Country Fishing Gear

[OutdoorBowman]

FNG here and first post. This question is mainly towards the fishing tackle and gear only. All gear for hiking/camping we already have or have covered along with a good trauma med kit. If you have a suggestion about all gear that’s not normally thought about throw it out there as well.

I am planning a fishing trip in Colorado this summer. My plan is mainly trout in rivers, currently our main rivers are rather popular and have a lot of road running along side them. We are looking for more hidden gems as well. If you’re hiking into a small lake or creek or even a heavy flowing river such as the South Platte river high in the mountains what all fishing gear you taking? We wont be wading water but ok with getting feet wet. I’m taking matching ultra lite 6’6’’ 2 piece poles but that’s all i can think of needing, our poles and a small thing of tackle. Tackle I’m just looking at keeping it simple, rooster tails and small spoons. We are looking at the possibility of camping through the night if the right place is found. So all gear/tackle suggested needs to work along side camping gear. We will have two bags to split tackle, tent and pans. One 50L and the other 40L.

 

[MarlinMark]

A lot of water in the mountains is much more productively fished with fly fishing gear. It's more fun too. I've taught people to cast on my lawn.... it's intimidating and in those conditions you might hook a tree/bush of two but it's easier than spinners. And I love trout hitting spinners.

Just a thought.

 

[TaperPin]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

At the very least pick up casting bubbles and a half dozen wooley boogers and half dozen leaches. Leave 5’ between the bubble and streamer and cast like you would a spoon. Adding shot when needed to get down in fast water. If there is a big rock, a streamer will get quick action with the biggest fish under there.

You’ll catch more fish with flies in general and it’s not an exaggeration that a fly even remotely close to what fish are feeding on will double what you’ll get on a spoon or spinner. If it were me, I’d stop in a Colorado fly shop close to where you’ll be fishing and let them pick out a couple dozen flies and explain how they are normally fished.

 

[dtrkyman]

I bring a 3 or 4 weight and wade in sneakers. I am a dry fly snob these days and generally go in summer so I can just use dries!

Have a nice cutthroat stream I go to every summer.

I generally camp 8 plus miles in and pack as light as possible!

 

[justinspicher]

I take a 11’ tenkara rod and box of flies along with a Ruger 22/45 and I’ll see what kind of mischief I can get into.

 

[philos]

As other have said, don't overlook fly fishing gear, Tenkara or simply flies and a clear bubble float. It really can be productive in backcountry waters. If you do go with spinning equipment I would take quality barrel swivels (Rooster Tails will twist up your line in short order) and spare spools or extra line for you reels.

Also don't forget to practice filet and release if it make sense and is legal and you have a way to cook 'em up.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Definetly go with flies over spinning gear.

Don’t go with a tenkara rod, those are just BS, you can get a 6 piece Redington rod for cheap and a superlite resington reel for like 120.00.

If you go to Wyoming fly fishing dot com and add stuff to your cart (after you set up an account) but don’t buy it, they will send you a 10% discount code by email. That should more than cover shipping.

 

[Maverick1]

@OutdoorBowman - a few thoughts:
1. Bring and wear crocs. Use the closed toe crocs to keep the rocks and pebbles out. Crocs dry easily and keep boot or shoes from getting wet. Work well as camp shoes, too. Do not leave them out in the sun or they will shrink.
2. Bring a small collapsible rod/reel combo as a backup.
3. Consider bringing a hammock along for taking a mid-day nap - very nice when trying to take a nap on uneven, sloped, rocky, or ant-filled terrain.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

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[OutdoorBowman]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

At the very least pick up casting bubbles and a half dozen wooley boogers and half dozen leaches. Leave 5’ between the bubble and streamer and cast like you would a spoon. Adding shot when needed to get down in fast water. If there is a big rock, a streamer will get quick action with the biggest fish under there.
View attachment 816524
You’ll catch more fish with flies in general and it’s not an exaggeration that a fly even remotely close to what fish are feeding on will double what you’ll get on a spoon or spinner. If it were me, I’d stop in a Colorado fly shop close to where you’ll be fishing and let them pick out a couple dozen flies and explain how they are normally fished.

Definitely like this idea. I didn’t know about the bubbles. Being Ks locals spinning reels are much more ideal. Rather have a pole to use all year than once a year.

 

[WoolyBugger]

I would be throwing flies, you might even find yourself using a fly rod back home for bluegills and bass.

 

[TaperPin]

Definitely like this idea. I didn’t know about the bubbles. Being Ks locals spinning reels are much more ideal. Rather have a pole to use all year than once a year.

It doesn’t look like it when dry, but a leach or wooley bugger looks like a swimming leach or small swimming fish, and big fish will travel quite a ways to take it, but it can intimidate smaller fish - a small fly as a dropper off the streamer will pick up a lot of small bites. Small fly fishing shot is helpful to sink the fly to where the fish are. Also don’t avoid big deep pockets that require a lot of weight to get down to the bottom - some of the biggest fish can be hiding in big deep rough rocky water. I don’t enjoy fishing big rapids, but there are some big rocks I just can’t pass up. Take off the bubble if you are using enough weight to be able to cast it like a jig.

Just keep in mind fish take a fly, hold it for half a second and spit it out, so setting the hook when the bubble does anything weird is essential.

For advanced fly techniques simply follow basic fly fishing videos - the bubble is simply the means to get the fly out there, but it has to make sense. If fish aren’t rising, don’t waste time with dry flies on the surface, and get a wet fly under the surface maybe with a little weight. Many fish can be caught right off the bottom, even bouncing a nymph over the tops of the rocks in the stream bed. Fly fishing leader makes droppers much easier. A cheap small fly box will pay for itself day one, and a good one is worth it if you enjoy it.

 

[OutdoorBowman]

@OutdoorBowman - a few thoughts:
1. Bring and wear crocs. Use the closed toe crocs to keep the rocks and pebbles out. Crocs dry easily and keep boot or shoes from getting wet. Work well as camp shoes, too. Do not leave them out in the sun or they will shrink.
2. Bring a small collapsible rod/reel combo as a backup.
3. Consider bringing a hammock along for taking a mid-day nap - very nice when trying to take a nap on uneven, sloped, rocky, or ant-filled terrain.

Hammock is definitely a smart one. We will have a rod and reel. We won’t be fly fishing

 

[butcherboy]

If you are fishing really small creeks then a spoon or spinner is a waste of time. They work on bigger rivers and lakes. A dry fly or nymph on a spin cast works well with a little split shot above it. I prefer a small 6’-7’ fly rod for backcountry and usually around a 3 weight. If I want to fish a nymph then I’ll fish my home waters in the quality section of the San Juan.

 

[oldskool67]

Ultra lite spinning gear. 2-4# line. Fly and bubble, spinners, power bait worms / grubs. I prefer the tiny Panther Martins for spinners, black and yellow combos. Some red, gold, and chrome combos depending on light. Assorted small split shot. I’ve caught many many wild trout in tiny CA Sierra streams on these combos, not just planted rainbows.