Vest, satchel, or what?

[DarrellP 0]

How do you guys carry your fishing gear?  If I am in my. tube, I just put my boxes in the tube pockets and wear a lanyard.  Otherwise I use a satchel.  How about you guys?

[niveker 0]

Backpack when in the kayak, on the beach, or not wading in the river. One fly small box for emergencies when I'm driving around for work, and a 60lb vest when wading the rivers for trout - 😆

[flytire 0]

lanyard and a small box of flies

bluegills don't require a full buffet 

[gadabout 0]

For trout fishing, I have always used a vest.  I like to have a full complement of flies with me at all times.  I don’t select flies before a trip.  They are all in there, as I really don’t know what I’ll need until I get to the river.

For warmwater and saltwater, I can get away with a much smaller selection of flies. Consequently, a small sling pack does the job for these applications.

[Poopdeck 0]

If I’m wading I carry as little as possible no matter what I’m fishing for. For me it depends on how long I’m fishing for. If it’s the entire or most of the day I’ll carry a Cabelas sling pack because it carry’s two bottles of water, nuts, energy bars and a few fly boxes. If I’m going after dinner or for a half day, I’ll just carry a few boxes in my pocket with a convertible lanyard on my wader straps for tools, leader,  tippet, etc. My trout boxes are the smallest. I find PT nymphs, hares ears, adams, EHC, and Stuart spiders cover 99.9% of my trout fishing needs anywhere I go. My WW boxes cover many different species so I tend to have way more flies for WW fishing but still limit what I carry by deciding what WW species I want to target. In my boat there is no limit and I just use Plano boxes. I’ve been fishing the same places for years so there’s really no mysteries left. 

[RickZieger 0]

Probably to many if I am on the shore or in the canoe. 

Rick 

[cphubert 0]

Vest normally, but a daypack over it for long day exploring trips. In the canoe/kayak or cold water and salt wading I use a sling pack, stores well in a milk crate in the canoe and allows me to keep my PFD on, I often wear a inflatable PFD when cold water wading (winter steelhead).

[Trouttramp 0]

Orvis large Sling pack, comfortable, very nicely designed, holds lots of stuff, probably too much. It’s like a chest pack when swung around in front or a backpack when worn in back. Best of both worlds. 
 I found it to be  less bulky in front better for casting. In my kayak it stores between my legs easily, 
On some small streams I use a lanyard with a fly box in my wader pocket. 

 

[Sandan 0]

On 7/23/2023 at 11:05 AM, niveker said:

Backpack when in the kayak, on the beach, or not wading in the river. One fly small box for emergencies when I'm driving around for work, and a 60lb vest when wading the rivers for trout - 😆

@niveker  I wish my vest was only 60 lbs. 

[niveker 0]

LoL 

[flyflinger 0]

It's my traditional vest - Simms Guide Vest - been wearing it for decades.  It was especially useful when I was guiding because it carried a lot, and clients went through leaders, tipped, flies, etc.  And you needed to be prepared for any possible hatch with the right flies.  And you usually didn't know which river you were going to, and rarely went back to the vehicle during the trip.  After I retired from guiding, I was just accustomed grabbing that one vest, along with lunch, any specialized fly boxes, waders, rod and reel - the vest has everything else:  any possible flies, net, rain jacket, water, sunglasses (several options), thermometer, bug vials, leaders, tippet, tools, TP, sunblock, insect repellent, floatant, split shot, the occasional cigar, and . . . you get the idea!  

Regards,     

[Bryon Anderson 0]

I started with the traditional vest; went through several versions but could never find one that quite suited me. My mom once gave me one from Bass Pro that I liked a lot, but it was heavy (even empty). Even so, I used it until all the zippers on the pockets failed. By that time, I had gotten to the point that I carried mostly buggers and streamers for trout, or streamers and poppers for bass, so I was getting into larger fly boxes that barely fit into the largest pockets on a vest, so I turned my attention to various types of packs. 

I think I've tried just about every kind of pack they've made; they all had good features, but there was always something I didn't like that kept me on the lookout for something better. Chest packs got in the way, sling packs were forever whipping around to the front when I had to bend over, etc. My biggest gripe about all of them (vests too) was that none of them had what I considered a good way to store a net. (I hate having a net dangling on my back where it can flop around and get caught on streamside foliage.) 

For the last couple of years, I've been using the Fishpond Switchback Pro system, which I like pretty well. It holds plenty of stuff, it's comfortable enough to wear for a full day, and it has a nice loop that holds my net securely in an easy-to-reach position. 

 

[DFoster 0]

 I have 2 wade fishing setups.  Fly fishing gear is a personal choice, this is what works for me.

For trout on streams I use a 90's Orvis Super-L-Pac vest.  It's a classic and I love classic- to a fault.  31 pockets with IMO the best vest lay out of all time.  In the front 4 main pockets I carry 2 medium and 3 small fly boxes along with 2 ultra thin magnetic compartment boxes for micro flies size 20 and smaller.  The other front pockets hold all the typical stream gear/gadgets most trout anglers carry.  On the back there is room for a light rain coat, small first aid kit, sandwich, snacks, water bottle, cigars and a very small Wolf's Moon short handle wood net hanging from a magnet.  The vest does get heavy but trout around here can be picky.  My free time is limited.  If I'm going to use it trying to catch trout I want the ability to offer a wide variety of presentations to the fish on the spot.  Where I'm typically trout fishing it can be a very long walk or often wade back to the car if I need something.  

 

For Small Mouth and Land locked Salmon I use the LL Bean Rapid River Micro chest pack.  Where I fish for Smallies I generally can drive up stream side and have relatively easy access to my vehicle.  Therefore I don't need to carry nearly as much gear as I do for trout.

I carry 1 box of streamers, split shot and 6lb and 4Lb floro to construct the terminal end of my leader.  It also has a water bottle holder on the bottom.  I have an aluminum Frabill net on the back.

 

 

[gadabout 0]

I still use my Orvis Super-Tackle-Pac.  I agree with you.  It’s a great layout.  I really don’t think about what it weighs when I’m fishing.  I’m too absorbed in what I’m doing.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Haven't waded for bonefish in years - but when I did... it was always super minimalist... Pockets empty, except for a folding knife, key to my vehicle on a lanyard around my neck as well as a pair of nippers for leaders, a pair of forceps (to act in lieu of pliers) clipped to a shirt pocket and allowed to hang.... All of the few flies with me, as well as a few coiled leaders in a ziplock baggie up under my hat... 

The real item I'd impart to anyone wading the tropics - is foot protection and sun protection... I always wore long lightweight trousers and a long sleeved shirt with a high rated sunscreen on any skin showing (but that was actually not enough.. these days I get to see my dermatologist, and his scalpel every three months...).  Here's a pic of my daily face setup...

and you can add sungloves as well... 

Any kind of old tennis shoe will do for foot protection - or you can spend a few bucks and get something designed as a "flats boot"... Whatever you choose make sure it's not too tight - and has a good puncture proof sole... Be very wary of any cuts or abrasions in tropic salt or brackish waters...  If any occur - get to your ER without delay and ask them to check for "vibrio" a bacteria that can ruin your day in short order if neglected (the press call it "flesh eating" bacteria..).  Catch it early and no problem at all - delay a day or two, give it a head start and you could lose a limb - or your life.. 

Sorry for the bad news - but I have lots of anglers that have never been exposed to tropical sun and some of the things that go with it - so I tend to preach about it.

Me?  I known eight or nine over the years that went down from melanoma - that stuff just isn't funny at all...