De-Fishing Soap from Jason Klass on Vimeo. Anyone who has fished on a backpacking trip and retired to your tent for the night has probably had a thought lurking in the back of their mind before drifting off to sleep: Am I going to end up as bear dinner? Luckily, this biodegradable soap takes the…
To a Western fly angler who is used to a nail knot or handshake connection (loop to loop) to connect their leader to their fly line, connecting a Tenkara fly line to the rod can seem a bit baffling. Here’s a quick demonstration on how to connect a Tenkara fly line to your new Tenkara…
The Balloon Caddis is one of my favorite all-time caddis flies (and dry flies for that mater). It’s versatile, durable, and easy to tie. This innovative pattern designed by Austrian fly fishing mogul Roman Moser (one of my fly tying heroes) belongs in every fly box (especially for the backpacking angler). Materials Hook: Partridge Mike…
Anyone thinking about getting into Tenkara fishing should visit Tenkara Bum. Chris Stewart has put together one of the most extensive collections of information on Tenkara gear and techniques in the English language (no Kanji required!). As an early adopter of Tenkara fly fishing, his in-depth reviews will not only help you decide which rod…
For those of you who couldn’t go fishing today, here’s a little Tenkara porn. At 1:57 you’ll see one method I use to store my like when moving between spots where it might be brushy. Sometimes, I wrap it around the rod instead. What do you do with your line when you have to move…
I just ran across a really unique site that Tenkara and Backpacking Fly Fishers alike might find interesting. It’s called The Eclectic Angler and it has a good mix of finished products (such as hand made reels) and DIY supplies for reelsmithing and line making. Of particular note for Tenkara fishers, they sell horse hair…
This easy-to-make strike indicator was invented by the French during an international fly fishing competition and was recently featured in Fly Fisherman Magazine. It’s basically a monofilament “spring” that is very sensitive and gives you a good visual indication of even the most subtle strikes. I don’t know if the French have a name for…
Here’s my favorite, general purpose midge pattern. It’s easy to tie and very effective. While you could tie them in any color I mostly tie them only in black. Materials Hook: Tiemco 2488 #20 – 24 Thread: Red 8/0 Abdomen: Hareline Ultra Chenille Micro, black Thorax: Hareline Ice Dub, Olive Brown Breathers: Polypropylene Yarn, white…
To me, one of the most interesting challenges of fly fishing on multi-day hikes is coming up with a system that allows you to carry all of the essentials without lugging a 15 lb. vest up the trail. Although my system is constantly evolving, here’s one that I found works well. Total weight (including rod): …
I’m one of those people who likes to fish my way up to my campsite. I’m usually not wading so leaving my pack on while I hit pocket water along the way is my typical MO. Yet, I want quick access to my flies, floatant, nippers, and tippet. Here’s a great little pouch you can…
For many of us, backpacking deep into the wilderness means fishing small streams with a lot of pocket water. I ran across this quick video demonstrating the high-sticking technique with some tips on how to avoid drag in these tricky little pockets.
A long time ago, multi-piece fly rods were considered junk. The technology to prevent multiple ferrules from compromising the action of the rod simply hadn’t been perfected yet. Fast-forward to the present and we are lucky enough to have a multitude of pack rods that cast just as well as 2-piece rods. Lucky for us,…
For the backpacking fly fisher, choosing flies that are multi-use allows you to save space and carry a lighter, more packable fly box. I can’t think of a better, more versatile pattern than the humble hair-wing dun. It’s easy to tie, can represent a variety of species, and is convertible. Leave the tails on and…