The Traveling Fly Fisherman

by

Eugene P. Macri Jr.

Part 1

The late Ted Trueblood said it best: "The Worst Day of Fishing is Better Than the Finest Day of Work." Our lives have become a corundum of hurrying to go nowhere.  The idea that we can only fly fish is when we have many hours of time and days off seems at best foreign to me.  Many fly anglers think this way because they are just not prepared for fly fishing usually because of getting their equipment together and not understanding that there are better methods, techniques, equipment and secrets especially when you only have a short time to fish.

Being prepared for short term fishing can mean different things to different people. Let's say you have a business trip scheduled for  Colorado.  You'll be there 3 days and you are tied up most of the time.  However, you will have about 4 to 6 hours or more on one of the days and there are streams nearby.  Why aren't you fishing?  The number one answer I get is. " I don't have time to pack all the stuff I need and where would I fit it on the plane etc....."

The reason for this is what I call the "Wagon Train Mentality" of fly fishing and we all have it.  This is because you want your SUV or van packed with every damn thing under the sun just in case. Please forget this method or you'll never take your stuff on the plane.  This is condensed fishing but you can be just as satisfied with what I'm going to teach you then everything plus the kitchen sink we all want to take with us.  There is nothing wrong with the Wagon Train method when you have the time or if you are going on a fishing trip but this will destroy and frustrate you otherwise.

So here it goes Guido's one bag travel trip for most places in the US etc! You will need the following equipment:

·       Two Four Piece Fly Rods. One for 3-4; and one for 5-6.  These rods should be 8.6 to 9.0 feet in length.  Don't tell me you can't afford these.  You can buy a damn good graphite rod of this description for $125.00 or less each.  These don't need to be $400 rods...get over it.

·       You can get by with one reel and a couple of extra spools. But two reels and a couple extra spools don't take up that much space.  Once again you can get decent fly reels for $75.00 or under.  I like the STH reels with their unique extra spools which take up little space.

·       Your fly line will be a weighted 4 and 6 floaters. If you want you can have 3 and 5 also and perhaps a specialty line all on extra spools which don't take up much space.  You don't need the best lines either.  There is nothing wrong with the cheaper floaters out there such as the lower ends of the Cortland, Scientific Angler product line.

·       You need a small packet (leader wallet etc.) for your leaders.  You should take extra leaders and terminal equipment because you will always need them especially tippet, split shot etc, dry fly gunk etc.  This is a very small pouch.

·       You need a pair of breathable stocking foot waders, booties (gravel guards included), and wading shoes, and suspenders, belt, and socks.  These waders will roll up into a very compact package.

·       You need sunglasses, magnifiers, cigars etc. and a hat.

·       You need a vest full of flies that we will talk about later.

·       You need a bag to put it all in.  This is one bag fishing.  You can buy a bag to carry all of this stuff neatly for under $75.00.  In fact, the rods will fit into the bag since most travel rods are 22-25 inches in length.  Some of these bags have separate compartments also for you wading equipment if they don't get some baggies or thick garbage type bags to store your wading equipment and keep it away from your vest and stuff.

·       Throw in the proper pair of pants, a shirt, shoes and you can fit all of this stuff in one bag with no problem.  And it doesn't weigh that much either. 

In fact, most smart anglers always have a bag like this in their car or truck for instant fly fishing.  Do you?  Why not?  With this equipment always ready at a moments notice you can fish just about anywhere if you have the right fly selection.  How do you figure that out?  In part two I'll show you the patterns you need to fish and be successful anywhere in the country. This is the big secret that is seldom talked about in fly fishing circles.  We'll also discuss why good fly anglers have more than one vest full of things and a bag just with their extra fly boxes in and how to quickly use this mess.

Tight lines,

The Traveling Fly Fisherman

Eugene "Guido" Macri