Fly Fish + Hiking Fly Box Essentials
For those who love both day trip and multi-day hiking and fly fishing excursions, maximizing space in your backpack while ensuring that all of the essentials are along for the ride is critical. I’m certainly an angler who has oh so many fly boxes(too many fly boxes?), but when I’m hiking substantially longer distances to fish I tend to take a very different approach. Rather than filling up precious cargo space in my bag with multiple fly boxes, I prefer to carry one single box that checks all of the boxes. Because let’s be honest, snacks, water, and plenty of clothing layers need to be a priority. Check out how I go about organizing my hike and fly fish box….
Streamers
While everyone has their own methods and tactics when approaching the water, whether fishing a new destination or a regular hometown stretch, I’m often one who opts for small streamers while prospecting for trout. These flies which are typically fashioned to imitate small baitfish are incredibly versatile and can be fished in a variety of ways both on still water(lakes and reservoirs) as well as rivers and streams. Check out this YouTube video from Orvis that serves as a great ‘how to’ highlighting streamer fishing for trout. I typically equip myself with several sizes and color variations of each pattern, leaning towards more natural colors(white, olive, tan, and black).
The top three streamers that always make it into my box:
Conehead Woolly Bugger
Egg Sucking Leech
Mini Sculpzilla
Dry Flies
Oftentimes the style of fly that’s most frequently associated with fly fishing, arming yourself with a solid array of versatile dry flies, whether they fall beneath the category of mayflies, caddis flies, stoneflies, midges, or terrestrials is essential. While many fly anglers have numerous fly boxes filled exclusively with dry fly variations, when embarking upon more streamlined ventures it’s important to narrow it down to a well-rounded and simplified assortment that’s appropriate for the season. The overarching subject of dry flies tends to be rather vast, but this beginners guide to fly fishing dry flies is a great starting point.
The top SIX that always make it into my box(because I couldn’t just pick three):
X-Caddis(olive)
Stimulator(orange and/or yellow)
Purple Haze
Sparkle Dun(variation dependent upon the season)
Foam and/or Flying Ant
Renegade
Nymphs & Wet Flies
For those who’re new to the sport of fly fishing, what you may not realize is that the mass majority of the daily diet for a trout is acquired from subsurface food sources in the water. That’s where nymphs and wet flies step in. Variations of these fly patterns that are fished anywhere between the area just below surface of the water in the “film” or deep into the water column, even bouncing off of bottom, are incredibly productive. While there are many methods and techniques for fishing nymphs and wet flies, this video introduction to nymph and wet fly fishing, also created by Orvis, offers a firm foundation.
The top three nymphs that always make it into my box:
Sexy Walt’s Worm
Matchstick Quill Jig
Lite Brite(Purple and/or Pink)
The top three wet flies that always make it into my box:
Gold Ribbed Hares Ear
Red Ass Kelso
Birds Nest
Another important area to note is that in some circumstances hiking to fly fishing destinations can present some combination of biodiversity and elevation changes to be taken into account. If your outing is going to include a notable shift in environments don’t forget to bring along fly variations that speak to those particular environments that you may encounter. The flies that I tend to fish at 4000ft is at times quite a bit different from what I’m fishing at 8000ft on any given day. And even if you don’t live in a mountainous area potential changes in the ecosystem can certainly play a role in what insects are present, the temperature and condition of the water, and the behavior of the fish.
Stay tuned for some upcoming articles that dig a bit deeper into all of the fly fish and hiking gear, equipment, and apparel that I happen to love, as well as other pieces that highlight functional movement, mobility, and mindfulness methods to support your hikes while fly fishing. Winter can serve as a fantastic time to research, plan and plot, and get geared up for the upcoming Summer season ahead.
Five Ways to Stay Engaged with Your Fly Fishing Practice While at Home
While it’s probably safe to say that we all prefer our precious time spent adventuring on our favorite fisheries over all else, life doesn’t always allow for constant jaunts to our home waters or exciting new destination fisheries. The good news is that there are tons of ways to not only stay engaged and excited about our fly angling practice while at home, but those efforts that we make in-between our outings play a huge role in our growth as anglers. Here are a few of my favorite ways to continue learning and exploring while I’m hanging at home…
1) Organizing fly boxes.
Setting aside time to organize my fly boxes remains to be one of my favorite at-home fly fishing activities. There are many different schools of thought in terms of how to go about this task; over the years I’ve tried on various methods and continue to experiment from time to time. While some organize via specific fly types designated to their own boxes(a box for nymphs, a box for dry flies, a box for streamers, etc.) others are more particular about orienting their boxes seasonally, regionally, or based upon specific insect life cycles. At the end of the day it’s really up to the individual angler and their own preferred way of locating their flies(while ensuring that they have exactly what they need) with ease while on the water. My personal favorite fly boxes on planet earth? Without a moments hesitation, that would be the Tacky Pescador fly boxes from Fishpond. I have several in a variety of sizes.
2) Taking inventory of gear.
This job tends to be fairly quick and easy for me, but it is an essential step nonetheless. Pieces of equipment that I frequently take inventory of in-between trips include: flies that may need replenishing, tippet, floatant, and leaders. I also never hit the water without a few snacks tucked into my pack, so any turkey sticks or granola bars that may have been consumed are always quick to be restocked for next time around. A hangry fly angler is not a happy fly angler! The three brands that I most regularly use to stock my fly line, leaders, tippet and floating include Loon Outdoors, Scientific Anglers, and Rio Products.
3) Crimping barbs.
While some of my flies are tied on barbless hooks, the mass majority do indeed contain barbs. Of the many different areas that compose my fly angling ethics, crimping my barbs is definitely high on my list. This gesture not only allows for quick and easy hook removals and a much less pronounced impact on fish, but it also makes all of the difference in the world in the case that a fly hook might unwittingly wind up in my own body or clothing. Everyone wins with a crimped barb, and what better way to save time on the water than to just de-barb your hooks while at home? Here’s a quick video tutorial on the Orvis YouTube channel that shares how to de-barb your hooks..
4) Practicing knots.
Practice makes perfect, as they say. The very best way to become proficient and swift while tying knots on the water is to build that muscle memory while at home. Depending upon the individual angler, the variety of species they target, and the types of fisheries that they explore, the essential knot knowledge needed will indeed vary. At the very least, most freshwater fly anglers will want to know the loop to loop, double surgeons, and the clinch and/or improved clinch knots as a baseline. Additional ties including the blood knot, nail knot, and a non-slip or perfection loop knot will also come in handy, too. You can use any material that you’d like while learning your knots(pictured here I’m repurposing some old fly line). I also recommend practicing your knots on your leader/tippet material as well since that will represent how you’ll experience tying them while on the water. You can find a great guide to basic fly fishing knots via this Orvis YouTube video with Tom Rosenbauer.
5) Study and research.
Finally, your preferred style of study and research is always an area that provides both education and inspiration. Of course the subject matter and topics available to dig into are nearly endless, from entomology to reading water to casting mechanics to specific species and their ecosystems. Beyond that, there’s certainly no shortage of narrative literature, short films and documentary, non-fiction work, podcasts, and blogs and social media content to keep you entertained and interested. A great option that I particularly love that seamlessly combines entertainment with education is the YETI YouTube channel. Choose your favorite medium and enjoy!
One more area that I didn’t mention is that of actual dry-land fly casting practice. In fact I love it so much that I developed my own unique and one of a kind Wade Well ‘Fluent Fly Casting Method’. That topic however is one expansive enough to save for a blog post all its own. Stay tuned!
The Physical Feat of Landing, Handling, and releasing our Fish with care
For the budding new angler or those who tend to hit the water with guides or buddies more often than not, you may be in for a bit of a surprise when first realizing that netting your own fish can wind up being the greatest feat of the day. While we’ve been fortunate in more recent years to have excellent organizations like Keep Fish Wet leading the charge in safe fish handling education, implementing the methodology just might greet you with a few unexpected asks from your physical self. Executed with ease and maybe even taken for granted by some, plenty surely find that there’s more to it than meets the eye while navigating a solid landing, handling, and release. Here’s the lowdown on some of the physical elements that help to pull off a solid landing and release, along with a few tips that you can implement into your daily life to help keep your body moving well while you care for your fishy friends.
1: Shoulder Mobility- It should go without saying that we utilize a fair amount of shoulder mobility while we cast. What may be a little less obvious is the extent to which we typically need to move our rod handling arm into shoulder flexion(arm high above the head) while netting our own fish. Maintaining well moving shoulders is essential, most notably while netting and landing our fish. TRY: Shoulder CARs(controlled articular rotations) are one of the best ways to go about building and maintaining range of motion and control within the shoulder girdle. With the option of executing shoulder CARs from a variety of positions(seated, standing, tall kneeling, or in a quadruped position), incorporating a quick set of controlled rotations daily will help to keep this joint complex moving well.
2: Reaching- With the lift of our rod comes an even longer reach with our net handling limb. Reaching requires coordination between the shoulder blade, shoulder capsule, entire arm, and it tends to incorporate a certain degree of spinal mobility as well. Keeping all of the above in at least decent working order will suit us well on the water and within our regular daily life activities. TRY: A great way to stack some movements together is to incorporate single arm or two armed reaches into a variety of seated positions while on the floor. Try sitting cross legged and reaching forward, overhead, and from side to side, and repeat with the opposite leg in front. Other floor sitting positions to explore include both legs stretched out ahead, straddled legs, and any type of squat. Feel free to place a yoga block, bolster, or blanket/pillows underneath your seat to help make floor sitting more accessible. Bonus points for adding in some trunk rotation to keep your spinal health on the up and up, too.
3: Grip Strength- And I’m not talking about death gripping your fish. Please don’t. While some may choose to use a hands-free release, it’s oftentimes ideal to have a rubber net handy. While over-gripping is generally unnecessary, maintaining healthy hands and wrists goes a very long way while we’re managing the many moving parts that is releasing our fish(and definitely supports many other areas where fly angling is concerned). Even just the act of hanging onto our net handle can be a bit of a project if our hands aren’t quite up for the task. TRY: Similar to your shoulder CARs that we went over above, daily wrist rotations through your full range of motion is a great way to keep wrists mobile. The idea behind the controlled articular rotations is that they’re executed slowly and methodically. Try three rotations moving clockwise, followed by three moving counter-clockwise. Squeeze a tennis ball in your palm while doing them to add in some grip strength work.
4: Lower Body Mobility- Perhaps one of the greater challenges for many is the ability to get low enough to the water to remove your fly and release your fish, all while keeping your fish wet. A lack of mobility in your ankles, knees, and hips can pose some challenges. I typically find that my best course of action while keeping my fish submerged during a netting and release is to lower into some degree of a squat. A healthy and mobile lower body can be really helpful in these circumstances, and can also contribute to checking water temperatures when needed, too. TRY: Incorporating some floor sitting into your daily routine is a fantastic and kinda unsuspecting way to help build and maintain a certain level of lower body mobility. It requires us to regularly shift our hips, knees, ankles, and pelvis throughout a variety of angles while we change positions, resulting in spending more time within diverse orientations. Feel free to sit on top of blankets or cushions if accessing the floor feels difficult on its own, and if you feel that you’ll need a little extra aid to get back up again, sitting next to a piece of furniture or something that’s stable can be useful. If sitting on the floor is a no-go for you, try regularly changing the way that you sit in chairs or on the couch. Bend and straighten your knees and hips in a variety of ways, and add some ankle CARs into the mix while you’re at it, too. Aim to spend at least 30 minutes a day on the floor if you’re able.
5: Balance & Proprioception- We’re reaching, pivoting, squatting, and gripping. Frequently all taking place while standing inside of a moving body of water. Within the chaos and victory of the moment, don’t forget that you still need to keep your feet beneath you. Being able to remain steady within movement is the very definition of stability. Balance and spatial awareness are key. TRY: A super simple way to work on overall balance is to incorporate some sustained single leg balancing into your daily life. While just standing on one leg is a great way to begin, as you become more comfortable add in some movement to give your body the opportunity to respond and re-stabilize within an unstable environment. I love to explore some swings with my lifted leg, reaches with my arms, and even some hip hinges down towards the ground, all while balancing on one foot. Don’t be shy about using a wall or other stable surface for some support while you progressively increase your balance abilities over time.
Surprisingly enough, safely handling your fish while returning them to the water may actually leave you with all sorts of unexpected and unintentional mobility gains. Keep those rod tips lifting and your squats plenty low! Likewise, if you’re looking for motivation to work on some of your movement and mobility capacity while off of the water, becoming a more ethical and mindful angler seems to be as good a reason as any. Your joints and your fisheries will surely thank you.
The Top Ten Things that I Love about Fly Fishing(that have nothing to do with catching fish)
I think most anyone who’s spent a decent amount of time on the water will agree that at some point we realize that fly fishing is about so much more than catching fish. This topic has been the focal point of countless literary works over many decades; what we find while we’re out looking for fish on the fly is the realization that we’ve stepped into a depth of experience that’s rarely matched by other sports. Many shy away from even referring to fly angling as a sport, and will more often liken it to an expression and experience of lived art. As we become increasingly engaged with our medium, what tends to grow is the desire to slow down, become a more keen observer, and absorb the details of our ecosystem more thoroughly. The joy and exhilaration of connecting with a fish on the fly is unique and fantastic in and of itself. And how lucky are we in knowing that there’s so much more to this practice than the fishing alone? Following is a short list of the top ten things that I love about fly fishing that have nothing to do with catching fish…
1-Bird Watching: The scavenging, hunting, calling, mating, and swooping down to swipe a fish right out of the water. Spending time returning to the same water throughout the seasons has allowed for me to witness the process of many species of birds nesting and nurturing their young. Bald eagles have always been a favorite. What a spectacular piece of nature to bear witness to.
2-Foraging & Identifying Plants: I began foraging prior to my introduction to fly fishing, but needless to say the two effortlessly complement one another. Discovering and identifying edible/medicinal plants while out exploring fisheries is such a delight. Likewise, learning how to better identify more plants, trees, and wildflowers even without harvesting is an intricate layer to the experience of being outdoors.
3-Walking & Moving in Nature: The amount of evidence that points to the positive physical and psychological effects that accompany simply being in the outdoors is enormous. I became so enthralled with the biomechanics of fly angling and exploring these wild places that I created an entire mindful movement method devoted to it. It’s a fascinating subject, and one where there’s always room for more exploration and evolution while we discover what it means to move well in the outdoors.
4-Witnessing Bugs Hatch: I’m not sure that I ever noticed hatches taking place before I began fly fishing, and of course now they’re impossible not to see whether I’m out on a fishing excursion or not. What a neat and detailed process, to begin to understand the entire life-cycle of these insects as they relate to the seasons and varied ecosystems that we explore.
5-Watching Wildlife at Work: I love witnessing the progress of beaver dams, nests, dens, beehives and abandoned beds. Sharing space with countless creatures and species that call these environments home always means that there’s so much taking place and to be seen within any stream, lake, forest, and field.
6-Snack Breaks: And not just while on the water, but also within the ritual of carefully selecting and gathering the days tastes and treats, securely tucking them away in anticipation of a moment later to come. Whether alone or in the company of others, those times where we locate a good log to perch on while nibbling on a sandwich or pulling out our portable french press to make a fresh batch of coffee are always a special and integral part of the experience.
7-Observing the Change in Light: From sun-up to sundown, whether it’s a blue bird day or one that’s overcast with diffused light. The golden hours are always tough to beat, but the entire days sequence of light as well as the warmth that it produces impacts how we feel and the paths that we choose to wander.
8-Watching Fish Rise: The slow emerger nips, the aggressive terrestrial nabs, and of course those vertical acrobatic caddis fly launches. While it can be challenging to not immediately cast to rising fish, the skillful angler and observer understand the value of pausing first. Over time I’ve found that sitting down and watching rises with a beverage in hand can be just as satisfying as the fishing itself.
9-The Wide World of Aromas: The fresh pine needles, wildflowers, sagebrush, grasses, soil, and manure all have their own unique scents to be experienced and enjoyed. As we know, our sense of smell has the strongest ability to trigger both emotion and memories. I also find that intentionally tapping into my sense of smell within any given environment tends to have a particularly grounding effect.
10-The Water: Its color, temperature, speed, depth, and structure. I love the huge amount of variance from one body of water to the next, along with studying the seasonal shifts that take place. Again, there’s something particularly engaging about returning to the same water features over the span of time. It offers all sorts of insight into how our climate is shifting, and how it is that we may be impacting the health of our fisheries.
I fell in love with fly fishing precisely because of its richness. It truly is a feast for the senses, a 10 course meal perfectly paired in some of the most beautiful venues the earth has to offer. Consequently, I’ve also found that the more time that I’ve spent shifting my gaze towards these many other elements, the stronger angler that I’ve become. Whether or not you have a tendency to be incredibly focused or catching fish every time you’re out on the water, or you feel fairly neutral about the catching itself, there’s always ample opportunity to enrich your experience in these ecosystems by simply seeing what’s there, and becoming actively and enthusiastically engaged with the gift that is exploring the great outdoors with a fly rod in hand.
Enjoy.