Oh, and my kit consists of nothing more than a Leatherman PS 4 (~2 oz, w/pliers, knife and scissor) and a couple ounces worth of assorted lures, a few #8 bait hooks, ant swivels, a few small split shot, a pair of 1/4 oz egg sinkers (the ticket for fishing the red worms!) and a dozen yards of hydrocarbon leader material. Just pile everything but the Leatherman in a ziplock and stuff it in a shirt pocket.

- Dave

I too have had good success with my Shakespeare collapsible rod for many years now using the fly and bubble method. I have a kit that will fit in a very small pouch. I carry a micro-Leatherman, various dry flies, and a couple of clear bubbles that allow me to put a little water in them for casting weight based on how far out I need to cast. I can twist it on my line and I usually just leave 1 1/2' - 2' of line between the clear bobber and the dry fly. I usually catch and release, so I pre-pinch most of my barbs ahead of time. I usually keep a couple intact just in case I get REAL hungry out there.

Robert: I practice catch and release, too. I have no intention of eating the little fishies (unless I learn the manly arts of (1) cleaning and (2) scaling and (3) cooking over some kind of highly-functional UL cook setup because it's a rare place here in the western U.S. where fires are allowed), so squeezed-down barbs are part of the plan.

Truth is, I am a lousy fisherman, so just getting the fly out in the water w/o losing it in the shrubbery or hooking my ear is thrill enough.

Too funny! Yeah, the whole cooking and cleaning and the extra weight of the cooking and seasoning them is a major reason I don't hassle with keeping them. It is nice to know I could at least catch them if I had to survive, but ( knock on wood ), that has never been an issue!

Edited by rp3957 on 05/23/2012 19:36:20 MDT.

I use a small pack rod and mostly fish w/ spinners. Last summer I was at a lake in the Pintlers w/ my wife and was having absolutely no luck w/ spinners. My wife said there were some small grasshoppers near our tent, I did have some small #10 hooks in my "tackle box", but needed to figure out a bobber. Ended up trying a microdropper that had Bronner's in it. It worked like a charm, I ended up landing a 3-4 lb monster cutbow on 2# test :) It was too big to eat, so I let it go. A few more casts and we had a 14" cutthroat that was just right for the grill.

My grill weighs just over 1 ounce and the seasonings I bring maybe a 1/2 oz, fresh trout for supper- priceless :)

I've now added a small clear bobber to my kit for when the spinners aren't working.

Mike, would you care to share any details of materials and construction method of your grill? At only 1 oz, it looks like the schnizz!

- Dave

I use some short (bmx) Ti spokes and then a section of an Easton arrow shaft (drilled) and then found aluminum tubing at Ace hardware that perfectly nested into the arrow shaft section- the spokes nest in the tubing- so you have just a small package that is easily stashed

more details here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=4446

Perfect - I see one in my immediate future - thanks!

- Dave

As stated in a previous post a 2.0oz Leatherman PS4 comes with functional pliers and scissors. It is probably one of the best backcountry fishing tools around. I used to carry the Leatherman Micra, but the PS4 is much more functional. Great tool for the fishing kit.

Mike, That is a cool set-up for grillin' up some fish. I may have to re-think where I camp in the Sierras so I can have a small fire and eat me some fish! Thanks for the fish stories and the photo!

Remember the bubble is really the weight that loads your rod tip in order to cast the fly and when you real in, even a bit, the fly will be dragged in the water. when fly fishing your drag teh fly a bit but then pull it off the water and have the advantage of flipping it back and forth in the air to dry it out. Therefore I would strongly encourage you to carry floatant if using a bubble rig.

In terms of technique, when I fish a bubble rig, I find that a slight bit of movement (an intermittent very slow retreive) can often trigger strikes.

If you are thinking about moving into fly fishing, I'd strongly encourage you to consider a "regular" rod and reel set because even though it is much heavier than Tenkara, it is also far more versatile. It really depends on how diverse the waters are you think you may fish.