What things are you grabbing for the most out of your vest/pack?

[hawk45]

Hi all! I'm new to fly fishing and looking to get a small pack for gear so not always running back to my kayak or to the shore for necessities. Figured the best way to decide on a system is understand what gear you guys are grabbing for the most when out for a day.

My plan is to have a backpack nearby with bigger/heavier gear (jacket, food, spare gear, etc) that I really shouldn't need access to for most, if any, of the day. Or at best leave it stowed in the kayak or truck (or even home). Then I want to have something smaller that is always on me for necessities I'll constantly need access.

So what are your most accessed items or the items you require to be on you at all times (excluding wadders, boots, hats, etc).

Thanks everyone!
Hawk

 

[scotty macfly]

Hawk45, this may be exactly what you're looking for. I have one of these, and have given a few away as gifts. Perfect to just walk the shore line or river bank for a short trip or just a few hours on the water.

It's called the Mini Pack. Here's the link. All you have to do is scroll down the page a bit, and I think it's actually the first real item discussed.

Accessories (Bags, Cases, Wallets, & more) - Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

 

[1fish]

Tippet material, nippers, hemostats, split shot, floatant, and flies.

 

[old timer]

Water and food. I get hungry and lots of water is needed at high altitude.

 

[Flyfisher for men]

Flies/fly boxes, without a doubt. And that means I'm constantly using a set of nail clippers hanging from a loop to clip line and change flies.

After that, it's floatant and split shot. Hook removers and tippet are farther down the on the list (tippet would be higher of I had more opportunities to fish trout).

 

[rangerrich99]

Tippet material, nippers, hemostats, split shot, floatant, and flies.

Generally speaking, the above covers basic necessities. I would add a bic lighter, life straw, and a folding knife.

 

[sparsegraystubble]

The one item that I reach for more than any other is a pair of fly tying scissors. I’m constantly altering the fly I am fishing to the point that some guys I have fished with started calling me “the barber.”

I even tie some flies with some features that may get clipped or trimmed from the beginning such as trailing shucks, full wrapped hackles, full wings or split tails. As a result, most flies that I fish generally end up being thrown away at the end of the day.

Several mayfly patterns I tie with both a trailing shuck and microfibbets because I will clip off one or the other depending on what the fish seem to prefer.

Don

 

[ia_trouter]

I carry the extra pack now and then, especially if I am hauling lunch, camera etc. for a longer day. I ditch it on the shore. Mostly I try to live within the carrying capacity of my vest. The minimum contents have already been addressed. I never got used to butt packs, chest packs etc. so I learned to fish lighter and just take what counts.

 

[dakotakid]

When I'm fishing from a kayak, I've got a Stohlquist fisherman life jacket on, which has ample room for small fly box and tippet spools. It also has various mounting locations for hemostats, retractors, etc. Mine came with a fly patch, so that's where I put wet flies to dry out. Even though it can hold a small fly box, I generally put a camera in one of the fold down pockets instead and just lay my fly box in the kayak.

If I'm walking the shoreline to fish, I prefer to wear my Fishpond Arroyo pack. It's small enough to be comfortable and has plenty of room for anything i need, plus can be worn as a sling pack. In this case, my fly box goes into the Arroyo pack.

 

[trout stalker]

Tippet material, nippers, hemostats, split shot, floatant, and flies.

This sums it up for me. I generally keep everything on a lanyard and put a fly box in my pocket. If wading far from truck I have a backpack with a rain jacket, lunch, Life Straw, waterbottle, Leatherman, FAK, fly boxes, net, and a small tarp or trash bag.

This year I will be testing out the Fishpond Summit sling pack. Hoping it will be my middle of the road pack.

 

[satyr]

I use floatant more often than anything else but then I almost always fish dry flies. Next would be my hemostats to let fish go. After that it is flies and nippers. Everything else is seldom used during a day. Some days I access the same flybox over and over, other times I might access 3 or 4.

 

[tsmervis]

Nippers, hemostats, tippet, split shot & flies. I seam to be grabbing my split shot vial the most

 

[TwoThumbsUp]

I probably use my forceps with scissors more than anything. The next would be water, followed by snacks.

I fish a lot of warm water, so I'm usually just clipping off a fly and retying it back on after a few fish or snags.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned spools of tippet material for addressing leader re-build. At least 3X - 6X, I use 4 and 5X the most.

 

[flav]

My list is fairly short; nippers, floatant, tippet spools, fly box, indicator, split shot, hemostat, and a hook removing tool. On a good day the hook removing tool gets used the most, followed by floatant and nippers.

 

[sweetandsalt]

While I do carry a flat jawed hemostat for deep fly removal and hook debarbing I prefer to use my more dexterous fingers for fly removal...never twist, always pull or push straight in the opposite direction of penetration. If in the mandible, hold it firmly during extraction so as not to damage the fragile connective tissue.

 

[rfb700]

Beer. It's why I carry a multi day expedition pack on day trips.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

 

[geordie41]

Nippers, fly box , Amado patch for dries, tippet, a little zip lock bag to store waste tippet and a wee cloth for cleaning my sunnies.

 

[rfb700]

Hawk45, this may be exactly what you're looking for. I have one of these, and have given a few away as gifts. Perfect to just walk the shore line or river bank for a short trip or just a few hours on the water.

It's called the Mini Pack. Here's the link. All you have to do is scroll down the page a bit, and I think it's actually the first real item discussed.

Accessories (Bags, Cases, Wallets, & more) - Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

This looks awesome!!! Do you attach it to your belt somehow? Do you wade with it? And do you notice the weight at all? I was looking at Maxpedition pouches but this looks better.

 

[slipshift]

Clippers, hemostat, and, most important, reading glasses. Without the glasses, nothing else matters, I couldn't even tie on a fly.

Jim