What do you take for a fishing day?

[MrButters]

New fly fishing guy here and I am trying to figure out what essential gear I need for salt water wade fly fishing. Do you guys take a few flies and stash them in your pocket? Or do you have a chest pack/backpack? What essential gear do I need? Nippers, hemostats, etc? Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question. Thabks for all your help.

If it matters I’ll be fly fishing in Florida in the east coast for Redfish, snook, and some smaller tarpon on the mosquito lagoon, Indian river, and bannana river.

 

[piratkey]

Backpack for me with..... nipper, plier, stripping finger protection, 2 small nylon spools (16&20lbs), small bow flies ( 20 flies),buff, lips balm, lighter, small camera or a phone.

 

[karstopo]

It kind of depends how I’m fishing, whether by boat, kayak, or wading.
I like to have extra tippet and leader making material or an extra leader or two already made up. I don’t like wire bite tippets very much, but a section of 30 pound fluorocarbon can double as a bite tippet and leader butt if need be.

Needle nosed pliers with side cutters are nice. A little tube of UV cure is nice to repair a fly that’s starting to come undone with sharp toothed fish. If the sun is out, it will cure quickly.

In the boat, I keep a water proof William Joseph box with an extra reel and line, 2-3 boxes of flies, and some small plastic containers for flies that are pocket sized, one that is the dry box and one that gets the wet used flies.

Sunglasses, floating sunglasses strap if you value your glasses, good hat and or buff, mosquito spray 100% DEET, a tiny amount goes a long way. Fresh Water, lots of it.

 

[karstopo]

These little boxes or something like them are nice for stashing a few flies in a shirt or wader pocket for some wade fishing. A ceramic hook sharpener like this tiemco model is super handy, too.

 

[MrButters]

Awesome guys thanks for the help. Keep the ideas coming. Also if anyone has pictures of there gear that they take post them up!

 

[deceiverbob]

A few flies in a snack sized ziplock bag. A spool of tippet and a pair of hemostats with scissors at the back of the jaws. These do double duty as nippers and hook removers

 

[original cormorant]

You say wade fishing, but a critical point is how long for? If it's upto say 3 or 4 hours then you don't need a bag - use pockets, belt and necklace.

If it's for a longer time you will need water, lunch, maybe a waterproof and more, so you will need a bag of some kind.
Back pack - impossible to access when your'e standing in the water.
Chest pack - not popular in salt water not sure why, perhaps becaue it gets in the way
Fanny pack - accessible but will get wet if you need to wade a deep channel or step into a hole.
Sling pack - my choice because it doesn't have the drawbacks of the other options.

Others may have different views.....

Note it's important to use a pack that has salt tolerant zips and preferably fully waterproof.

Other stuff that hasn't been mentioned is a wire trace with cuda fly attached and a ziplock bag with tissue.

 

[plecain]

Nobody has mentioned a stripping basket. Very helpful.

Sun gloves. Some kind of face/neck sun covering.

If you're fishing when it might be dark and there are boats around then some kind of LED flasher.

 

[dennyk]

Maybe I'm being overcautious but some type of life jacket or one of those waist bands made for water skiing. If you're fishing alone it may be worth considering. Ya never know.

Denny

 

[Rip Tide]

90% of the time I wear a vest, but I try not to fill up the pockets

One box of flies
16 and 8 lb mono plus wire tippet,
Leader wallet with spare leaders, lead heads, pre-rigged wire trace
Small flash light, whistle, length of para cord, bandana, sunscreen, small Swiss knife
Spare spool with sinking line
Waterproof camera

Hook file and pliers



Fish grip

Stripping basket

 

[Meadowlark]

... Keep the ideas coming. Also if anyone has pictures of there gear that they take post them up!

As you wish...hot or cold, no matter the weather here are my essentials:
1) drink bottle filled with water or Gatorade mixed in from the little dry "pooches" shown
2) energy bar
3) light tape measure
4) nippers
5) leader/tippet
6) personal security container for passport, money, etc w/water proof section
7) small light fly box with minimal flies
7) lip balm and
8) multifunction pliers

Emphasis on light. Everything else stays with the boat or onshore...and of course camera which I used to take this picture:

 

[ddb]

Hip flask with some Old Stump Blower to toast the fish of a lifetime or stave off the deep chill of late/early season thermal shock that sneaks up on you and can kill. Emergency use only. Otherwise never mix drink and field sports -- until dark. n
ddb

 

[bonybennet]

I alway bring my 4 pcs St Croix spinning rod, a small spinning reel and some small plastic grubs w/1/8oz leadheads and a few spinners (rooster tails, panther martins, etc), fillet knife, ... all packed in my backpack. Can catch all sorts of fish with that set up. If I’m specifically going fishing then I bring more specific gear but the above mentioned goes with me anywhere there is even the slightest possibility of fish to catch.

 

[bonefish41]

New fly fishing guy here and I am trying to figure out what essential gear I need for salt water wade fly fishing. Do you guys take a few flies and stash them in your pocket? Or do you have a chest pack/backpack? What essential gear do I need? Nippers, hemostats, etc? Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question. Thabks for all your help.

If it matters I’ll be fly fishing in Florida in the east coast for Redfish, snook, and some smaller tarpon on the mosquito lagoon, Indian river, and bannana river.

Salt wading east coast in the locales referenced... assume not from boat but surf...your car close then in pockets the extra flies tippets nippers, hook removal tool your choice ....you wonder far from your car/truck fanny pack with more as suggested by others...I would suggest a fanny pack only because I don't wade salt florida/bahamas deeper than top of the knees and never where I do not have a clear view of the bottom and surrounding...the obvious small shark decides to take a nip out of the small piece of calve attached to the old fat man above the water that he does not see...Lemons and Black Tips are curious but small Bulls you perhaps already know are trouble and got to be aware as in see... them. As for boat/skiff wading everything left in boat. I have had two wading close encounters one on ocean flat Andros wading alone... just released bonefish the other west of Key West out of boat going for tailing Permit the little Bull was about 4 feet long coming straight for me tracking like a guided missile pectoral fins aggressively down...hit the water with rod he flared but returned to course on me... guide spanked water with push pole as I gracefully re-entered the skiff flopping on the deck pitching the rod in before me...good old Abel reel with strong frame never bent...

 

[karstopo]

I wonder if the OP ever went wade fishing. Sharks are a potential issue here, too. I’m careful not to string fish, especially in the surf. Many a wade fisherman has lost his stringer and even been pulled off their feet by sharks attacking strung fish. I’m careful not to wipe fish slime on anything clothing wise I have below the waterline. I’ll wade as deep as waist deep with fly gear, but would rather be in thigh or less deep water. I’ve left the water when that 6th sense kicks in. Lots of sharks out there, just try to take some precautions and it should be alright. Attacks on fishermen are pretty rare. The surf here gets covered up with waders and wade fishermen in season and there might be one attack a year if even.

 

[Rip Tide]

That's me in the distance, probably just minutes before a shark came right up on the sandbar next to me chasing bait.
I had to leave to change my drawers

 

[bumble54]

Optimism, and boy do I need it.

 

[karstopo]

The great thing I like about wading in the surf here is the minimal amount of gear that’s necessary. Fly set up, a few extra flies stuck in the hat, and a pair of needle nosed pliers. That is it. Put on some old canvas high tops or water sandals if you are worried about stepping on something sharp. Watch the sunrise, the birds hover and dip, the colors of the sky change, it’s pretty magical. Not today, though, 47 degrees and gray, I might wait a while.

 

[mylobass]

I imagine from the original posts date that you must have figured it out by now. I imagine you'll change it up often too. For me it's the bare minimum. No more that 8 or so flies. I don't care to fix them in the field so I don't carry glues and lights with me. So if I run out of flies, there's more in the truck. I don't have the figure of a Columbia or HUK model so packs and slings only slip, bind and make casting less than the pleasant experience it should be. I left conventional fishing with its technique specific rods and cases of lures, looking for the simpler life of one outfit in my hand and all the tackle I need in a pocket. I don't wade much any more but I keep this mentality if I'm walking seawalls, rip rap, ducking under bridges or fishing from behind the ever increasing number of 'No Fishing' signs.