My new fishing rod [Archive]

stag3

05-17-2006, 07:42

icemanat95

05-17-2006, 08:40

Do it the old fashioned way, a length of line, with your tackle on it and a sapling. Completely cheap and compact, and it should work pretty good in local streams. Not ideal, but if it breaks, you go cut a new one.

adh24

05-17-2006, 09:10

Do you fly fish? Cabela's has some nice fly rods the break down really small. You'll have better success with flies than a spinning rod. Most of those small mountain streams you come accross have mainly brook trout that will absolutely slam any kind of large attractor patern. Easy fishing cause really not many people fish streams that remote. good luck

Squeaky 2

05-17-2006, 09:13

look for telescopic rods. they will be alot more durable on the side of a pack. they may not be as light but atleast they wont break.

tight lines!!!

Squeaky 2

05-17-2006, 09:16

or better still duck tape on your reel and an eye on to your leki pole! one fishing rod only you wont have the pleasure of feeling the fish as you would with the rod.

adh24

05-17-2006, 11:29

You can get carring casses to keep the rod in and to protect it. They basically are made of pvc with fabric over them to dress it up a bit. Could make it yourself.

hammock engineer

05-17-2006, 11:35

or better still duck tape on your reel and an eye on to your leki pole! one fishing rod only you wont have the pleasure of feeling the fish as you would with the rod.

I thought about this one. I am afraid that will might loose my leki pole if I am not paying attention (read falling alseep).

Try some small hose clamps to attach the reel. The same ones from an auto parts store that are used on the hoses in your car. An eye could be made using the same type of clamp or some metal.

Erro

05-17-2006, 20:03

I've been thinking the same thing - it'd be nice to catch the occasional fresh meal. But who wants the extra weight?

I found this, through research here on WhiteBlaze.

http://www.streamlines.com/index.html

Handline casting. Supposedly works well. Low Weight.

It's cheap - I'm gonna try it.

-Erro

MOWGLI

05-17-2006, 23:55

I have a 4 piece flyrod I'm planning to take on the John Muir Trail this summer. Bought ot at Bass Pro Shops. A 3-4 piece outfit is better than a telescopic rod IMO.

Ridge Rat

05-18-2006, 00:57

if you arent fly fishing why do you need a rod. I have done quite well fishing with just fishing line, a hook, and bait. Give it a try, just hold the line with your fingers and wait for a tug. Saves on rod weight and size.

DLFrost

05-18-2006, 03:17

I figured it would be fun to do some AT fishing, plus maybe a fresh meal. So I purchased a Shakespear spinning rod/reel combo from Bass Pro Shop. Next I tried a bait casting rod from Gander Mt. These are the colapsable rods--no more than 2 ft when colapsed. These would fit into the pack side pockets.

Well, both of the rods broke during their first use. Being colapsable, they broke at one of the ferrels. Got my money back, but I still need a good, colapsable fishing rod. Any suggestions??

Bass Pro has something called a Pack Rod, a 4-piece rod that comes in its own soft roll-up travel case. I forget whether this will handle trout fishing reels though.

If you want a darned trout good rod at a reasonable price get a Temple Fork Outfitter "Pro Series" rod for $140. (Bass Pro carries em.) These are 4-piece rods that weigh 3.5 ounces. Nothing heavier than 4 or 5 weight, 7.5-8 foot length rod is needed for eastern mountain streams. If you're willing to go with a two piece to save money, Dick's Sporting Goods has a pretty decent #4 rod for $40: Pflueger "Trion" Im-8 Graphite. Get a rod sack/sock to carry it in. You don't need a hard case, but you will need some protection from hard impacts--the fiberglass in modern rods cracks if you wack it against something too hard. That said, they're pretty tough. You might carry it inside your rolled up pad.

The rod itself will only weigh a few ounces. The trick is getting a light weight reel. They sell extra small, ultra light ones for packing, but they are rather expensive. A good alternative is a cheepie reel with a plastic spool (look online). Since you're only using the thing to hold the line, smooth action/drag, etc. are not a concern and you can get the smaller size bargain basement jobs. Of course, you can just use the one you've already got...

You'll never cast all 90 feet of a full fly line, so there's no point in carrying all of it. So get the cheapest floating double-taper you can, cut it into two halves and mount one. A third or fourth of your reel's spool should be loaded with backing first--whatever you can fit on.

Your leader doesn't need to be more than 5-7 feet in length, so try this tip I got from one of the fly guys at Bass Pro: Don't bother with tapered leaders and all that. Go get their house brand "Tourney Tough" monofilament 4lb. test (in green not clear) and make your leaders from that. It's dirt cheap and a lot less fuss.

For a pan to cook in I'd suggest one from GSI's anodized/nonstick camping line. Quite light. You'll want something better than a alky stove for cooking as well.

Don't forget about the fishing license. In many states they sell visitor's licenses that are good for a few days to a month. If you're caught without one you'll most likely get a ticket, but they can legally seize all of your gear if they want--pack and all. State by state info is available on the web, so check that while you're checking good fishing spots.

Ian Rutter has a guide out for streams in the Smokies and another for the surrounding area (search on amazon.com). If you're going to go for something large--like the French Broad at Hot Springs--please ignore everything I just said. :D

Doug Frost