Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Lightweight Fishing Gear

I'm planning some longer hikes this summer to gain more long trip experience in order to prepare for the JMT in 2010. To minimize the food I need to carry and resupply points, I plan to fish.

Any recommendations from this sage group for a lightweight reel (Santa brought me an LL Bean (LL 1000), but it seams heavy & bulky to me--the rod is very light), as well as tips for fishing in the Sierra lakes, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

i use a "Shakespeare TravelMate" its a 6'6" spinning rod that collapses into six 13" long pieces. its very light and gets super small, it was $25 at Sport Chalet too.

i use a crappy shimano reel and some clear plastic bobbers. (the only other place ive seen this design was the florescent orange ones at the tackle store in Lee Vining)

but the most important thing, if you want to succeed in catching fish on the JMT is the Fly you are going to use. I did the JMT last summer, and i used two flies: the "renegade"(smaller and with a red tail) and a costom design larger, more sparkly-er fly i had from my dear friend. I casted out every day for 21 days, and only one of those days i did not catch a fish.(it was at the S. fork San Jauquin river near Muir Trail ranch)

the fish you will catch will not be big, they will be very small and almost looking like you cant eat them, but you can. boil them, and you can eat everything, scales, head etc.(just not the innards.)

on the entire trip, i caught 3 real Golden Trout, 5-10 Brookies, 4 Browns, 2 rainbows, and (too many to count, probably an average of 10 per day: this is what i ate every day and are abundant in the sierra) many BrooGoldyBow trout. those are hybrid trout having Golden, Brook and Rainbow trout genes or something. They are a beautiful fish.

dont eat Rainbows in Kings Canyon (its illegal)

Sallie Keys lakes are filled with hungry-jumping Goldens.

Lyell Fork Tuolumne river is overcrouded with nice brooks.

make sure your fly is tied 4 feet from your bobber, and make sure it will sink in the water (get it wet before you cast)

fish in high lakes chill out 10-60 feet off the shore, 2-4 feet deep. cast far, let the fly sink and reel in slowly.

fish in creeks and rivers swim faster and hang out in more turbulent water than you'd think. cast down steam, and slowly reel in.

Pick wild swamp onions(along any stream above 8000 ft) cook your trout and put them in steaming white rice. delicious.

have fun.

Agree with above that the ol" "Fly and bubble" technique works wonders on the Muir.
If I may dd a few things:
I have long-used an older Eagle Claw Trailmaster, 4-piece spinning rod to great success. Often found on eBay for less than $25...just make sure to get the yellow model (many models are yellow...older brown), with metal ends on the 4 segments, and the aluminum tube.

As for a reel, any lightweight one will work fine, but the more ball bearings the better. I myself swear by an old Penn 420 SS...older model, not the newer SSG.

There has already been some discussion here about line size...some say 2-pound, most 4-pound...but, anything larger is overkill.

Bobbers - I like the torpedo shaped ones, orange or clear - the ones with the eyes on both ends.

I carry ~ 20 assorted flies, but...
Lures (spinners) are nice too...I carry small (gold or black) Panther Martins and Z-rays (pink with white spots or rainbow) to great success when going into deep pools or basically anytime when the sun is on the water.

A small fly box is nice - holds all...old aluminum Perrine models on eBay for ~$5.00)

Add a pair of hemostats, some split shot, smallest Swiss army knife with scissors, and a license (of course) and you are ready to go.

As for cooking, I carry a 10 inch titanium fry pan, some olive oil, and a spice medley in a small nalgene holder...add wild onions...tin foil works well too.

Taut lines!
Mark

for many years, I only backpacked to get into remote areas to fish. I have many rods and reels, and I'm sure most other zealots have!

I bought expensive, I bought specialized.....but I eventually found that cheap was best. I like to go to Big 5, or another place with a lot of choices, and buy the lightest cheap rod, and the smallest cheap spinning reel. I used to do this each year, figuring that a new reel is unlikely to have problems,and that was so.

Technic varies a lot, and the good thing is that most things tend to work, if done with some skill. I'd certainly not go stronger than 4#, and I usually use 2#.....but you have a less forgiving setup. Every day you want to strip off 10 feet or so...that part that gets the most wear/abrasion....so that it will not fail due to fatigue/wear/abrasion, if you were actively fishing the day before.

I've used all different sorts of setups, but tend to like spinners the most, due to the very short setup time. I've used them all, and they all work, but I've been a Mepps kind of guy. A #1 in both brass and stainless steel seem to work the best.

The fly/bubble technic also works, but requires a significantly higher level of skill, as there is an timing issue of setting the hook.

In alpine lakes, it is wise to "sneak up" on the water, as the sight of a fisherman can spook the fish, and you'll get no bites.

Thanks so much everyone...I knew there'd be a wealth of knowledge out there. Now I've got to go out and practice!

Happy New Year!

I think this is good practice with trout in general, they are very timid and I would consider intelligent fish.

Sneaking up on pools in creeks generally from up steam has proved effective for me in the past.

Of course the biggest issues you will probably face is the constant change in laws making most of the gear brought with you illegal in many areas.

I'm sure the rangers would like to have a chat with me on the idea but personally how closely i'd follow the laws would be more directly related to environmental respect such as certain fish being endangered in an area or based on just plain necessity...

If your starving miles out in the bush and it's illegal to eat fish from a lake your at and there are hundreds of them I think I am going to catch a couple.

Karen:

Another wonderful resource for all your fishing questions:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=ed333283b54898751731caaac108d36c

Good luck and happy fishing!

-Laura

The last poster mentioned wind, and indeed sometimes it is windy when fishing, but…
IMHO, (and pardon my rant,)…
Most often, it is at dusk at those magic High Sierra lakes, when the wind usually dies down,
when the alpenglow begins creeping up the canyon walls,
when the sun has left the water, and the surface sparkles and dances both in purple and gold,
It is then that the evening rise begins.
At this time you need something that is dependable, works well, and has the ability to cast out to where the big boys live…at least 20 - 30 yards or so…maybe more.
How often do you get this chance at fishing glory?

Now, I have nothing against bait-dunkers, this method does work for some.
But for me, just sitting around waiting is passive and tiresome.
Moreover, I often fly fish…love it actually, but at those high lakes, I find the overhanging trees, nasty brush, and deep drop-offs often mean bird nests, snares and tangles…less time on the water means less fishing…less fish.

I have seen plenty of those small “Ronko,” cigar-size setups…and have seen them in use…comical really…crap.
In those magical 30 minutes of rise…watching someone who has walked 20 miles just to get there, cast out only to break off, sending $5 worth of gear screaming out across the lake, only to do it again and again…why?

Sure, it is a question of style, and having the right tool for the job. For me, that means a good spinning rig…one that actually works. I get maybe 30 fishing days a year in the high Sierra. I love fishing…why wouldn’t you want gear you could depend on?

In conclusion, I am glad to see someone else mention HighSierraTopix as a valuable Sierra resource…Great site for all things Sierra.
BTW, I am one of the moderators there.

Taut lines…
Markskor

Markskor:

Glad to see you over here! Read your stuff all the time on HST!

Now THIS is dinner...



North Lake in October. Good times!

-L

MooseTracks,
That fishy looks soooo good. I just finished dinner, but my mouth started watering!!!

Thanks again to this amazing group. You've all given such great advice. It's been awhile since I've fished much, so I'll definately get some practice in when I'm not dependent on it & play around with different set-ups, etc. Appreciate the pointers on everything from lures to the techniques of a sneaky fisherwoman.

Gracias!

Long Rods RULE, especially when fishing overgrown streams. You can extend your left hand holding onto the line and underhandedly swing the offering out into a preferred hole w/o making a sudden movement up in the sky that the fish can see, also w/0 using the reel to cast with. I have caught my largest trout (over 5 #'s) in creeks you can jump across in a lot of places. When hungry, trout often orient themselves behind a larger rock in the middle of a strong current, able to rest in the eddy there and also able to dart out to grab anything going by and easily return to a somewhat sheltered area not requiring much expenditure of energy to maintain there position.
I, too , started my hiking/backpacking trips to get to GOOD FISHING..................steve

Karen,

I agree with all the above. I hiked the JMT this summer and caught lots of fish. I use a fly/bubble setup mainly. I use 4# with a 2# leader. All of my hooks are barbless, since I do not eat fish. I switch out my flies often, especially if I have no bits. It was a great trip, one I plan on doing again in 2010 as well.

See you on the trail,

Scott

Oh, I forgot to mention that the rod I enjoy using the most, is a telescoping rod I got from Big 5.....$10, I think. I've used it about 10 years, so can't complain about the cost, It telescopes out to over 6 feet, so works pretty well around the brush.