Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against playing tag with large fish. Once or twice each season, I'll check into a well-known fishing lodge to spend a few days trying to outwit twenty-inch browns, fussy fish with epicurean palates, and like any angler, I find the tug of a large rainbow addicting. But when fishing larger rivers, I must pack all of the accoutrements such fluviatile endeavors require.
There is my wading stick and oversized net, chest waders, and a pack stuffed with boxes and boxes and more boxes of fly patterns in every conceivable size, color, and shape. There will be a fly rod for nymphing, another to swing streamers, and a third to cast delicate dry flies should the fish be rising. Then there are the reels to match each rod, with spare spools enabling me to switch from floating to sinking lines and back again.
All of this is fine and well, but when fishing a smaller stream, I need only slip on wading boots over my pair of well-worn hippers. The pack buckled to my waist is sufficient to carry forceps, clippers, an extra leader and a spool of tippet material. After I add a chamois sleeve to clean the slime off my dry flies and a plastic container of crystals to keep them afloat, there is enough room for a sandwich and perhaps an apple or brownie for dessert…
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