ATTN all wading fisherman

[cletedius]

As I prepare for my annual 7 day wading trip, I would love find an unobtrusive way to carry an extra fishing rod or 2 that doesn't interfere with being able to fish, wade through rougher terrain, or cover a few miles, etc. Have done the rod butt in the wading belt thing, and the hassle negates the benefits, IMO
Always a great trip, but, have always felt it would be better if you could have 2-3 rods to cover a broader range of species and applications, instead of being limited to 1 rod/reel for everything, throughout the course of the day.
So, if you have found a way to do this(effectively), I would like to hear or see what has worked for you. Looking to carry spinning and or baitcasters, not fly rods.

[lefty_stratton]

I just upgraded my collection and purchased a tackle box backpack from BassPro (i think it was $40). I transfer over my "important" or go-to baits to it and I wear that. It also has straps on each side so you can strap in fishing poles. I do it when I wade creeks all the time and it helps. Granted, you look like a ghostbuster and also if there are low trees you have to be mindful so not to get caught in them. I also use a snap so i can change my bait quickly as well. Works for me! Have fun

[TheWoz]

I would reccomend the "fishpond piney creek tech pack". Got one and it worked great for hearing off the beatin trail in the smoky mts. Has 2 zip out rod holders on each side of the pack and tons Of storage space.

Are all those rods you want to take 1 piece?

[lefty_stratton]

TheWoz: where did you purchase that? I explained my bag setup and it's very similar to yours but, after looking up your bag on yahoo, it seems to have a lot more space (which is what I need)

[choupiquer]

Better than all of that is a kayak tethered to your belt. Store all your extra stuff in it and just drag it around from spot to spot. An added bonus is that you can get to some deeper holes that would never be wadable. I use this technique frequently (cool, two consecutive words with a "Q" ) along the coast. Lots of times I'll just anchor it in an area and wade fish til I'm ready to move.

[Boogaloo]

Wade Aid

Google it.

It's a wading belt designed for lumbar support and has rod holders (PVC tubes). Has 2 rod holders in the back and one on the side that's good for when you're re-tying. Also has elastic pockets to hold small storage boxes. I think it cost me $80 several years ago. My buddy Johnny Sunshine always wears his. I hardly use mine, but it's perfect for when you're looking to carry more than one rod.

[Steve]

Better than all of that is a kayak tethered to your belt. Store all your extra stuff in it and just drag it around from spot to spot. An added bonus is that you can get to some deeper holes that would never be wadable. I use this technique frequently (cool, two consecutive words with a "Q" ) along the coast. Lots of times I'll just anchor it in an area and wade fish til I'm ready to move.

Agreed! Waded the fox and Kayaked from spot to spot and got out and fished. Forgot about this trip- Was on the phone working the whole time.

[lefty_stratton]

Kayak tied is a great idea. Boogaloo; that Wade Aid looks perfect unfortunately eBay or BassPro dont' have any listings for it

[Darth Wader]

Personally I'd go for the diversity of a 7ft med action spinning rod.
You can cover a WIDE variety of techniques and tactics without the ridiculousness (IMO) of carrying 2+ rods around for 7 days...especially through rough terrain.

[TheWoz]

TheWoz: where did you purchase that? I explained my bag setup and it's very similar to yours but, after looking up your bag on yahoo, it seems to have a lot more space (which is what I need)

Pinkey Creek
(the one I have)
http://www.fishpondusa.com/piney-creek-tech-pack.cfm

Tundra pack...same thing with bigger pockets
http://www.fishpondusa.com/tundra-tech-pack.cfm

Video on pack
http://vimeo.com/22879047

You can see here I have a spinning rod on my pack while fly fishing.

[Aux Pleins]

Ever wack and tangle the pole behind u in the rodholder?? I agree with DW less is more when wading. But more props to ya if you can switch to totally different application and setup and start getting after everything in the water.

[TheWoz]

Ever wack and tangle the pole behind u in the rodholder?? I agree with DW less is more when wading. But more props to ya if you can switch to totally different application and setup and start getting after everything in the water.

I hsvr on my kayak but not wading with my pack. I cast above my head tough

[cletedius]

definitely some good responses, thanks.
-Looking at the piney creek pack, looks petty cool, also has lots of storage, but, my only concern looks to be that it appears to ride a little low on the back. Quite commonly, we'll cross some deeper spots that come within a few inches of the tops of our waders. The position of that pack looks as though it'll get submerged quite a bit. Is that pack waterproof? Looking at your pic, trying to determine where the reel would rest, and, how much time would it spend submerged. And, yes, Im looking to carry 1-piece rods.
-Checked out the wade-aid, definitely a cool concept, but, as before, my reels would spend more time underwater over the course of the day, than I'd like.
-The kayak idea is a good one, but just not practical. Some of the areas traversed would make it a real ball-buster to tow along the kayak. Used to do this trip out of my boat(17' welded jon), and, while definitely nicer to fish from, it makes getting to some of our spots a bit of a challenge, and boat/trailer really take a beating going up and down fire roads, trails, and other unpaved passages, not to mention a boat cuts us off from a lot of our spots because of depth, current, rapid areas.
-As far as tackle, my go-to outfit is a 7'ML(legend extreme). Works great for topwaters, and jig/plastic in 1/8-1/4 size. I have the same rod in a medium, and, it works great on heavier football/spidergrub combo's, and t-rig plastics, tip is a bit stout for my liking on topwaters, and a bit heavy on smaller 1/16-1/8 jig/plastics. Looking to carry along a 7' light outfit to throw some lighter stuff(in pursuit of walleye), and would like to bring along a 7' medium baitcaster, in addition to the bread and butter 7'medium-light spinning rod.

[cletedius]

This is my latest idea, and so far seems to be somewhat viable.

Used some LLbean points and got the waterproof waistpack, which i wear over 1-shoulder, and under the other shoulder, and fastens around the outside of the PVC tube. In test walking, seems to hold together well, sit high enough up to stay out of the water. One drag I see, is the necessity of the vest to carry the extra rod(s). Dont always like to wear it on the warmer days.

[Aux Pleins]

I hsvr on my kayak

me too

[TheWoz]

The pack is waterproof of youdo go through deport water

[riverine rodent]

Personally I'd go for the diversity of a 7ft med action spinning rod.
You can cover a WIDE variety of techniques and tactics without the ridiculousness (IMO) of carrying 2+ rods around for 7 days...especially through rough terrain.

Most definitely agree. At most make sure you get a spare spool with your reel and carry that if you feel the need to go heavier or lighter in line. Much easier to hump all day too. I've been wading for 40 years never really felt the need for more than one rod.

Now it never hurts to pack a back up rod/reel along with your back up tackle in your preferred mode of travel when going on a extendeed trip. Other wise Murphy will make an appearance.

[TheWoz]

The only time I carry multiple rods is if Im switching from fly to spin gear. But I normally put the fly rod in a tube.

[Rich]

Personally I'd go for the diversity of a 7ft med action spinning rod.
You can cover a WIDE variety of techniques and tactics without the ridiculousness (IMO) of carrying 2+ rods around for 7 days...especially through rough terrain.

Yup.

Or you could also pack a nice three piece travel spinning rod and the extra spool along with the 7'er .
I've got a couple 6' three piece Sage spinning rods that would easily be packed for lighter stuff and areas where the finesse casts are prefered, along with a 7' medium 'main rod' .
It would depend on the conditions, fish being targeted, average lengths of casts needed, 'main' rod, etc., etc.
But , as the fly fishermen have known for quite some time now, three, four , five ( three for spin, generally, four or more for fly) piece rods of quality are available for just such needs.
Now , if the bait casting guys would just realize that they could be much less limited if they demanded quality travel rods be built...they'd be , well, sooo less limited when traveling.