My Hike-In Fly Fishing Gear List

My Hike-In Fly Fishing Gear List

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This article is all about My Hike-In Fly Fishing Gear List for a short DAY trip. And what just so happens to be two of my favorite activities to do in life? Well, one is fly fishing. And the other is hiking, of course. So why not combine these two activities by doing both at the same time?

Well, this is, in fact, what I actually did do a few times this Spring. And because I’ve also been doing this activity since I was a young man just out of college, fly fishing for brook trout in Shenandoah National Park. I figured that I’d put together a lightweight gear list for those among my readers, who like to get out and go hike-in fly fishing on backcountry mountain streams, which you have to do some hiking to access. Or folks, who just like going on long hikes along backcountry streams, rivers, and other water bodies.

Rocky Fork, Headwaters, wild rainbow trout
Wild rainbow trout caught this Spring after steep 3-mile hike into this backcountry stream.

So without further ado, I’ll soon present my essential list of all the gear that you’ll need to go hike-in fly fishing on a backcountry stream in the Appalachians. Or just about anywhere else in the country, too. Yes, I have experience doing this activity out West, too.

Hike-in Fly Fishing Day Out West
Hike-in fly fishing adventure out West on beautiful Cayuse Creek. Indeed, we needed our water filters that day!

Therefore, I can assure you that the most essential piece of gear that you’ll need on any hike-in fly fishing adventure from the East to the West is a portable water filter. Like this one: Katadyn BeFree 0.6L Water Filter. Which enables you to hike-in without carrying extra water weight. Yes, I personally own it and use this fast flow, convenient water filter. And I highly recommend it for hike-in fly fishing adventures.

And with that said, let’s get started with my hike-in fly fishing gear list. Shall we? So here it is with absolutely no more delay:

Gary Alan’s Hike-In Fly Fishing Gear List

Prescription glasses, etc:

Sunglasses:

If you don’t wear prescription glasses, then I recommend fly fishing the backcountry with Costa Del Mar Sunglasses. I still own two pairs! The polarized lenses really do reduce surface glare on the water, enabling one to see the trout beneath the water’s surface. My lenses are yellow for low-light conditions. But most folks will prefer gray, copper, blue, or green lenses. I used to wear my Costa Del Mar Sunglasses almost religiously when I fly fished with contact lenses. But I stopped wearing contacts, so I had to switch to prescription glasses.

Console bag OR Pocket/Body Gear:

HIKE-IN/OUT CLOTHES:

BACKPACK and accessories:

WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM:

  • Handheld water filter,   Katadyn BeFree 0.6L Water Filter
  • 1 17 oz water bottle or 28 oz Gatorade bottle, The Gatorade bottle used to be 32 oz, recently, but has since been downsized to 28 oz, because of shrinkflation. So thanks guys!

HEADLAMP and BATTERIES:

RAIN GEAR:

FLY FISHING WADING GEAR:

I recommend keeping it lightweight when you’re hiking in to fly fish a backcountry stream. Therefore, I don’t bring full chest waders and wade boots. Instead, I just stuff my Chacos and some lightweight neoprene socks into my backpack. When I arrive at the stream, I take off my hiking boots and socks, and replace them with the Chacos and neoprene wading socks listed below.

FLY FISH VEST, TOOLS, AND ESSENTIAL ITEMS:

Surprise. Surprise. I don’t usually wear my fly fishing vest when I hike into a backcountry stream to fly fish. Instead, I just stuff the necessary tools and gear into my lightweight backpack and the large pockets of my fly fishing shirt. But you can, of course, hike in with your fly fishing vest. It just adds unnecessary weight, in my opinion, when you want to travel light for this type of day trip.

FLY ROD, REEL, LINES:

If you’re fly fishing a small backcountry hike-in stream, I’d recommend fly fishing with a 4 weight fly rod, or even a 3 weight. For a low-cost, high quality fly rod, I’m recommending the Fenwick Aetos Fly Fishing Rod. It’s probably the best affordable fly rod for the price, which also performs better than many high-end rods, according to fly casting experts, which I’m not. However, if you have more bucks than me, then I’d recommend this 4 weight fly rod:
G Loomis NRX+ 490-4 Fly Rod : New for 2020
I personally own a G Loomis Switch Rod. And it casts and fights the steelies like a dream.

GEAR & GADGETS INSIDE FLY FISHING SHIRT POCKETS OR LIGHTWEIGHT BACKPACK:

Sprays:

Food, and Dry Bags:

So you’re going to need food for the day, especially if you’re going to be hiking anywhere from 3 to 5 miles into a wilderness area. That said, I like to keep my backcountry foods simple, quick, and easy. Another thing that wouldn’t hurt would be to pack your lunch into some dry bags, or ziploc bags. That’s just in case you fall into the water, which, of course, never happens to fly fishermen when wading in slick stream beds.

More Premium Dry Bags:

Incidentally, if you’re looking for a premium dry bag for your hike-in fly fishing adventures. Then I’d recommend buying a small vivid dry bag from Hilltop Packs. The advantage of this type of dry bag is that it’s made of Dyneema–a strong, ultralight, waterproof, and durable material. This enables you to stuff it with sharp-cornered objects, snack bags and packets, like those above, and the material will resist tearing for years. Also, they have these vivid dry bags available in many nice colors! I personally own a small dry bag and large dry bag from Hilltop Packs. Moreover, some folks use them to protect expensive camera equipment from the rain. No, they did not send me their dry bags for free. I wish they would, though!

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After a long career in the publishing industry, Gary Alan left his corporate job to pursue his next adventures in life as a blogger, writer, investor, fly fisherman, hiker, and traveler. He is the author of the adventure fiction book, 'Big Thunder-Hearted River'.