This Is What I Carry Every Time I Hit The River

Lance Renoux (@chuckingfeathers) is an avid fly angler and a writer over at chuckingfeathers.blogspot.com. Often when you’re asked the question, "What's in your bag," you’re in some sort of trouble. In this case, we’re talking about what I carry every time I hit the water. For the longest time I used a lanyard to hold my tools and stuffed flyboxes in my waders. That didn’t work. It was difficult to access the flyboxes, not to mention uncomfortable, and in warmer weather I was seriously limited on what I could carry. I decided to invest in a sling pack and picked up an Umpqua Ambi-sling pack due to the storage and attachment points that it offered. Let's Get Into The Bag So what do I carry? I keep it pretty simple, things I need both for fishing and to remain comfortable on the water. In the internal pockets I usually put my wallet, keys and phone (in a Lifeproof case) in one of the smaller pockets in case I take a dip. I also carry a buff or two along with stripping gloves. In the larger compartments I store my flyboxes and rain jacket with a water bottle for hotter fishing trips. On the outside of my pack with the attachment points I carry what I need in quick reach. The foam fly patch for drying my used flies, a fishpond tippet holder with various tippet sizes, on retractors I have a tippet straightener and microfiber cloth and a pair of Dr. Slick scissor clamps on a separate retractor on the arm of the bag. The Tools Of The Trade I also carry a small net on a magnetic release. I have recently added a dive knife to my pack, which straps to the side of my pack for safety, and a GoPro to record any big fish. With the Dr. Slick clamp it covers all the tools I need, to remove hooks, cut tippet, clear eyes and de-barb hooks. This tool set I listed above addresses all my issues I encounter on the water, while keep the clutter to the minimum. In regards to flies I carry, it depends on what I’m targeting. If I’m going for trout, I carry my standard trout box, y2k’s, wooly buggers, pheasant tails, elk hair caddis. But if I’m suspecting I will encounter bass or carp or any other warm water species, I carry my Postfly warmwater box, wooly buggers, complex twist buggers, topwater gurglers, clousers, Everglades specials, carp flies and a menagerie of other experiments. That is what I carry every time I hit the water; I’m a firm believer of keeping it simple and straightforward with my gear selection, which makes my time on the water more enjoyable. Hopefully this post will give you some ideas and maybe help simplify your EDC for future fishing trips. Tight Lines! Make sure your EDC is always full of flies and gear that is hand-picked to help you catch more fish. Sign up for Postfly now and Join The Tribe.