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Post by johntpenca on Nov 28, 2020 8:48:52 GMT -8
Most of my backpacking trips involve fishing. Nice looking stringer there.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Nov 28, 2020 10:34:59 GMT -8
Generally do you catch your fish somewhere near your camp or catch them when you have access then cook them later? Is dinner shortly after catching the fish no matter what time of day? I don't know if something delicate like trout has to be cooked right away.
Particularly when solo camping I have been aiming for very low scent at camp. I sleep better. Sometimes I have been having "dinner" late in the afternoon then hike some more then just a snack at camp. Near no food smells in the area of where I am spending the night.
That guts approach is evidently against the rules in NY. My usual overnight stops are near a lake or stream. I generally catch them, and then fillet and cook them right away. You could toss the guts into some brush a good distance from camp. I suppose burying them would also be a option, but bear have a pretty good nose and would likely dig them up. I generally thread the fillets on a green twig and cook them over a small fire, with a few drops of Sriracha (you can get single serving packets at Starbucks). I generally try to catch them as close to dinner time as possible, and leave them in fresh water on the stringer until the last minute.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Nov 28, 2020 11:50:41 GMT -8
So I have changed my mind a little on the catch and release. A lot less overhead than the whole cleaning and cooking thing. Makes practicing more practical and if I don't catch anything who cares. Then I can plan trips that sort of count on getting fish a little more reliably once I have a baseline. Still up in the air about Tenkara vs reel. The Tenkara rig set I am looking at comes in at 3 oz and is only $120. Reel rigs are a lot more money and weight but they are more appropriate for lake fishing. Possibly one big fish from a lake instead several small ones from a stream. I grew up using all kinds of spinner rigs on salt water so I should be ready to go with them.
And the rules for all this are complicated. Here is the 80 page regs for NY:
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Post by trinity on Nov 28, 2020 12:07:42 GMT -8
ErnieW , flyfishing really isn't as difficult or mystical as flyfishers like to pretend. Yes, there is a learning curve, but once you get the basic rhythm of the cast, you will catch fish, as long as you know where to find them. There are some decent startup rigs available nowadays, I would probably recommend something like the Orvis Clearwater Setup. Rod, reel, and line for just over $300, with a 25 year guarantee. Your best all around flyrod will be a 9 foot 5-weight. For small streams, Tenkara might well be quite productive, but as has been noted, lakes and any place that demands longer casts will be a problem for a Tenkara setup. I have very limited Tenkara experience, it just isn't very practical for the majority of my fishing, but I do like the minimalist ethic. Certainly, an ultralight spinning setup is a good option as well. Here is a Smallie caught on a 5'6" ultralight 4-piece spinning rod a few years ago in the Boundary Waters: But for backpacking, I'll carry my flyrod every time. If you get a flyrod, make yourself an ultralight carrying tube from a florescent lightbulb protector: link
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Post by johntpenca on Nov 28, 2020 12:22:10 GMT -8
Here is a Smallie caught on a 5'6" ultralight 4-piece spinning rod a few years ago in the Boundary Waters That may be a smallie, but it ain't small. Nice fish.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Nov 28, 2020 12:54:06 GMT -8
So I have changed my mind a little on the catch and release. A lot less overhead than the whole cleaning and cooking thing. Makes practicing more practical and if I don't catch anything who cares...
After you catch and fry trout till slightly crispy, mix in some rice, a bit of salt...
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Post by bradmacmt on Nov 28, 2020 15:04:28 GMT -8
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Post by bradmacmt on Nov 28, 2020 15:13:42 GMT -8
And for a knife, I've not found anything better for its weight than the Opinel no.6 (stainless - 2.75" blade):
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markskor
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Post by markskor on Nov 28, 2020 17:15:50 GMT -8
What makes a good backcountry fishing rig ?...like all things backpacking...depends.
FYI, My overnight backpacking itineraries now always include some sort of fishing; if not, I ain’t going. We are talking about High Sierra fishing, usually off-trail too, looking for larger trout, and no stockers. Over the years, I have tried many different approaches - fly, spin, Tenkara...thoughts:
What is the greatest secret to catching Sierra fish? Why do 10% of fishermen catch 90%? What is the best approach? Is one way better than another? Sure we could discuss rod selection, weight, length, spinning reels, line weight, tippets, best fly patterns, choice of lures, casting, reading the water, time of day, power bait, etc. etc... all nuances that come with time. The best advice to give is, whatever method chosen, the best way to catch fish is to have your hook in the water as long as possible.
That Tenkara rig thing can be magic. Small streams, just keep moving along, flipping small flies into a myriad of pools...like said, lots of fun. However, there are bushes aplenty, perhaps strong winds...lots of fiddling around and too many snags. Sierra streams are usually minuscule too...lots of smaller fish.
Fly fishing Sierra can be highly productive...better in wide shallow streams though. Once you learn the art of casting, the rest is still a steep learning curve. Find someone to take you, show you the knots, teach you the difference in top water vs, sinking lines...how to choose the correct fly...lots to learn. Fly fishing is an art form...roller casts, watching the line dance in the air only to have the right fly drop lightly just off the nose of some unexpecting lunker. However, the Sierra is not like the “A River Runs Through It” movie…(read heavy brush, wind in your face, steep drop-offs so no wading far out...hard to get enough casting distance...too much time with a fly in the air and not in the water...see advice above.)
Myself, in the Sierra, prefer a spinning rig. My kit: A Wright Mcgill eagle claw trailmaster fishing rod (ebay ~$75)...it is their latest UL, 7.5’, composite rod...4-piece...kept hiking safe in a plastic rod tube. I carry a Shimano Symetre 1000 FL reel strung with 4-pound line and carry a spare spool of 6-pound line too.
FYI, Almost any spinning reel will work well for a season (or maybe two) but why you pay the bigger bucks for is longevity over the years. You can replace that “good enough” Walmart $20 reel every year or so, or if really serious about backpack fishing, buy a good one that will last you for decades. Look for a name brand, light-weight reel (<8 oz), metal over plastic, the more ball bearings the better, and capable of holding at least 150 yards of 4-pound line. I also like the older Penn 420ss reel too…(perhaps the best backpacking reel ever invented.)
Mostly, I like to throw bigger lures into off-trail Sierra lakes...like to go deep (tickle the bottom?)...carry about 20 lures...(the old bigger lure, bigger fish theory). ⅜ oz Z-Rays and ¼ oz Panther Martins...red, gold, black, silver...they all work.
I also carry maybe 30 assorted flies (the fly-n-bubble technique) along with 3 - 4 “bubbles”...all for the morning and evening rise. Lures and flies are stored safe in an old Perrine fly box (ebay again)...a pair of Hemostats are tied to a smallest SAK (scissors model) by a 2-foot cord...and always a fishing license of course.
As for cooking, I use the foil package, little olive oil, heavy assorted spice method...foil wrapped trout go into the coals if low enough for camp fires but the packages get pressed into a hot fry-pan at higher elevations. Throw the guts into the heavy brush or into fast moving streams...never shallow in the lake, especially in places where people normally filter their water.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Nov 28, 2020 19:36:23 GMT -8
Thank you all for the information. I also want to say I have been watching a lot of YouTube about lightweight/backpacking fishing but the info here has been great help.
I am guessing that with most of these fly rigs you are using barbed hooks correct? I guess that also means carrying a hemostat.
Tenkara seems to use barbless hooks. It looks like you really need a net or you are going to lose fish. Anyone carry a net? One of the videos the guys were using their mesh caps as nets. At many levels that didn't seem good.
So in my saltwater experience you use a scaler as part cleaning most fish due to the size of the scales. For something like a smaller trout how do you clean the scales?
I think I am tending towards giving Tenkara a try. It is something new. In talking about spin casting rigs it recently made me think about when I first learned. I was so young that I could barely hold the rod. My dad actually put a lanyard on the rod and I ended up needing it otherwise I would have thrown his lightweight rig overboard. I have done lots of spin casting since then from light rigs to surf fishing rigs, surface lures to bottom fishing with live bait.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Nov 28, 2020 20:55:54 GMT -8
After some more YouTube'ing it kind of looks like at least trout don't really have scales or at least ones you have to worry about. The vast majority of the prep is pretty standard fish cleaning but without also removing the skin. If they are big enough they are filleted. Only one of the vids cooked them with the skin on. If you do that can you eat the skin too? At least with salt water fish that's where a lot of the fat and therefore calories are.
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Nov 28, 2020 21:07:20 GMT -8
I never skin the trout I eat. The skin is very thin and can be a little crispy--yummy if the fish are cooked in butter or oil.
And just to clarify something, I catch and release about 95% of the fish I catch...maybe more. But every once in a while, if there are lots of fish and we are far from crowds, I'll keep a couple and eat them. They don't taste anything like the trout that you buy in the store--they are delicious. And I prefer rainbows over both brookies and browns for eating.
Back in the day, I used to count on trout for some of my backpacking meals. instant rice, a few Knorr sauces, and each night we would have something different: Trout Stroganoff, Trout Goulash, etc. Back then you could make a fire anywhere, and we would just roast the trout by putting them on alder skewers and cooking them like hot dogs on a stick.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Nov 29, 2020 12:01:32 GMT -8
Only one of the vids cooked them with the skin on. If you do that can you eat the skin too? IMHO you can cook them and then peel the flesh off the skin, but they taste much better if you skin them first.
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Post by bradmacmt on Nov 29, 2020 12:53:43 GMT -8
Nice thing about cooking fish in foil on coals is you don't need to fillet or skin them. the flesh falls right off the skin and bones.
This summer we decided to do fish taco's - four trips and they never got old! We'd bought a bunch of Mountain Houses Fire Roasted Vegetable Blend on closeout (sadly discontinued - the only thing MH makes worth a hoot). Mix taco seasoning in the pouch, warm up corn tortillas over the fire on a "Y" shaped stick, add the fish and veggies, and slather on some Cholula hot sauce. James Beard worthy.
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Post by trinity on Nov 29, 2020 13:12:56 GMT -8
I am guessing that with most of these fly rigs you are using barbed hooks correct? I guess that also means carrying a hemostat. If you're mostly going to catch and release, just use a pair of pliers to mush down the barbs on the flies. They really aren't that much help anyways, as long as you maintain pressure on the fish. And it will make releasing much easier. Even so, a hemostat is a good thing to have along. I've never carried a net backpacking, and I've rarely needed one. Seems like a well-used fishing net would be a bear magnet. they taste much better if you skin them first. Didn't know this. I don't think I've ever skinned a trout, but I'll have to give it a try. I usually just gut them and pan fry them whole.
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