What’s in the Bag

I was thinking about what I wanted to put in my blog and lots of things keep coming through my mind and then I saw one of my old golf magazines. That made me think a bit about what I really enjoyed in those magazines and it is the “What’s in the Bag” pages. So I thought that I would put together a post about what is in my bag in a fishing sense.

I am going to start with my waders. I have had and used the same pair of waders for the last 11 or so years. They are the Simms Guide weight original breathables. I got them at a fly shop on an afterhour’s sale and they have been one of the best purchases ever. I am very loyal to Simms because they have lasted me so well. They have actually outlasted 2 pairs of wading boots. I am currently in the market for another pair of waders and will surely go with the new updated Simms G3’s.

Wading boots I wear Korker’s Riverborn boots. They are great but I got them about 2 months before they became outdated and Korker’s released their new version of the sole. I was able to purchase an extra pair of studded felt and two rubber soles cheep so they will last me a while. The boots are great with great ankle support and have lasted well for the last 3 years.

My fishing bag is a Simms hip pack that I picked up last year. It is very large and carries everything that I need.

Now for the fun part the meat of my gear. My rod is a Winston IM6 9’ 5wt three piece that I love. I have been using it since 2000 and it is still the nicest feeling rod I have ever used. It is paired with a Lamson Guru 2.0 that is also fantastic to use. My other rod that I use regularly is a St. Croix Legend Elite that I picked up on a pro discount. It is a 9’ 4wt that I got to fish Silver Creek and small dry flies, but has really become my Euro nymph rod. I like it a lot but it just isn’t my Winston. The St. Croix is paired with a Ross CLA 1.5 that is a very nice reel also.

Lines, leaders and Tippets are all pretty much Rio. They get traded out pretty regularly so I won’t go into the details. My leaders are usually hand tied by me with a butt section of Maxima and rest being Rio Fluorocarbon. My thoughts on leaders are a post for another day.
So that is the gear that I usually have with me on the river when I go.

As far as my wish list right now there are really only two things that I want. As mentioned previously the G3 waders and I would really like to get my hands on a St. Croix “High Stick Drifter”. I have really been trying to learn to “High Stick” the way Kelly Galloup describes and teaches in his videos and his “Ask about Fly Fishing” pod cast.
I hope that after a few more posts of getting to know me I will be able to get more meat in the posts of how I fish and what works and so on.