An Ultralight Fishing Kit for Backpacking

Does the combination of backpacking and fishing interest you? If it does, I’m sure you’re also thinking about what kind of fishing gear you want to carry. Of course, we want to keep our carry light, but not so light that we don’t have the proper gear we need to actually catch fish.

I recently started fishing again; it’s been many years since I baited a hook. But this time I’m really interested in making it work in conjunction with backpacking. Most times I’m out backpacking, I had camp set up by early afternoon with not much else to do the rest of the day. And many times I’m near a lake or stream. So, it makes sense to offer that time up to fishing, right?

Fishing, to me, really isn’t all about catching something to eat. It’s more about a quiet and relaxing time on the water. There’s so much to learn, so many different ways to go about it, so many memories that could be made, and stories – true or not – that can be told and handed down. 

One of my older brothers was an avid outdoors man. He succumbed to cancer a few years back, and everyone who talked about him at his wake mentioned the times they shared with him on fishing trips. This can be a precious and memorable pastime. And the kit we use also becomes part of that story. It doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs to be enough. 

My setup is new, inexpensive, it’s light weight, and it doesn’t take up a lot of space in my pack. I’m sure that as time goes on, like all my gear, I’ll change things up. But what I have now, so far, has been a good start. Let’s go through it. 

First, my fishing rod is a tenkara rod. It’s not top of the line. It was a gift from my oldest daughter. So, it’s already a special part of the story. 

Tenkara, if you don’t know, started in Japan several hundred years ago. It’s a long, telescoping rod, that comes in different lengths, with a line and a fly. It’s a form of fly fishing but without a reel. It’s a very basic and primitive form of fishing.

Everything in my current kit can be bought on Amazon. That’s not a commercial; I’m just saying you don’t need to buy super expensive stuff from specialty shops to get started. 

This is the Aventik W-10 Series 8-foot, 8-section rod. 

• A 12-foot tenkara line is connected to the pole on what is called a Lillian
• The other end of the line has a 3-foot section of tippet (fishing line)
• A fly is connected to the other end of the tippet.
• I also have this line holder attached to the handle of my rod. This isn’t necessary, but it’s nice for quick deployment.

I also have a small satchel for extra line, flies, a line snipper, and some hemostats. I also have this homemade stringer inside the satchel, in case I want to catch a meal. These are just bits and pieces I added after listening to a few videos from experts on YouTube. And then I took some paracord to create a way to hang the satchel around me while I’m fishing. 

I also have this small fishing net. It isn’t really necessary if I’m just fishing from shore, but I may it may come in handy, especially if I’m out in the water. It would also come in handy if ever I was fishing while standing in a stream or lake. It hangs off my belt clip, folded up in a pouch until I need it. It deploys easily and is attached with a spiral bungee. 

I also bought a few different flies. Some float for surface fishing. And some have a little weight for fishing below the surface. A good study of the different kinds of flies is in my future. There’s much to learn.

A beginner kit like this will cost between $100-150. I’ve included links to all items on my fishing gear page. A kit can be much more expensive. But my advice would be to keep all that under control until proper skill is developed. 

I’ve taken this kit out a few times on Colorado creeks and small alpine lakes with good results so far. I’ve caught a few brook trout, no “keepers” but certainly a lot of fun.