what kind of bags do you use to carry all your gear? not nessesarily pluggage and such, but other provisions such as sandwiches, water, thermos, maybe an extra shirt, etc..
I hate bringing my backpack along because I like to carry a plug bag along and be able to swing it around to the front to switch plugs. I want to be very mobile and not have to worry about putting my backpack down at a spot and then moving and forgetting where I put down my pack.
I was thinking about getting a waistpack (yeah basically a fanny pack, but apparently they are back in style in hiking applications cause they are all over REI and places like it).

I stuff it all in my waders.... :)

Brown bag it P&J,s

man that seems to be all i ever do is hike to spots, think minimal:
small juice box, nutragrain snacks ( no room for sandwich ) one rod small surf bag breathable waders.

I have an old camera bag I put plugs, pliers, batteries etc in.

Its a leathery bag though so it gets a little soggy when wet.

I stuff it all in my waders.... :)

I do the same thing. Otherwise I carry a small dry bag.

Surf Bag, medium to large, 20 plugs or so, pliars, knife, leaders, 2 lights
2 drinks, a few bars. I stuff everthing in my waders/surf bag.

Also 1 rod and reel.

Sandwich... nah... too much work...extra shirts and stuff stay in the truck...
energy bars and a red bull if it's a long night
I really got into carrying a smaller belt bag last year, 4-5 plugs, plenty of leaders... makes life a LOT easier and more mobile....
on my belt is a knife and pliers, two lights around the neck,
I have the back-style waist pack which I had high hopes for (bought it cheap at Bean in N Conway) but I havent gotten around to modifying it... right now it has the plastic trays which I hate... however i think this year I'll mod it for real LONG walks... but I'd still take it off to fish/wade...



If I get thirsty, I just send Spence back for water :D

Between the pockets on my skinz jacket, waders, plug bag, and belt pouch, i find space for food n stuff. I always have a granola bar or two in the skinz pouch, drinks get carried with me or squirled away on the beach.

When I'm a hikin' I go light.And I do some distance.

I have a lightweight insulated water bottle holder that hangs on the wader belt.And I carry a few of the "energy bar" type snack bars in a heavy ziplock stuffed into whereever I can fit it in my plug bag or in my top.

Backpack.

Truth be told.... I carry only these things

Gatorade - In my waders.
Pliers - In my pocket
1 rod.
Soft cooler full of eels.
Maybe a granola bar
And a 3 tube plug bag on my wading belt.

No need to bring 40 plugs. A swimmer a needle and some rubbah.

If you're skinny, no extra gear outside of drinking water is needed. Just wear lightweight waders and keep your jacket in a small duffell bag when walking. If you're fat, go to the breachway and rotate.

When fishing with a partner, drop one off with the stuff and the other goes back to park and comes back on foot. Switch for the trip back. Or space out two cars and cover a length of shoreline on foot. Back in the day, when I was in shape, I would drop off whomever I was fishing with and run back.

Very few people will walk more than a half mile to a spot. Put a compass on a map and space it out for two miles and draw a circle - you'll be amazed at the places you can access. In RI, if you are ok with walking 2M one way, I can think of no spot you can't access. If you are ok with waliking 1M one-way, you can access more than 75% of the shore.

There is a forgotten country of spots out there and you'll be all alone once you have re-discovered it. Outside of two places I've never seen anyone fishing in a spot that was a big walk from legal parking.

... Snipped

No need to bring 40 plugs. A swimmer a needle and some rubbah.


OK 40 may be much, but NO WAY am i bringing only 5 or 6. I've had nights where I've LOST 5 or 6.

If I was close to fishing like alot of folks here, I could swing it. For me, It's 1 hour minimum drive time. Plus a long walk... There is no way I'm gonna head out without a good selection of lures and backups.

cool, this thread turned out to be interesting thanks guys.
you guys are making me think I can carry a lot of stuff in my medium aquaskins bag. the only real problem is water and the water bottle thing cliped to your belt or bag is a good idea.

Depends on the time of year and the distance I know I will be walking.
In the warm months when I know I'm gonna make it a long night and walk 1-2 miles one way taking spray in the face (salty lips make me even more thirsty) I wear my camelback. Small profile, very light weight and can hold 1-2 quarts of ice water or what ever you want (gatorade etc..). It's got pockets for power bars and that little bit of extra gear if you feel you need it. Straps on like a back pack, you don't even notice your wearing it and it doesn't interfer with the plug bag or wading belt that holds the all important pliers and knife, etc...

On nights when I'm not heading out so far a can of Rock Star, Monster or whatever and a Powerbar and I'm good.

Jolt caffeine gum also helps a little to wet the whistle and provide a small jump start..

If its a ways and plan on spending the night I use a alice pack, in it I have water, cambra, tackle, cooler bag, knife, lights, ect. Its soft, comfortable and you can even stuff a #30 head first no sweat, you also have three outer pouches.
I don't fish with it on.

If its a ways and plan on spending the night I use a alice pack, in it I have water, cambra, tackle, cooler bag, knife, lights, ect. Its soft, comfortable and you can even stuff a #30 head first no sweat, you also have three outer pouches.
I don't fish with it on.
Whats a alice pack?

I think there's 2 aspects of hiking it, 1 where the destination is a long walk, and the other where you walk a long stretch while fishing.
If its the first, I find a backpack helpful. Ill put my korkers, and plug bag w/ some snack bars and xtra bottle of wader in it. Unpack and fish normal (wader belt and acces.). I find fishing w/ the backpack on uncomfortable.
Otherwise I pack light when fishing a long stretch. Ill stick some rice KRISPY treats (waterproof) in the plugbag side pockets, a redbull in the other and a water bottle attached to my wader belt via caribiner. Smokes are in my waders, but I got an Otter Box this year, to keep in my bag.
I also slim down what plugs I carry by only putting 1 plug in each slot. That helps alot.

cambra
What's a cambra?

Goose... Who are you anyway??

Get some o rings that will fit around the neck of whatever you will be drinking and tie some string to them, make a loop and then attach to a carabiner on your wading belt. Cheap drink holder. Cliff bars in the waders and a medium Skinz bag. Couple of lights ( headlamp and a necklight), pliers and a knife. This should be all, travel light and fast. :kewl:

Depends on the time of year and the distance I know I will be walking.
In the warm months when I know I'm gonna make it a long night and walk 1-2 miles one way taking spray in the face (salty lips make me even more thirsty) I wear my camelback. Small profile, very light weight and can hold 1-2 quarts of ice water or what ever you want (gatorade etc..). It's got pockets for power bars and that little bit of extra gear if you feel you need it. Straps on like a back pack, you don't even notice your wearing it and it doesn't interfer with the plug bag or wading belt that holds the all important pliers and knife, etc...

On nights when I'm not heading out so far a can of Rock Star, Monster or whatever and a Powerbar and I'm good.

Jolt caffeine gum also helps a little to wet the whistle and provide a small jump start..

I got a camel bak for X-mas I didn't even think how i could use it for fishing too :smash:

You put a few redbulls in and a couple gatorades that would be great. Plus mine has a pouch for snacks etc. I think I would still use my plug bag cause I dont want treble hooks sticking into my back or through my waders.

I try to eat and drink something before I head out.I like to pack the least amount of stuff in my jacket and waders.I don't like bringing more then I need.I carry my eels in a mayo jug.then I'll put 2 plugs in my double pvc tube I'v taped together in my wading jacket pocket as well as my leader wallet.pliers onbelt,light around my neck,eel rag in side pocket,scale in top pocket with a nice lenght of rope.every thing else stays in the truck.

lol
Cambra: that thing that takes pickshores.
Alice pack: military issue back pack, comes in 3 sizes med, lg, XL(xl for cold weather)

lol
Cambra: that thing that takes pickshores.

I thought so Man...LOL:pop:

Many plug bags to choose from but the large VS bag with Skinz inserts is 75% my go to cuz it holds lots o' plugz.Small Canyon for the beaches.I usually put the eel bucket through my wader strap and throw it over my back outa the way.I never take a camera cuz only 40's pose for pix.My brother carries the backpack cuz he's skinny and in shape:cheers: If I haul out a fish I put my belt through the mouth and sling it over the shoulder.Never take food or a dry shirt.Leader wallet is always in the dry top.

I think I would still use my plug bag cause I dont want treble hooks sticking into my back or through my waders.

I would always have one of my plug bags with me. Remember that hook is more than likely going through the beverage bladder before your dry top and waders.

Hiking along the shore and casting at different places is a good way to learn a spot but real time consuming once you understand it.

Let's say you find a good spot that's a mile and half from public parking; you can either park and walk along the shore for and take forty minutes to reach it, or you can walk back up the road, parallel to the shore and come in covertly. You can walk twice as fast over roads than rocks with less energy expended.

Once I've found the place I like to fish - and have a solid understanding of when to fish it, I'll ditch the shoreline route for the direct approach. I'll come in on a b-line through private roads, maybe cut through a yard or two in order to directly get to and fish the spot I want to hit the most then rinse and repeat at other places. Hiking is a great method of finding new water, but not an end in itself. You're out to fish, not hike.

i usually keep a close eye on the forecast. try to dress appropriately. spring and summer all nighters are easy. lightweight waders and a polyester long sleeve. i'll put on some thermals under my waders and aquaskins in the fall.

stuff snickers in your waders. i usually have a side pouch for 2 redbulls. everything else gets clipped to your wading belt and stuffed in the waders. keep it simple. there's nothing worse than trying to scale some structure with a bunch of gear.

Now that we have covered all the hiking and shlepping the gear, when do you find the time and energy to FISH. If you are so concerned with how much you can sling on the body, what do you do when you finally get the 50?? Sand sled for me!:jump:

LOL.. ya gots a good point there. My main concern isn't so much the hiking to a spot, it's just the staying mobile section of it. I am still trying to learn spots, and as Joe said, walking along the shore and trying different spots is a good way to do this, so that's what I plan on doing. Last year I felt that I was limited because I didn't bring the proper amount of food or water, so after like 3 or so hours with no food and water and no breaks, I would get tired and burnt out and you guys know you aint catching $hit if your head isn't in it.

I'm a mule(ask anyone who knows me:) ), I usually end up carrying some of my daughters stuff. I use a medium size soft cooler, sometimes two. Carry a bucket with a shoulder strap when we were chunking. One thing I have done that no one here mentioned is i have put reflective tape on my bags and spikes. I spent probably 3 hours one night searching for my plug bag kind of amazing how a dark blue bag looks like a rock in the dark. the reflective tape has saved me alot of time.

I spent probably 3 hours one night searching for my plug bag kind of amazing how a dark blue bag looks like a rock in the dark. the reflective tape has saved me alot of time.

I know the feeling.I was fishing a place I hadn't been to in awhile and put my dark green plug bag logo side down of course.

Didn't spend quite as much time as you did but an hour was long enough for me.

I hear that too guys, that is why I want to travel light enough to never have to put anything down.

A little piece of Luminous tape......Keeps you from losing Alice in the woods.....

Goose you are an animal, an Alice Pack can hold enough to make a grown man :bc: :bc:

a buddy of mine sometimes carries one of those huge camping backpacks - it's kind of like an alice pack for yuppies LOL. but anyways, he of course has to put the thing down to fish and if we fish on the beach, he never accounts for incoming tides :huh:

I hear that too guys, that is why I want to travel light enough to never have to put anything down.

That was the incident that basically got me started with consolidating my gear when I go on hikes.Now I'm down to a belt plugbag and waterbottle,my little Princeton Tec flashlight and pliers.And of course my pole.If I need Korkers I just carry them over the shoulder.

1 rod
1 tackle bag
1 belt pouch
no food, no water. I starve myself into a hallucinogenic altered state of thinking and then I fish.

I take one rod. if its spring i take my light stick, if its summer, i bring either or, if its fall i bring the 1213M

for gear, i keep a pair of pliers and a boga attached to my wader belt. I have 3 plugbags that i rotate- a night bag for rock hoppin (medium aquaskins) an all around bag for outflows that will hold a bunch of plugs and bucktails (large aquaskin) and finaly a soft plastics bag for when im pitchin rubber ( medium surfcaster bag with the inserts removed) I'll usually have a power bar or 2 on me, a bottle of water, a spool of Mono or flouro for leaders ( i tie on the fly) and a headlight that i wear around my neck most of the time. I also keep a cellphone in a ziplock baggie inside my waders pocket so mrs eben can get in touch with me incase there is an emergency.
thats it though... the lighter the beter. if i need anything else i have a backup in the buggy.

:wave: If I cant do a jumping jack with all the chit Im carrying, I leave stuff behind. Theres no need to go out with every plug you own.

I keep it lite,, most of the time:)

I love to walk and when you walk you get away from the googs,
LIke Joe said most of the spots 1/2 mlie from a legal parking
are over looked. and very productive. If I can't put it in a plug
bag or my waders/wader jacket It stays in the truck.

1) Aqua Skinz med. plug bag
2) Aqua Skinz large belt pouch
3) a bottle of water
4) 2 lights head lamp, neck lamp
5) plyers and knife on wader belt
6) eel pouch/ or cooler

I almost never bring food or water when fishing.On long walks I might bring one of them slim botlles of water.Dark doesn't last long enough to waste time eating an drinkin.
Why not just order domino's delivery.suck it up.Often times I will move fish one strech then move to another Icey cold drink an snack bar till ride is over.
Know that being said I love all nighters at the cc canal.wit DD's on each end.slack tide coffe is kool.I don't mind loading a bag to the gills especially when fishing different places.my surf bag will cripple most my canal bag goes 40 lbs easy.if getting in the water I keep it simple with a smaller bag or eels.

my rod and my trusty surf caster plug bag