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 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:

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