Northwest Fishing Reports

I'm planing on getting to a few of the snohomish high lakes and I've been looking at pak rods. Do any of you have a particular brand thats been good to you, or does it not really matter. I've seen "kiddy" rods that come with flourecent lures and executive rods that come with custom fitted foam carrying cases. I'm not sure if I should focus on branding or rod action. Do these things break easily? Or am I worried about breaking a rod on a 9" brookie?

I carried a lot of two piece fly rods in and while they were unwieldy I didn't break any. Just make sure you use a rod tube and you'll be fine.

I've seen some nice looking pack-rods on Ebay, from a company called called 'Quetico'. They run between $44 and $70. If I were in the market for a pack rod right now, I'd seriously consider one of these.

Link is too long to post here, but go to Ebay, and look up the seller, 'microjigger'

My fly rod is a 3-piece, 9ft. rod.
I have a tube for it and call it good...it's usually strapped to the side of my pack.

I always carry a spinning setup as well, since a lot of times casting room can be limited.
I simply prefer a 2-piece rod and pack it in by hand....this way I have something to knock down spider webs along the trail!

I'm not a fan of multi-piece or extending pack rods...to many points of failure. I avoid them when possible.
If you do buy one, definitely spend a decent amount of money....or you'll be cussing the entire time.

The only time I wish my rods concealed into something a little smaller is on the long 10+ mile hikes with a lot of elevation gain...this is whan you want trekking poles to save your knees and ankles on the way back down.
However, with so many accessible lakes in our area you really don't need to hike 10+ miles to get into some good fishing.

i have a shimano travel rod im willing to let go of

it has handle some quality bass. it is a 3 piece, and breaks down to under 3ft. this rod has an over the counter exhange warranty with shimano.



$60 cash and its yours

try cabelas i bought a 6'6 4 piece eage claw trail master rod from them a couple of years ago its a great rod i paired it with a shimano micro spinning real and it even came with its own rod tube best pack rod ive ever owned

My take:

All very good suggestions. Fly rod...works great, put it in a tube, strap it to your pack, stronger than your knee if you fall!! BUT..depends on your situation I guess. A 3' tube strapped to your pack can be difficult with an over-grown trail. Then, you have to carry it in your hand. like Bscman said. That works great as well. If it is a real steep hike, it can be a pain to have your pole in your hands. In general...over the years, I just carry a two piece 5.5' rod, either in my hand or on my pack. I have broken countless rods, so buy a case no matter what...you'll be sorry if you don't!! (I was...the back country is no walk in the park). I also once had a Shakespeare telescoping rod. The CHEAPEST pole around, (about $15 I think). But I tell you...it has it's applications. if you only want to "supplement" your trip with fishing, I think this is a good option. If fishing is #1, no way. These little UL poles telescope down to 1ft. and if you do happen to break it, it's cheap. Just pack an ultra light (UL) reel, and you have a 12oz. fishing setup. These are not great poles, BUT YOU CAN CATCH FISH WITH THEM.

Otherwise, the setup cole steffens is talking about is what i'd look into (If you want more quality).

let us know....we are always looking for new reviews!!

cole steffens wrote:try cabelas i bought a 6'6 4 piece eage claw trail master rod from them a couple of years ago its a great rod i paired it with a shimano micro spinning real and it even came with its own rod tube best pack rod ive ever owned

You can't beat fly fishing in alpine lakes. Even if you haven't done much of it, those fish are just so happy to see something in the water when they've been sitting under ice for so long. Check out

http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoic ... ture_id=16

I've got the frequent flyer rod, and it comes in a sweet little case about 15 inches long.

thanks for the suggestions guys. for my first hike I think I'm going to choose a short walk and just use one of my older 2pc rods to see how it goes. I figure if it's something I really want to get into, then I will invest in a good rod. If it turns out I end up bruised and beaten, shot at by bear hunters, attacked by rabid racoons, I might just stick to the river. I'm hoping to get on a lake this weekend. I'll definately be posting a review.

yeah, I take a two piece ugly stick, 5.5 footer. I just carry it, works really well to knock down spiders and such. I also pack a 6 foot telescoping rod for a back up if I break the other. They are cheap and work good, my dad still just using a telescoping rod after 30 years of hiking. I prefer the 2 piece though. Always carry a back up though, even a back up reel. Hope you have fun, we have had some great trips this year. Once the ice was gone we killed it in the high lakes
HH

There are so many different combinations of make & model, and so many reasons to pick one over the other based on where you're fishing and what for.

However, all that and personal preference aside, I would just recommend a rod that breaks down in at least 3 pieces, preferably 4, simply because I have backpacked with a 2-piece fly rod and the tube got caught on overhead branches and brush under. It was just too long to tie snugly to the side of my pack. My 4-piece in the tube is maybe as long as my arm.

Good luck

I purchased a fantastic pacK rod from ebay.... It comes with a nice hard case....it is 3 piece 6 1/2 foot..... This company sells other sizes and types of rods also.....I own 3 ... I think it is the nicest rod I have ever purchased for the price....It was less than $50-60 dollars. I think they mentioned that the suggested retail is about $200+

You gotta try this..at least look at the rod. The other pack rods I have are much older...Look up Wright McGill on ebay or "pack rod" in the fishing group... They are really nice rods for older fiberglass types . They run about $50.00. Not a thing wrong with the older rods...at least they don't break on a 10" trout.... Good Luck, Steve

No_Bad_Skunks wrote:I've seen some nice looking pack-rods on Ebay, from a company called called 'Quetico'. They run between $44 and $70. If I were in the market for a pack rod right now, I'd seriously consider one of these.

Link is too long to post here, but go to Ebay, and look up the seller, 'microjigger'

I have purchased several more of these rods for gifts, both spinning and fly and have had no complants at all. I got my wife a nice spinning rod, 7'6" that is a light rod, 4 piece and is Teal color. My wife really likes it and uses it all the time. These rods are well worth the price and better than rods that are twice or three times the money...You won't be dissapointed....BTW they come with a great hard shell carring case. Good Luck, Steve

The Fenwick pack rods are pretty good rods to take to the alpine lakes. You can usually find a used one on craigslist.org or ebay. The older pack rods are set up to be used as a fly or spinning outfit depending on which way you fitted the handle to the rest of the rod. The newer ones seem to be fly or spin specific.

I have a couple Diawa Spinmatic UL rods and just love them. They make a pack version http://www.daiwa.com/Rod/detail.aspx?id=257

Outdoor Emporium carrys it http://www.sportco.com/productcart/pc/D ... p46619.htm

I've used many rods before packing, and right now I have two favorites: One is a 5'6" ugly stick two piece ultra light. They never break. I've broken so many rods, that's the number one. I just carry it strapped to my pack, no tube. I find it's more of a hassle to bring a tube. The other is a seven foot Fenwick eagle gt. It seems to me to be a lot more dainty than an ugly stick, but it's got a back bone that can chuck a Kastmaster a lot farther than anything while still having an amazing level of control and sensitivity. It's my new favorite rod that I own. I would bring inexpensive reels, I know mine get banged up and dirty packing. I like the Okuma ultra light line, because they have beef with their frugality. 19-30 dollars for a reel that won't wiggle at the handle, and the auto engage will work. Another thing that I like for packing is to use ultra light test power pro, and mono leaders. Because I get snagged up so much on a four day trip that I'd lose all my line. With the mono tip, that's where it's always going to break. It's very nice, and plus it casts so much smoother.

As for a fly rod, I have a five weight nine foot four piece from Cabela's, I think it's a scientific angler. I Don't want to ruin a super nice pole and reel from banging my pack on the ground. It works great for me, but I'm not a fly fishing connoisseur yet, so I don't know that much.

As for my dream rods, I really want one of these pack rod sets:

http://www.wyldedge.com/newpacknav.htm

I know this thread is old, but an EmmRod is virtually indestructible.