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From RiverAndReef.com Articles
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Destinations & Travel
Have you ever found yourself wondering how some people always seem to be fishing in cool and exciting places that you’re sure must cost a fortune to visit? Or perhaps you can’t figure out how your friends seem to always be taking time off work to go on crazy fishing trips. What if you learned that you could be visiting destinations that you have only dreamed about in the past, without breaking the bank or losing your job?
The first thing to consider is timing. It’s a fact in America that we spend more days working and receive less vacation and holidays than most other developed countries. This means you have to use your time efficiently. I always try to plan trips over long weekends. This may seem counterintuitive, and it is if you don’t choose your location carefully, the key is go somewhere just far enough out of the way that the casual weekend warriors think it’s out of their range. After all, you’ll soon learn that they’re not! The advantage here is you can take one or sometimes two more days off in a row without having to tap as far into your precious vacation time. A day off work before and after a 3-day long weekend gives you 5 solid days, plus the evening before for potential travel time. Another common misconception is that it must be really expensive to fish in far-off locations. Sure this may be the case if you’re looking at an all-inclusive lodge package with 5 or 10 days of guided fishing, but that’s not what you want anyway. Aside from the cost of basic accommodation and a non-resident fishing license, you should only have to pay to live; just like you would if you stayed home. A guide can be a valuable asset in many cases, especially if you require a boat, but there are countless other situations where your own knowledge alone is enough to get by. When you hear of somewhere you would like to fish, make a note of it. As you find time, research the destination and compile a file of notes outlining everything you can find out about it. Locate campgrounds and hotels, find topographic maps, hatch charts, and call local fly shops and guides for information. You’ll be surprised how much information you can get from local guides, even if you’re not planning on hiring them. They’re fishermen just like you and know the difference between a potential customer and an accomplished angler who is looking for an independent trip. Be nice, offer to help them out if they’re ever in your home area, and most of the time they will give you some local knowledge without trying to sell you anything. After awhile, you’ll have accumulated a collection of itineraries. This will make it much easier to leave at the drop of a hat when the situation presents itself. Planning is what takes the most time, and when broken up into pieces and compiled at your own pace, it becomes much more manageable. To get to many destinations, driving makes sense for a lot of reasons. For locations within a day’s drive or so, it’s usually much cheaper than flying, and you can always sleep in your vehicle at a rest stop along the way to keep costs down. You can also carry your gear more easily in your own car than in a plane or on public transportation. I like to do as much driving at night as possible to help maximize my daylight hours on the water. It’s amazing how far you can get in the hours between leaving work at 5pm and the time you need to stop to sleep. For more remote and far-off destinations, flying becomes necessary. Try to watch for airfare sales and cross-reference your file of itineraries that I mentioned earlier. If you can find a good deal to a destination where the fishing is in season and the tourists are out of season, you’ve hit the jackpot. This gives you more flexibility and is a much better approach than deciding upon a destination ahead of time and then struggling to fit it within your budget constraints. Plus you’ve already done your research, so you’re that much closer to just hopping on the plane and going! Sometimes you’ll find that an exciting 4-day trip out of the country is not much more expensive than a weekend fishing trip 2 hours from home, and the stories you’ll tell when you get home will be so much more impressive! A good base camp is always an advantage when you’re fishing new water. There are many places in the world where you can camp for free or next to nothing. Spending the night around a campfire in a new place, anticipating the fishing ahead is one of my favorite things in life. Cheap hotel rooms and hostels are great when the weather isn’t cooperating, as they provide you with a secure (usually) and dry space to regroup and collect your thoughts after a long day on the water. When you’re traveling from place to place on a daily basis during your itinerary, you’ll want to keep your camp simple. If it’s not going to rain and the bugs aren’t bad, don’t waste time setting up and taking down a tent. Instead, sleep under the stars and use that time to tie some flies, read a book, or drive a few extra miles. I like to keep my menu fairly simple. Try to bring food that doesn’t require refrigeration, as the store will invariably be sold out of ice just when the last of what’s in your cooler has melted. A sourdough bread bowl full of hot beef stew warmed in the fire and a cheap bottle of red wine is a pretty fine and simple meal when you’re on an adventure.
Depending on the fish you’re planning to do battle with, you may find yourself over or under-gunned for the job. Buying a new rod, reel, and lines, as well as outfitting yourself with the necessary flies and leaders can be an expensive proposal. Fortunately, a few companies have been pioneering some new loaner and trial programs for their fly fishing equipment. For example, Old Florida Reels has introduced their Travelers program; a way to borrow a top-quality reel for your trip in exchange for a written essay and photos from your trip. (http://www.oldfloridareels.com/reels/TravelersIndex.asp) Fly Logic has their 14-day TryLogic program where you can field test any rod or reel and return it when you’re finished for a full refund. (http://www.flylogic.com/trylogic.cfm) I hope this article provides you with some inspiration to do something a little different and alleviate those feelings of helplessness the next time you hear about someone’s wild and crazy trip to some exotic location for fish you’ve only dreamed of. Pack your packs, grab your rods, top off the gas tank, and hit the road! © Copyright © 1998-2007 RiverAndReef.com |
