Carry only the essentials, guide says
Waders often cover so much ground they can hardly see their boat when they turn back around. This means they’ve got to carry everything they might need with them.
Unfortunately, some anglers take this to the extreme and wind up looking like floating tackle shops. Guy Stansel with Hackberry Rod & Gun doesn’t have that problem.
“I don’t like too much stuff in the way,” he said. “For example, I know a lot of people like to carry a small net, but no matter how small and convenient it might be, it still gets in my way.”
Over the years, Stansel has narrowed down the gear he takes with him to only the essentials.
“Of course, a good pair of waders,” he chuckled. “But you’re also going to need a wade belt with a place to keep your needle nose pliers and a small tackle box.
“I like to keep a Boga-Grip rather than a net, and it just clips right onto the belt.”
With his wade belt simply equipped, all Stansel has to do when he reaches his destination is strap it on and jump in the water.
But how does he deal with landing big trout without a net?
“I let them play down,” he said. “That way, when he’s close to you, you don’t have to worry about getting a hook in you, and all you’ve got to do is keep your rod tip high to keep his head up and get him with the Boga-Grip on the bottom lip.”
Carrying too much wading gear will only get in your way. Narrow it down to the essentials, and you can enjoy fishing without having to keep track of all your excess gear.
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