Packraft Fly Fishing The Ultimate Backcountry Tool
Packrafting Fly Fishing
Why? Pacrrafts are small, lightweight, and easy to transport, deploy, and maneuver. They allow you to access water you usually would not consider or dream of. The most rugged pacrrafts fold up to about the size of a backpack and weigh in around 15-20 lbs. They inflate in minutes and are ready to hike into remote areas or simply push off from traditional access locations.
I have been fly fishing remote backcountry waters for over a decade now. Getting myself into some pretty tricky spots, all on foot. Time after time, I ran into places where I could no longer hike or wade across the rivers or found myself staring at huge alpine lakes with little to no shore access. I kept pushing and thinking there is got to be a better way to get into these waters and boom, I was introduced to a packraft!
On my first trip, I was blown away by how easy it was to simply cross a river and explore the other side. I dragged my boat upriver, around whitewater I did not know how to navigate, and into places that opened my eyes and opportunities. I hiked my packraft into remote lakes and pushed off and explored the water rather than bushwhacking the sides. As the trips continued, I took on more challenging waters and more remote places as I grew as a packrafter. I watched videos and read books (The Packraft Handbook) on how to navigate rivers. I started shuttling myself back to my car with my bike and bike trailer, slowly adding on the miles of each float. I ran back to back days, floating 15 miles of new river in pure awe! I invited friends and fishing clients and taught and shared with them the beauty and joy of Packrafting. I just did an overnight trip with my daughter and pup into a remote section of the river that hiking into is just not an option.
Packrafting has opened so much more water to my fly fishing and guiding that I never would have been able to cover on foot alone or have been able to paddle a bigger raft with oars into. It has been a game changer for exploring new opportunities and honing in sections of water that would have taken all afternoon just to access one remote run or bushwhacking lakeside game trails. Now I spend more time on the water and less time getting there!
The beauty of a packrat is the simplicity of the vessel combined with the depth of opportunities it allows you. From an easy river crossing to access the other bank... to paddling out deeper into lakes…. to full-blown river trips, a packraft is the ultimate backcountry and remote water fishing tool out there!
Overnight spot on the Middle Fork of the Feather
