New Fly Fishing Pack

I picked up a new fly fishing pack last week from my friend Jeff Perin at The Fly Fisher’s Place here in Sisters. I’ve been needing to replace my Temple Fork Outfitters waist pack because I’ve worn it out! What a problem to have, right? I purchased an Umpqua Northfork 5L pack.

I fish a lot and never complain when I finally wear out a pack, wader, or boots. I lose count on the number of days I fish, but it’s well over 100 each year. I don’t think I’m hard on my equipment, but eventually replacements are needed.

While writing this post, I recalled a favorite pack I used before my Temple Fork Outfitters. It was a Williams and Joseph fanny pack I really liked.

Replacing a pack is a process I don’t look forward to because I have to change something. I rely upon muscle memory to quickly reach for what I need and going through the process of replacing a fly fishing pack means I need to change where boxes and accessories go.

Here are images from my old pack showing how the stitching is coming apart and a gash in the mesh pocket.

As you can tell in the image below, I can get quite a few fly boxes in the Temple Fork Outfitters pack.

But more fly boxes means a heavier pack.

I arranged both packs to show the size difference between the two.

I knew I wanted to keep fishing with a waist pack. You might enjoy a larger pack, chest pack, sling pack, or vest. I wrote a post a few years ago called How to Choose Between Vests and Packs for Fly Fishing where I discussed a variety of options available to the fly fisher.

How did I select the Umpqua Northfork Waist Pack 5L? Here are the specs for the pack:

• Main Compartment – Holds up to 4 full-sized fly boxes.
• Secondary Compartment – Accommodates 2 full-sized fly boxes.
• Internal Pockets – Organize leaders, tippet, and indicators.
• Net Slot – Easy access slot for fishing net.
• External Fly Patch – For quick access and fly drying.
• Water Bottle Pocket – Fits a full-sized Nalgene bottle securely.

Here are the factors that were important to me when selecting a new pack:

• Size – I wanted a smaller pack and this 5 liter one fit the bill.
• Weight – It only weighs 1.2 pounds. Many empty packs weigh substantially more.
• Dividers – I’ve seen too many packs with only one compartment and the fly boxes are always rotating. It reminds me of a washing machine. Some of our guides this year used packs with a single compartment and I could see how much of a mess it was.
• Water Bottle Pocket – This was mandatory for me. I need a place to carry my filter bottle.

While the goal is a lighter pack, I’ll be carrying fewer flies to the river because it will hold fewer fly boxes. I might need to rethink the fly boxes I carry or how I arrange flies in them.

I currently have the following boxes in my pack:

• Mayflies – PMD’s, March Browns, and a few other colors
• Mayflies – BWO’s
• Caddis – a variety of sizes and colors
• Mayflies – Green Drakes
• Mayflies – Green Drakes (yes, a second Green Drake box!)
• Miscellaneous – beetles, October Caddis, a few Golden Stones

Some quick access items like the Frog’s Fanny floatant and amadou patch I carry in my wader pockets where they are readily available and frequently used.

I’ll go through the thought process of where to carry the extra leaders, tippet, and floatant. My current pack has mesh on the outside where I place tippet and an extra Frog’s Fanny floatant bottle. The new one has what they call a versiloop system where one can add other items such as tippet or bottle holders. I’ll have to check them out.

It will take a few trips to the river before I’m happy with the fly boxes and location of what I carry in the pack.

Enjoy…go fish!