The ideal equipment for jungle fishing

In terms of equipment, I jungle fish with a light, six- to seven-foot fly rod loaded with a two- or three-weight line, unless I'm on a larger river or stream. A short fly rod is most important because you will invariably be crawling through thick vegetation and claustrophobic areas. A vest is not essential since you will only need a small selection of flies, a couple of leaders, some tippet, snippers and floatant. The idea here is to be mobile and keep things light, so leave the vest at home. I prefer using a small fanny pack. Waders are usually unnecessary and wet wading with shorts and wading boots is ideal if temperatures permit.

Remember, jungle fishing is primal and simplistic. Loading yourself down with fancy gadgets and looking like an angling techno-geek does not aid you in fooling trout. Did you ever notice how the people who wear the most stuff are usually the ones retrieving the most flies out of the bushes and willows? Most of my fishing buddies look more like lost rock climbers than fly fishermen. Rain gear, and I hate to say it, a good first-aid kit, are also mandatory when jungle flyfishing. A six-pack of beer or a bottle of whiskey should always be waiting at the vehicle, since they will aid in dealing with the stress and injuries you've incurred while getting to and from your destination.

To jungle fish with a buddy or not

I usually do the jungle thing alone because I am a solitary flyfisher. I also fish alone because people are not normally willing to follow me. If you are not good in the outdoors, you will want to jungle fish with a friend in case you fall and get hurt, tweak an ankle, that sort of thing. And with two anglers, the peer pressure to bushwhack through thick alders and slide down scree slopes keeps you headed to the isolated waters.

The chances are good that when jungle fishing, you will crash headlong through brush, trip on a rock, or get scraped by a pointed limb. It makes sense to have a partner. Your daredevil meter needs to be proportionate to the zaniness of your partner. But whether you jungle fish alone or with a buddy, take as much care as you can.

To my surprise, this summer while doing a flyfishing seminar with GORP's own outdoor writer and flyfishing instructor, Mark Williams, I found that Mark and his sidekick Kenny Medling were equally as crazy as myself in terms of locating fishing holes. We fell down hills together, retrieved each other's flies out of bushes, skinned our knees together, and generally had too much fun. There is definitely camaraderie amongst jungle anglers.

In one of Mark's articles about some of our exploits, he stated I moved with the alternating grace and clumsiness of a Weimaraner puppy. Upon reading this I was at first insulted, but then reminded myself that grace and elegance are not usually associated with jungle fly fishing. As I have found, you will not meet many other jungle flyfishers, but when you do they are usually friends for life. Although I am single and probably destined to remain that way due to my perverse addiction to floating rivers and chasing trout, I have two great dogs and I get to jungle flyfish whenever I want!